As a men’s health activist and a testicular cancer survivor, I am very interested in reading research studies pertaining to these topics. Throughout the month of February, I’ve been sharing my insights and commentary on a November 2018 men’s health study from The Urology Foundation (TUF), a UK-based charity that “leads the fight against urology disease.”
In the first two editions, I examined what they found in regards to testicular cancer and prostate cancer, respectively.
This third entry will delve into something that was not in the initial published report: how urological diseases can affect the different sexes on a romantic and psychological level, an appropriate topic considering the recent Valentine’s Day. TUF was kind enough to share these factors with me to help flesh out this investigation.
How do urology diseases affect British men’s outlook on relationships compared to women?
- 6% of women said they were often prevented from having sex because of urology disease, but that number jumps to 4.1% in men
- 15% of men say they’ve been prevented from pursuing a romantic relationship because of urology disease, but only 10% of women have
I was engaged (and later married) during my battle with testicular cancer, so this was a topic I didn’t fully grasp. To help understand better, I emailed TUF to ask for further information, and they shared the following anecdote that truly shows how far some men are willing to go to avoid this perceived embarrassment:
“I had a prostate cancer patient tell me that he’s heard other men say that they’d rather not know if they have prostate cancer because they’re worried what the cancer and subsequent treatment could mean for their sex life.”
This connects to what many of the themes, quotes, and anecdotes in a book I recently read, Manhood: The Bare Reality, encompassed. Men view their genitalia as an extension of their manhood and will literally choose to be kept in the dark so they don’t have to admit to problems in the bedroom… also in the dark.
Unfortunately, this is a damaging, and possibly fatal, mistake and we must work to change it.
Photo—Shutterstock
The post Asking the TUF Questions—Part 3 appeared first on The Good Men Project.
