men's health
∙5 minute read
It’s almost a cliché that men don’t go to the doctor. But as Dr Dave, GP and men’s health expert at Numan, explains, there’s a lot of truth behind the stereotype, and the consequences aren’t always harmless.
“I hear it all the time,” he says. “Men believe themselves to be immortal, thinking that they’re permanently 22 years old despite the facts being very different.” For many men, it takes a seismic event - a heart attack, a stroke, or a serious scare - to finally prompt action. “That’s often the point when they think, ‘Actually, I should have looked into this earlier.’”
Part of the problem, Dr Dave explains, is that men simply aren’t used to engaging with healthcare.
“Women tend to have a lifelong relationship with their GP for a number of things like contraception, smear tests, or pregnancy. They know the process, they’re comfortable talking about their bodies. But men? They can go from childhood to their thirties or forties without ever needing to step inside a surgery. So when they finally do, it feels unfamiliar, even awkward.”
That unfamiliarity quickly turns into avoidance. “There’s almost a sense of shame in admitting you’re not feeling well. It’s still seen as a sign of weakness,” says Dr Dave. “It’s almost a badge of honour for some men to say, ‘I haven’t seen my doctor in ten years.’”
The difference in how men and women handle health conversations runs deep. “Women are much more open. They’ll talk to their friends about symptoms or worries, and often get told, ‘You should get that checked out.’ Men don’t do that. They’ll talk about football, work, or their dodgy knee, but never about fatigue or mood.”
But this silence doesn’t bode well for men, and we see this too often with mental health. “Men are less likely to talk about it or see a doctor, and the outcome is often catastrophic. Clearly something isn’t working. Men need to get better at engaging with healthcare, and healthcare professionals need to get better at engaging with men.”
Even when warning signs appear, like fatigue, weight gain, and low sex drive, most men brush them off as just “getting older.”
Dr Dave says that’s not always the case. “Yes, ageing plays a role, but it’s rarely one thing. It’s usually a combination of biological, hormonal, and psychological factors all wrapped together. That’s why blood testing can be so valuable. If everything comes back normal, it tells you where to look next: your sleep, your stress, your habits.”
He admits he’s had his own wake-up call. “Two years ago, I found out I had raised blood sugar. My first reaction was denial. I thought, ‘That must be a mistake; I never eat sugar.’ But when I sat down and thought about it properly, I realised I do like an afternoon cake. Diabetes runs in my family, and I’m in my late 40s. Suddenly it didn’t seem so far-fetched.”
That one blood test prompted reflection and change. “It wasn’t a seismic shift, but it made me rethink my habits. For a lot of men, that’s the difference, they need something tangible to make it real.”
Unfortunately, most don’t act until it’s too late. We see men giving up smoking only after a heart attack, or finally starting to exercise after a scare. The challenge is helping them act before that happens.
One of the more subtle early warning signs of health problems can be hormonal, especially testosterone.1
“Low testosterone isn’t always the cause, but it’s often part of the picture,” Dr Dave explains. “Before I took an interest in men’s health, if a middle-aged man came in with low energy or low mood, I wouldn’t have thought to check testosterone. And most GPs still don’t, which is a big mistake.”
Low testosterone can cause fatigue, low libido, and mood changes, but it’s also linked to other issues.1 “Being overweight can lower testosterone, and low testosterone can make it harder to lose weight. It’s a chicken-and-egg situation,” he says. “We’ve even seen men’s testosterone improve just by losing weight. Everything’s connected.”
When asked what he looks for in practice, Dr Dave offered this: “If I could ask men one question, it would be: ‘Do you still get normal morning erections?’ It sounds crude, but it’s one of the most reliable signs of hormone health. If a man says he hasn’t had one for months, that’s often a big clue that something’s going on with testosterone.”
Dr Dave is quick to point out that getting checked is about control more than anything.
“There’s great freedom in knowing. Having that information gives you power over your own health. You’re not guessing anymore. You’re making informed choices.” That’s what he sees as the biggest mindset shift men need to make; that asking for help isn’t weakness, but agency. “It’s never about empowering someone else. It’s about empowering yourself,” he says.
If you recognise yourself in this, start with a blood test. As Dr Dave says, “Accept that you’re human, not invincible. The changes you make won’t be made for you, they’ll be made by you. But once you know what’s going on, you can actually do something about it.”
You can’t fix what you don’t know. Find out, then act.
Tyagi V, Scordo M, Yoon RS, Liporace FA, Greene LW. Revisiting the role of testosterone: Are we missing something? Rev
Written by Hassan Thwaini
Clinical Pharmacist and Copywriter, Master of Pharmacy (MPharm)
