After men reach a certain age, seeing a urologist for regular checkups becomes necessary. For women, regularly scheduled visits to a gynecologist is a part of maintaining women’s health across their lifetime. For men, they tend to need to focus more on urology visits as they get older, unless certain conditions come up earlier.
The most common thing that men associate with a visit to the urologist is checking on the health of the prostate and avoiding prostate cancer – which is obviously a valid concern. However, there are a number of reasons why a male would visit their urologist beyond regular checkups. Not all of them are something to be alarmed about, but it never hurts to get an expert opinion.
1. Physical exam
The same way you regularly visit – or at least you should be – your primary care physician for an annual check up, seeing your urologist should be no different. You don’t need to be experiencing any issues or suspect any problems for your urologist to evaluate everything down there to make sure it is all in proper working order.
2. Prostate exam
After you have reached a certain age, keeping an eye on your prostate health becomes much more important. The checkup is known as a DRE (digital rectal exam), which involves your urologist checking your prostate gland and evaluate it for both firmness and size.
3. Blood tests
Not all exams that your urologist performs are as hands-on as others. You will need to visit your specialist for bloodwork to test your testosterone levels, or to assess your kidney functions.
4. Urinalysis
A fancy way of saying urine test, your urologist can ask for a urinalysis if they suspect you could have a urinary tract infection. A urinalysis can also help your doctor detect anything in your system that shouldn’t be there – like blood cells or bacteria.
5. Ultrasound
An ultrasound is just another common exam that can be performed or recommended by your urologist. Though it’s non-invasive, ultrasound imaging can help your doctor detect any issues with your kidneys or bladder, but also any possible tumors or cysts.
6. Cystoscopy
Perhaps the most invasive treatment of all these listed, a cystoscopy can help your doctor determine if there’s any blockage or issues in your bladder. After being numbed, a small camera is inserted into your urethra and to your bladder. This can help your urologist assess any abnormalities there.
7. Seminogram
Most commonly referred to as a semen analysis, this exam is usually ordered to test your overall semen health. This can be requested in cases where infertility might be suspected or after a vasectomy to confirm that sperm is no longer present during ejaculation.
Having a healthy understanding of the health concerns and exams associated with a urologist is an important step towards maintaining good health throughout your lifetime. That’s why Dr. Avila and the caring staff at Ironwood Urology want to keep you informed about any valid men’s health concern that might come up. For more information, or to schedule an appointment, call (480) 961-2323, or request one online.
