Men’s Health Week raises awareness of the health issues that affect men disproportionately and focuses on getting men to become more aware of health problems they may have or could develop and gain the courage to do something about it.

The overall aims of the week are to:

1. Heighten awareness of preventable health problems for males of all ages.
2. Support men and boys to engage in healthier lifestyle choices / activities.
3. Encourage the early detection and treatment of health difficulties in males.

The overall theme this year is ‘Making the Connections’, and everyone is being asked to ‘check in, check up and check it out‘ – as we continue to try to overcome the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Each year Men’s Health Week becomes bigger and more well-known, so if you’re a man that wants to do more, or a woman that wants to inform a man you love about it, then get spreading the word! The more well-known the week becomes, the more men will feel like it’s OK to talk about their health issues and not just push them to the side and ignore health problems away!

You can help Men’s Health Week out by going to the Mens Health Forum website and sign up to spread the word, or donate to their cause!

Sexual health problems in men

Many men experience problems with their sexual health at some point in their lives. This might be a physical problem or psychological (mental health) problem or a combination of both. Here are some of the most common issues men can face.

• Trouble getting an erection (erectile dysfunction)

If you can’t get or keep an erection long enough to have sex, you may have erectile dysfunction. It’s more common as you get older but don’t worry – there are things you can do and treatments available to help.

Making changes to your lifestyle may help with erectile dysfunction. Such changes include stopping smoking, cutting down on alcohol and losing weight if you need to. Your doctor may also prescribe medicines or refer you for specialist treatment if necessary.

• Sexually transmitted infections (STIs)

Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are infections that are transferred from person to person during sex. With some STIs, you might not get any symptoms at all. But if you do, they may include:

• discharge – mucus or pus – from your penis
• pain when you pee
• rashes, lumps or blisters around your genital area
• pain in your testicles

It’s important to visit a sexual health clinic or your GP if you think you might have an STI. Getting treatment can help your symptoms and stop the infection spreading to other people. Even if you don’t have symptoms, it’s worth getting tested for STIs if you’ve recently changed your sexual partner. Here at The Nothern Sexual Health Clinic we offer free home testing STI kits. To order one please visit: https://www.thenorthernsexualhealth.co.uk/order-a-home-sti-test-kit

You can protect yourself from STIs by practitioner safe sex – this includes wearing a condom whenever you have sex.

You can pick up FREE condoms from all our clinics across Manchester!

• Other sexual problems

There are various other sexual problems that men can experience. These include premature ejaculation (when you ejaculate sooner than you or your partner wishes), not being able to ejaculate, or loss of libido (sex drive). Don’t be embarrassed to seek help for problems like these – your doctor is likely to have seen men with similar problems many times before.

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