The following guest post is about what women can do to keep your man healthy when it comes to sensitive topics like sexual health. Thanks to Dr. Danoff. You can find out more about him at the end.

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Tips to Keep Your Man Healthy from Dr. Danoff

A Cleveland Clinic study proved what most women already knew: most men (61 percent) avoid visiting a doctor even when they need to. The good news is that 83 percent of women encourage their partners to get yearly check-ups. If you are a woman living with one of these stubborn men, you may be wondering what to watch for in your man’s health and how to persuade him to follow your well-intentioned advice.

What to Watch Out For

Sexual health issues are especially difficult for men to talk about—two in five men refuse to discuss erectile dysfunction (ED) or painful erections with their live-in partners.

Every man has erection trouble from time to time, but if your partner has consistent ED and stops getting nocturnal erections, you may have cause to worry. The culprit could be neurological, cardiovascular, or hormonal. Few things are more difficult for a man to admit than ED, but let your partner know he shouldn’t wait to tell his physician until it’s too late to easily correct the situation.

If your man is over forty, one of the most important conditions to watch out for is prostate cancer, the second-most-common cancer among men. Early diagnosis is the best way to beat the deadly potential of this disease, so encourage your partner to discuss his medical and family history with his doctor to determine whether a yearly prostate-specific antigen (PSA) blood test is advisable.

The medical term for a painful and persistent erection is priapism. Priapism is rare and most often occurs as a side effect of ED medication or its misuse. If your man’s erections are consistently painful, have him ask his doctor about lowering the dosage or switching medications. If he has an erection that lasts longer than four hours, phone his doctor or the paramedics immediately, or he may suffer permanent damage.

How to Approach the Conversation

If your partner does not openly share his health concerns, ask him about them directly. You might use an article or blog post as a starting point: “I read that men should watch out for this problem or these symptoms.” If you want your man to improve his health, avoid saying anything that could be taken as a put-down. Focus on what you would like him to do, not what he is doing wrong. Let him know that by asking about his well-being, you are showing that you care about his health and happiness.

About the Author:

Dudley Seth Danoff, MD, FACS, is president and founder of the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Tower Urology Group in Los Angeles, a Diplomate of the American Board of Urology, a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons, and the author of The Ultimate Guide to Male Sexual Health.

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