Topic of sexual health mostly dodged by men

Washington: Men may need to open up about their family health concerns, especially sexual health, with their own family members, as a recent study has found that four out of five men find it awkward to talk about hereditary risks.

According to researchers, knowing family history and hereditary risks is extremely important in preventing future health problems.

The findings revealed that learning about family health history at a younger age is important because 18-34 is when men are likely to be most sexually active and also most likely to start a family and knowing your risks can help men notice any developing symptoms and start medical treatment as soon as possible.

A new national survey commissioned by Orlando Health found that men under age 35 lagged far behind women of the same age, who are about 90 percent more likely to talk to family members, not just about sexual health, but also health issues that tend to run in families, such as cancer and mental illness.

To help men get the conversation started when it comes to family health history, Dr. Jamin Brahmbhatt and Dr. Sijo Parekattil, both urologists at Orlando Health, conducted a study.

Brahmbhatt from Personalised Urology and Robotics Clinic in Clermont, Florida said, "What I've realized in the past four years doing the Drive for Men's Health is that it's okay to talk to your friends and family and it's really not as awkward as a lot of guys think."

Brahmbhatt added that fathers and grandfathers need to start an open dialogue with their children as younger family members might not understand the benefits now, but when they get older, they would appreciate the conversation.

Parekattil explained, "The whole concept is that, if we can do something that's fun and interesting, perhaps we can also incorporate some valuable health education into this and make it memorable for the people that are engaged with us."

Parekattil noted that showing up and engaging in events like these might help in long run.