Men's Health
At LUFHT all of our well-being activities/ events and support is open to everyone. We do however note that our workforce is mainly women and the majority of our events and activities are accessed by the female cohort.
Men in the North West have more health concerns and a lower life expectancy that those in the south. We have therefore signed up to join the campaign for a Men's Health Strategy and we are committed to ensure that Men within the trust are supported with gender specific advice and feel comfortable to access our well-being activities.
DIY Men's MOT
Your car gets one regularly but what about you?
Giving your body a once-over doesn’t require any spanners and needn’t cost a penny. If you’re worried about the results of any of the following tests, see your GP.
Test 1: Is your engine tuned?
First, check your pulse. Place the finger of one hand on the thumb side of the tendons running through the opposite wrist. You should be able to feel the radial artery pumping. Count the beats over four 15 second periods and add them up. This is your resting pulse – a good guide to the heart’s efficiency. Joggers and other fitness enthusiasts will get very excited about resting pulse and try to get it as low as possible.
Then, check your recovery rate. Step on and off a step for three minutes (average a step every three seconds) and rest for 30 seconds before taking your pulse again. This is your pulse after exercise.
The table below shows you what sort of results you should be getting for your age:
| |
Very Fit |
| Age |
Resting |
After exercise |
| Teens/20s |
59 or less |
75 or less |
| 30s |
63 or less |
79 or less |
| 40s |
65 or less |
81 or less |
| 50s+ |
67 or less |
83 or less |
| |
Average |
| Age |
Resting |
After exercise |
| Teens/20s |
60-85 |
76-101 |
| 30s |
64-85 |
80-103 |
| 40s |
66-89 |
82-105 |
| 50s+ |
68-89 |
84-107 |
| |
Unfit |
| Age |
Resting |
After exercise |
| Teens/20s |
86+ |
102+ |
| 30s |
86+ |
104+ |
| 40s |
90+ |
106+ |
| 50s+ |
90+ |
108+ |
If you’re in or close to the unfit range, you need to think about whether you’re taking enough exercise. Read our increasing physical activity section. (If you’re older, very overweight or have an existing health problem, check with your GP before starting an exercise programme.)
Test 2: Are you overloaded?
The simplest guide to whether you’re carrying too much weight is your waist measurement. This gives you a fair idea of your risk regardless of height. Measure around your belly at the widest point - usually around your belly button:
- over 37 inches, you’re probably overweight and at increased risk of heart disease, diabetes and cancer
- over 40 inches, you could be obese and at serious risk of the conditions mentioned - talk to a GP or health professional
Test 3: Look out for dashboard 'warning lights'
Check yourself all over for:
- moles changing shape: Our Dematology team offer free Mole checks. See our monthly well=being planner for events
- unexplained lumps: https://www.macmillan.org.uk/cancer-information-and-support/testicular-cancer/how-to-check
- unexplained shortness of breath/breathing difficulties
- unexplained pain (especially in the chest)
- swelling or itching,
- a cough that won’t go away,
- blood where it shouldn’t be (in saliva when you spit or stools when you poo)
- changes in bowel habits (such as blood in stools, diarrhoea or constipation for no reason, a feeling of bloating or of not having fully emptied your bowels or pain in your stomach or back passage)
If you have any of these talk to your GP.
Test 4: Wobbly gear stick?
Erection problems are common. You can't always get an erection when you want one. What we’re talking about where there are regular problems getting an erection or keeping one.
It’s not only your sex life that may be threatened. Erection problems can be an early warning sign of a number of serious health problems including heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure and depression. They could also be sign of high cholesterol or low testosterone. Again, talk to your GP.
Test 5: Check the water
Is there any change in how often you pee or how easy it is? Do you get up more often at night?
Peeing more often, especially at night, and less easily with a weaker flow can be signs of prostate enlargement (more detail on prostate symptoms here). Prostate enlargement is not necessarily a sign of cancer but it needs to be checked (Prostate Cancer UK have a simple cancer risk checker tool.)
Peeing more often, especially at night, along with being overweight, tiredness and sores healing more slowly may all be signs of diabetes. Get your blood sugar tested.
Test 6: Day-to-day performance
How are you feeling? Are you motoring along smoothly?
https://www.menshealthforum.org.uk/how-are-you-really
https://www.menshealthforum.org.uk/howru-hub
Test 7: Check your pressure
You can take your blood pressure at the GP - there’s probably a machine in the surgery waiting room - or you can buy a home-tester.
BP - as they say in the hospital dramas - is given as two figures. The first is when the heart is contracting (systolic), the second when it is resting (diastolic). 120/70 would be fine for a young man. Once the systolic starts getting up towards 140 and/or the diastolic to 90, you need to monitor your BP more often. Of course, any stress can raise your BP temporarily but if you’re getting regular readings of 140/90 or more, see your GP.
LUHFT well-being team offer regular blood pressure and cholesterol checks: check out our well-being timetable or contact: LUHFTwellbeing@Liverpoolft.nhs.uk
Men's Mental Health
- Three times as many men as women die by suicide
- Men aged 40 to 49 have the highest suicide rates in the UK
- Men report lower levels of life satisfaction than women according to the Government’s national well-being survey
- Men are less likely to access therapy than women: only 36% of referrals to NHS talking therapies are for men
While there isn’t a different sort of ‘male depression’, some symptoms are more common in men than women.
These include;
- Irritability,
- Sudden anger,
- Increased loss of control,
- Risk-taking and aggression.
- Men may also be more likely to use alcohol and drugs to cope with their depression rather than talking about it.
- They may use escapist behaviour too, such as throwing themselves into their work.
Our advice:
Other support:
The beatstress.uk service offers online support for men of all ages its free, confidential and anonymous. It is about tackling the niggling hassles, frustrations and angers we all feel before it becomes something more serious.
When's it open?
The webchat is open on Wednesdays from 7pm to 10pm with the email service available 24 hours a day offering a 48 hour turnaround.
Who will I be chatting to?
It is staffed by experienced professionals from a wide variety of backgrounds including the NHS and all with expertise in supporting people with their mental health and well-being. They really have heard it all before.
Prostate Cancer Awareness
General information & Support for Patients: Click for more information
30 seconds CMCA Risk Checker Tool: www.prostatecanceruk.org/cmca-risk (Please use Chrome for better outcome)
o Supporting patients being referred for suspected prostate cancer
o Referral toolkit
o Know your prostate: A quick guide
o ‘The PSA test and prostate cancer: A quick guide
o ‘The PSA test and prostate cancer: A quick guide’
o ‘Understanding the PSA test: A guide for men concerned about prostate cancer
o Prostate cancer and other prostate problems: Information for black men
o Prostate cancer tests and treatment: A guide for gay and bisexual men
o Easy read: My prostate – a booklet that uses pictures and easy words.
o Services leaflet: We’re Here for You – printable A4 version.
o PSA testing and prostate cancer: advice for well men aged 50 and over
o Prostate Cancer UK – Specialist Nurses
o Prostate Cancer UK – Find a Local Support Group
For further information,
contact Steve via his email at: info@veteranscancersupport.net and at https://veteranscancersupport.net/links/
Male Menopause
Some men develop depression, loss of sex drive, erectile dysfunction, and other physical and emotional symptoms when they reach their late 40s to early 50s.
Other symptoms common in men this age are:
- Mood swings and irritability
- Loss of muscle mass and reduced ability to exercise
- Fat redistribution, such as developing a large belly or "man boobs"
- A general lack of enthusiasm or energy
- Difficulty sleeping or increased tiredness
- Poor concentration and short-term memory
These symptoms can interfere with everyday life and happiness, so it's important to find the underlying cause and work out what can be done to resolve it.
Is there such a thing as a 'male menopause'?
The "male menopause" (sometimes called the andropause) is an unhelpful term sometimes used in the media.
This label is misleading because it suggests the symptoms are the result of a sudden drop in testosterone in middle age, similar to what occurs in the female menopause. This is not true.
Although testosterone levels fall as men age, the decline is steady at less than 2% a year from around the age of 30 to 40, and this is unlikely to cause any problems in itself.
A testosterone deficiency that develops later in life, also known as late-onset hypogonadism, can sometimes be responsible for these symptoms, but in many cases the symptoms are nothing to do with hormones.
Personal or lifestyle issues
Lifestyle factors or psychological problems are often responsible for many of these symptoms.
For example, erectile dysfunction, loss of libido and mood swings may be the result of either:
There are also physical causes of erectile dysfunction, such as changes in the blood vessels, which may happen alongside any psychological cause.
Psychological problems are typically brought on by work or relationship issues, divorce, money problems or worrying about ageing parents.
A "midlife crisis" can also be responsible. This can happen when men think they have reached life's halfway stage.
Anxieties over what they have accomplished so far, either in their job or personal life, can lead to a period of depression.
Other possible causes of the "male menopause" include:
- Lack of sleep
- A poor diet
- Lack of exercise
- Drinking too much alcohol
- Smoking
- Low self-esteem
Late-onset hypogonadism
In some cases, where lifestyle or psychological problems do not seem to be responsible, the symptoms of the "male menopause" may be the result of hypogonadism, where the testes produce few or no hormones.
Hypogonadism is sometimes present from birth, which can cause symptoms like delayed puberty and small testes.
Hypogonadism can also occasionally develop later in life, particularly in men who are obese or have type 2 diabetes
This is known as late-onset hypogonadism and can cause the "male menopause" symptoms.
But this is an uncommon and specific medical condition that's not a normal part of ageing.
A diagnosis of late-onset hypogonadism can usually be made based on your symptoms and the results of blood tests used to measure your testosterone levels.
What to do
GP assessment
Lifestyle: check out our increasing physical activity page
Healthy Eating: check out our Healthy Eating Page
Psychological Support: Link to staff psychology
Translate
