Over the past thirty years, a tireless campaign has urged women to check their breasts for cancer.
Some studies show that the increase in self-examination has led to a 39 percent increase in the number of women seeking help for sinister lumps.
A male health expert says we should perform the same checks on one part of the human anatomy: the penis.
According to urologist Dr. Peter White, a man’s sexual organs are an important window into his overall health — and subtle changes can indicate serious diseases like cancer and diabetes.
And regularly checking for a handful of signs can catch a problem before it becomes potentially fatal.
Most men don’t examine their penises often. But Dr Peter White, a urologist in Australia, is calling on men to change this and check their penis more often
Dr. White said: ‘Penile health is not just about physical appearance, it is a reflection of overall well-being.
‘Everyone is unique in appearance, but early identification and addressing of problems and issues is crucial.’
Dr. White has outlined the five changes in your penis health that warrant a visit to the doctor.
BLISTERS AND ULCERS CAN MEAN CANCER
According to Dr. White, white skin spots on the penis may indicate the skin thinning disease lichen sclerosus.
This affects approximately one in ten men between the ages of 30 and 50.
This condition can cause pain during sex and scarring, as well as itchy, irritated skin.
Bumps, rashes, or blisters likely indicate a sexually transmitted infection (STI), such as herpes, syphilis, or human papillomavirus (HPV).
Syphilis causes small painless sores, herpes leads to blisters on or around the penis, and HPV can cause genital warts.
Doctors are particularly concerned about syphilis, which can cause abnormalities in babies if passed to a woman, and HPV, which increases the risk of cervical cancer in women.
Blisters and sores that change size or shape or discoloration of some areas of the skin can also be a warning sign of penile cancer, Dr. White added.
This disease is uncommon, affecting fewer than one in 100,000 men each year, but it can be missed in the early stages.
But Dr. White said some skin shifts on the penis were also benign, or not a warning sign of a complication.
He pointed to pearly penile papules, or small, flesh-colored lumps that appear around the glans, which he said were harmless growths.
A CHANGE OF FLUIDS DURING SEX
It is normal for the gonads to release less fluid during orgasm as a man ages.
But if this happens before age 45, it could indicate a problem, Dr. White warns.
Decreased ejaculate can indicate lower levels of testosterone – the male sex hormone that instructs the glands to make the fluid that transports semen.
Doctors may want to do blood tests to diagnose a deficiency, and may prescribe treatments such as testosterone injections.
Other factors that can cause a drop in ejaculate include dehydration or overconsumption of porn.
Dr. White also expressed concern about weakened ejaculations, or where fluid is released from the body less forcefully.
He said this is likely due to a weakening of the pelvic floor muscles.
To treat this, Dr. White recommended increasing exercise, including squats and crunches that work the pelvic floor.
UNPLEASANT SMELL
If you notice a bad odor in the genital area, it is likely due to a buildup of dead skin cells and bacteria due to poor hygiene.
This affects both circumcised and uncircumcised men.
If the area is not washed adequately for an extended period of time, men can develop a nasty yeast infection called balantitis, which causes the foreskin around the penis head to become red and swollen.
To prevent this, doctors recommend washing the area once a day with warm water and soap.
However, they do not recommend doing this more regularly, as this can increase the risk of skin irritations.
NOT ENOUGH Peeing
The average man should urinate between six and seven times a day, doctors say.
But studies show that three-quarters of men may not achieve this frequency due to dehydration.
Dr. White said not urinating often enough can increase the risk of kidney problems, including kidney stones — hard deposits of minerals and acid salts that stick together in concentrated urine.
Removing the stones requires surgery, which can be painful.
About 11 percent of men and six percent of women suffer from kidney stones at least once in their lives.
A weaker flow can be a sign of weakened pelvic floor muscles, which makes men less able to push urine out of the body.
Dr. White says it’s also important to urinate more often. This could be a sign of diabetes: the body uses urine to get rid of excess glucose.
In older men, frequent urination can be a sign of an enlarged prostate, which grows with age and can press on the bladder.
Doctors say men should drink 15 cups of water a day to prevent dehydration.
IF YOU NOTICE A NEW…BEND
It’s normal for your penis to have some curvature, says Dr. White.
However, if it is pronounced (for example, at a right angle) it can be a sign of Peyronie’s disease.
This is when scar tissue has formed in the penis, which does not grow with the rest of the organ when it is erect, causing a curvature.
It often occurs as a result of injury to the penis, for example from sports or rigorous sex.
Dr. White said the condition can prevent men from having sex and cause self-esteem issues, leaving many struggling to maintain an erection in the presence of others.
To treat the condition, many doctors recommend traction therapy, in which a person wears a device on the penis that helps correct the curve.