Infertility Treatment Options for Men & Women

Infertility Treatment Options for Men & WomenFor couples struggling to conceive a child, life might feel like a carousel, trying for the brass ring, month after month. It can put a lot of pressure on the relationship. But now there are fertility treatments that can put the chances of conception in your favor.

What are the different types of fertility treatments?

Today we have more technology for diagnosing and treating infertility than ever before. Fertility assessments should be done on both partners to determine which treatments can help, and whether it is a male or female infertility issue.

Female Options for Fertility Treatment

Fertility treatments can include medications to regulate hormones and ovulation, which are often combined with minor surgery approaches. Assisted Reproductive Technology, or ART for short, encompasses several procedures to help you conceive. Some ART procedures make it easier for the sperm to fertilize an egg, and others help with getting the egg to implant in the lining of your uterus.

Common ART fertility treatments are:

Intrauterine Insemination (IUI), in which healthy sperm is collected and then inserted directly into the uterus when you are ovulating.

In Vitro Fertilization (IVF), in which eggs are taken from the ovaries to be fertilized by sperm in the lab where they can develop into embryos. Then a doctor implants the embryos into your uterus after they grows for 3 to 5 days.

GIFT, short for Gamete IntraFallopian Transfer, and ZIFT, Zygote IntraFallopian Transfer. In GIFT, the egg and sperm are collected and immediately placed in a fallopian tube. With ZIFT, the egg(s) and sperm are combined in a lab, resulting in a fertilized egg, which then is placed into the tube at 24 hours.

Cryopreservation, which is known as “freezing” your eggs, sperm or embryos, along with donated eggs or embryos, as well as surrogate mothers who carry the embryo to term.

Both fertility drugs and hormones can be used to help determine when the woman is ovulating or ensure proper levels of hormones. Surgery can remove tissue, such as in cases of endometriosis, or be used to open blocked fallopian tubes.

Enlisting donor sperm, eggs or surrogate mothers, is popular with single people and same-sex couples who desire a baby. Donor sperm or eggs can be the solution if either partner has fertility issues.

Male Options for Fertility Treatment

There are various treatment options if the male needs help with sperm counts, quality or motility. Surgery by a qualified urologist is recommended if the cause is a varicocele (widened veins in the scrotum) or for any blockage in the vas deferens, the tubes that carry the sperm. Antibiotics can be used to treat infections in the reproductive organs, and medications can treat problems with ejaculation or erections. Another option is hormone treatment.

If you wish to conceive but are having problems, our team of specialists at St Pete Urology is experienced in working with couples to make assessments and help in achieving your dreams. For more information, visit the St Pete Urology website.

How do men deal with incontinence?

While a man with urinary incontinence needs to see a urologist for proper and timely treatment, there are certain things he can do on his own to manage the symptoms. In fact, taking these actions will not only prevent and relieve symptoms, but also will help overcome incontinence.Ways of managing urinary incontinence in men include:

1. Keeping a diary

Keeping track of how much fluid you drink, how frequently you have to go to the bathroom, when and how often you leak urine, and anything that triggers your symptoms, such as drinking a lot of coffee, coughing or bending your body in a certain way is an effective way of monitoring your incontinence. Using the diary, your doctor can get a better grip of your symptoms and how they affect your life, and find the right tests necessary for correct diagnosis.

2. Regular double-voiding

Double-voiding is a great way to minimize dribbling. So when you finish urinating, you should wait for a minute or so and then try voiding again. If you succeed to pass urine in the second attempt, you’ll seldom dribble afterward.

3. Cutting down on caffeine and alcohol

Caffeine and alcohol irritate the bladder and often worsen incontinence symptoms. By cutting down the amount of tea, sodas, coffee and alcohol you drink, you’ll make a massive difference with your urinary incontinence symptoms.

4. Quitting smoking

Smoking tobacco aggravates urinary incontinence in men. So the sooner you quit tobacco the better for you.

5. Spacing apart your drinks

Staggering your fluid intake can help to ease the symptoms. For instance, if you are having a lot of trouble at night, drinking less fluid before going to bed might help. And when you have problems during the day, it might help to drink less fluid many hours before you travel or leave home for an event.

6. Avoiding foods that trigger symptoms

Certain foods trigger urinary incontinence symptoms in men. For example, spicy foods and acidic foods such as tomatoes and citrus fruits are common culprits. Likewise, artificial sweeteners and chocolate may trigger incontinence. While everyone is different, it’s wise to identify the foods that worsen your symptoms and avoid them.

7. Training the bladder

Training your bladder can help you to control urinary incontinence. You can do this by starting to take scheduled bathroom breaks whether you are feeling the urge to go or not. Then gradually extend the time you take between your bathroom trips, making a conscious effort to tame your symptoms and push yourself to only pass urine every 3 or 4 hours. Bladder training may not give immediate results, but if you persist, you’ll get positive results within a few months.

8. Flexing your bladder muscles

Exercising the right muscles will help strengthen them and improve your bladder control. Because exercising the wrong muscles may increase pressure on your bladder, you should correctly identify the ones you exercise. The right muscles to focus on are those you would use to stop yourself from passing gas.

So how do you flex them? Apply tension on the muscles for 3 seconds, then allow them to relax for another 3 seconds. Build up gradually until you’re able to do three sets of ten repetitions. You can perform these exercises anywhere — at your desk, in bed or when watching TV, but don’t do them when urinating as that can lead to infections. You should do the exercises for 15 minutes per day. While it usually takes 3-6 weeks to achieve the desired effect, positive results may be noticed soon by men who are doing the right exercises frequently.

9. Lose weight and stay hydrated

Excess weight increases pressure on the abdomen and makes urinary incontinence worse. By shedding a few pounds, you can reduce symptoms. Likewise, while it seems a good idea to drink less water in order to prevent leaks, drinking less only makes urine more concentrated and increases bladder irritation, resulting in more urinary incontinence. Therefore, if you’re thirsty, drink some water.

10. Treat constipation

Constipation, together with the strain that comes with it, can negatively affect the nerves that control bladder function. By eating a high-fiber diet and taking the necessary actions to prevent constipation, you may help your incontinence.

11. Speak with your doctor about any medication adverse effects

Some medications and supplements can cause or worsen your incontinence. For instance, sedatives, antidepressants, diuretics and various allergy and cold medicines may elicit urinary problems. So make sure your doctor is aware of the medicines and supplements you’re using and of any adverse effects you’re experiencing.

12. Planning ahead

A lot of men with urinary incontinence are anxious whenever they have to travel, fearing accidental urine leaks. To ease your anxiety when going on a road trip, make sure to map out the route and identify the places you’ll stop at regular intervals to use the bathroom. Going out with a plan will make you confident and less prone to accidental urine leaks.

13. Get support

Urinary incontinence can be both stressful and embarrassing and you may even feel lonely and hopeless. So you should make an effort to remain connected with your family and friends. Joining a support group also may be beneficial. Your doctor can help you find any support groups in your area.

Applying these techniques may help relieve urinary incontinence symptoms. But because on their own these techniques are inadequate for managing urinary incontinence, you should work closely with your doctor to find the best solutions for your condition, particularly if the symptoms are adversely affecting your life. It’s also prudent to always speak with your doctor before you try any of these techniques for managing urinary incontinence. If you’re looking for a urologist near you, then you can always see one of our urologists at Florida’s St Pete Urology in St. Petersburg. For more information on the right treatment plan for urinary incontinence in men, visit the “St. Pete Urology” site.

6 Reasons Men Should See A Urologist

Given the close relationship between a man’s mental health and his overall health-related quality of life, it is increasingly clear that men suffer a significant burden of mental health issues, most of which go untreated. The situation is worsened by barriers to access to mental health services such as maladaptive coping, stigma and lack of awareness of the support services available in the community. At St Pete Urology, we treat a visit to our facility as the first regular contact between a patient and health care, using the opportunity to attend to a variety of health problems affecting our patients.

Relationship between mental health and urological disorders

At St Pete Urology, we appreciate that specific urological conditions, such as urinary tract infections, urologic cancers, kidney stones, urinary incontinence and erectile dysfunction, are usually accompanied by mental health issues like anxiety and depression. For example, about 10 percent of men with erectile dysfunction usually suffer from depression while 2.5 percent to 37 percent usually suffer from anxiety. Likewise, men with urinary incontinence tend to also have increased psychological distress, with anxiety rates of 3 percent to 10 percent and depression rates of 6 percent to 21 percent. Furthermore, men suffering from prostate cancer are four times more likely to commit suicide than men of similar age without the cancer.

At St Pete Urology, we cherish every contact with each patient and use it to treat urological disorders and associated mental health problems. For instance, when handling a patient with prostate cancer, we also take the role of screening for signs of anxiety and depression, educating him on the diagnosis, treatment and management of related side-effects, and providing support through referral of the patient to psychosocial services and the right rehabilitation programs. Similarly, for a man having urinary incontinence, we perform a functional analysis to assess the effects of the symptoms on daily life, recommend practical solutions like Kegel exercises and offer referrals to psychosocial services to address issues of interpersonal relationships and low self-esteem.

Comprehensive and effective treatments in urology

St Pete Urology offers an all-inclusive, multidisciplinary approach to urology. We emphasize the latest techniques including minimally-invasive, robotic and scarless procedures, develop personalized treatment plans that entail both surgical and medical approaches, and strive to make every visit as convenient as possible.

Our core specialty services include:

  1. Percutaneous nephrolithotomy treatment of kidney stones.
  2. Ureteroscopy for kidney stones and other urological conditions.
  3. Continent urinary diversion.
  4. Caval surgery for kidney and renal cancer.
  5. Treatment of prostate cancer, including nerve-sparing surgery and robotic radical prostatectomy.
  6. Male infertility and male sexual dysfunction.
  7. Vasectomy and vasectomy reversal.
  8. Urinary reconstruction.
  9. Complex urinary incontinence surgeries.
  10. Radiation oncology.
  11. Minimally-invasive treatments for benign prostatic hyperplasia.
  12. Laparoscopic renal surgeries.

A highly specialized care team

If a urology problem is causing you pain, discomfort or embarrassment, turning to a urologist at St Pete Urology who listens, responds compassionately and has the expertise to treat urinary disorders can help you to overcome your problems. Our urologists are a highly-specialized and knowledgeable team that went to the University of Pennsylvania and understand their work well. We have board-certified urologists who are experienced in treating low testosterone, prostate cancer, testicular cancer, enlarged prostate, erectile dysfunction and many other urological conditions.

So why should men visit a urologist?

  1. Recurrent urinary tract infections.
  2. Interstitial cystitis.
  3. Urinary incontinence and overactive bladder.
  4. Male infertility and male sexual dysfunction.
  5. Kidney stones.
  6. Enlarged prostate.
  7. Cancers throughout the urinary tract, such as prostate, bladder, kidney, penile and testicular cancers.

Are you looking for quality treatment for your urological problem? Would you like to be treated by a urologist who will appreciate your mental health issues during the diagnosis and treatment of your urological disorder? If so, then St Pete Urology is the right place for you. Visit St Pete Urology, Florida today for comprehensive, patient-centered medical care. For more information, visit the “St Pete Urology” site.

Bobby Bowden Revelation on Prostate Cancer

Football coach Bobby Bowden of Florida State, a 2-time national champion and 377-game winner, revealed he was successfully treated for prostate cancer in 2007. Bowden keep his prostate cancer, the second leading cause of cancer death in men, a secret for four years and didn’t want anyone to find out he had cancer because he was worried other schools would use it against him in recruiting. Bowden believed it was now his moral duty to bring it out in the open this prostate cancer awareness month. Especially now that he’s no longer coaching. “We’ve got to get men aware of this and be sure they get to the doctor and get their checkup where they can discover it like they did with me” Bowden told AP. Following the annual physical exam, Bowden was referred to Urologist Dr. Joe Camps. He’s a former player of Bowden who treated him by implanting low-dose radiation seeds in Bowden’s prostate. He has been cancer-free since undergoing that procedure. He hopes his experience will serve as a teaching tool. Bowden’s revelation was first reported in Tuesday’s edition of USA Today.

Original Article here.