Andrology Basics

What is "andrology"?
Andrology literally is the study of man and it encompasses several different things. Mostly it encompasses male sexual health and then it encompasses male fertility. It also can encompass male aging because as men get older, they can have a drop in hormone function and andrology would deal with anything that has to do with male hormones as well.

What are the main areas of andrological medicine?
The main areas of andrological medicine, if broken it down into several branches, are many. One is sexual medicine, dealing with problems such as erectile dysfunction, or EDS as it is popularly called, premature ejaculation, and difficulties with orgasm. Another area of andrological medicine is more endocrinologic, dealing with male hormones and aging because as men get older, they have hormonal changes, not exactly like women do but somewhat similar and many men experience symptoms as they get older. So andrology deals with the aging male and also encompasses fertility. Any time a man has issues with sperm count or things aren't working in terms of a woman falling pregnant, conception, as quick as they should, then andrology covers that as well.

What is "male infertility"?
The definition of infertility is a couple who have been trying to conceive for a year and has not met with success. Male infertility relates to any problem on the male side of things which includes anything that has to do with sperm numbers or function, anything that has to do with male hormones as it applies to testicular function. What's interesting about male infertility and what's really not known by many people is that the male contributes almost 40 to 50 percent of the cases of infertility. When you look at a break down of contributing factors to infertility, the male is there almost 40 percent of the time as a problem. Almost everybody thinks that fertility is a female issue and that's really not true.

What is "contraception"?
Contraception is birth control. So it is essentially being able to have intercourse without initiating a pregnancy.

What are "genitourinary disorders"?
Genitourinary disorders are a group of disorders that are covered by the field of urology. It is basically any disorder from the adrenal glands on down. The adrenal glands sit on top of the kidneys and they produce certain types of hormones. The kidneys obviously make urine and also produce hormones. The ureters take the urine from the kidney and drain it into the bladder, which is a storage site for urine. Then, in the female, you have the urethra and the vagina, and in the male, there is the prostate, the penis and the testicles. So the field of urology encompasses all those organs.