According to a new poll nearly half of middle aged British adult men value their sex life above their general health. They choose to avoid the risk of sexual problems caused by medications or surgery and would prefer to suffer urinary symptoms. A survey has revealed that 42% of British men aged 50+ say that if they were diagnosed with a prostatic health problem, they would delay treatment because of the risk of erectile dysfunction caused by surgery and drug therapy. In all, 41% of men wouldn’t easily decide to have a surgical procedure or take drugs.
Another independently conducted poll of 1,000 British men aged above 50 y.o mentions that 11% of the men surveyed have already been diagnosed with Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia, an enlargement in the prostate gland and may be living with considerable symptoms, such as frequent and urgent urination and slow emptying. Up to 40% of all men over the age of 50 eventually develop a prostatic condition. When reaching the age of 50, around half of the respondents feel their sex drive is still similar to their earlier decade. The average man above 50 has sex once in every 7 days; yet 50 percent of men would choose to actually be more sexual active.
Any delay in treating BPH signifies that men should not just tolerate signs that have negatively effects on their quality of life, but also face the danger of those symptoms deteriorating with time, or even suddenly being unable to pass urine, an incredibly agonizing and annoying experience.
Men are so worried about the treatment alternatives for BPH that they avoid seeing a health care provider. They don’t want to face up the possibility of developing incontinence and sexual dysfunction, which can sometimes be the result of the traditional surgical treatments.
There is a generation of men in their 50s and 60s now who are keen on preserving their sexual function, and are far more involved in the maintenance of their health and wellness. Men want to stay active and energetic. They don’t want to accept that going to the bathroom multiple times during the night, or stopping having normal sex, is the natural process of getting older. Yet many men with BPH may well qualify for the new surgical treatments that preserve sexual functions and carry very low risk of incontinence.
Men need to have more guidance on the available options having to do with the maintenance of their sexual health and wellness over the age of 50. Sexual wellbeing is a key point for maintaining older men’s contentment in addition to living an active, fulfilled living.
For many men, ‘normal’ life is their prime concern, so having the ability to continue working, having a normal sex life and avoiding medication, are all part of being young and any such treatment that provides normality, is obviously very appealing.