UNSW Embryology
Men's Health Issues
© Dr Mark Hill (2008)
Introduction
In embryology, male development and masculinity is generally not covered in as much detail as female development. Some information can
be found on separate pages covering Week 1 - Spermatogenesis and Endocrine Development - Gonads. There are
postnatal differences that arise in puberty in relation to male/female ages when it occurs and difference in hormonal effects on growth.
There are several external links to male resources including a Scientific American (1999) issue devoted to men's health (Defining Men,
Work, Home and Play, Sex and Fatherhood and Lifelong Health)
the Centre for Disease Control (USA) Mens Reproductive Health information
and NSW Health Publication Mens Health.
All information provided is for Educational Purposes Only.
Page Links: Introduction | Some Recent Findings | Defining Men | Work, Home and Play |
Sex and Fatherhood | Lifelong Health | Mens Reproductive Health Hazards |
Coronary Heart Disease | Obesity | Prostate Cancer |
WWW Links |
References | Glossary
Some Recent Findings
Special journal issue on men's mental health Issues Ment Health Nurs. 2006 May;27(4)
Defining Men
(text extract modified from - Scientific American)
- Measures of Man New insights from
psychology, nueroscience and molecular biology
may help males understand themselves better and
maybe even lead to longer, happier lives.
The Editors
- Darwinism and the Roots of Machismo
Traits that once assisted our ancestors
in winning mates and dominating social groups
may be at the root of modern men's aggression
and risk taking Martin Daly and Margo
Wilson
- Men,
Honor and Murder Culture as much as
biology shapes a man's predisposition to
violence. Men are more likely to kill in a
society that requires them to protect their
honor.
Richard E. Nisbett and Dov Cohen
- The Key to Masculinity Molecular
biologists know what it what it takes to make a
real man: a small set of genes on the Y
chromosome that trigger male development and the
production of sperm. Bruce T. Lahn and Karin
Jegalian
- Sex Differences in the Brain Even
before birth, sex hormones start wiring the
brains of boys and girls differently, shaping
their abilities for a lifetime. Doreen
Kimura
- Lessons Learned from Living
Successful adaptation to life may not be in
the genes or in the stars but in choices we make
as we age. George E. Vaillant
Work, Home and Play
(text extract modified from - Scientific American)
- Balancing
Work and Family Dads in two-parent
families now spend more time with the kids, but
many divorced men have not seen their children
in at least a year. Joseph H. Pleck
- Can Work Kill? Death from
overwork, what the Japanese call "karoshi," may
be a common phenomenon in the U.S., too.
Harvey B. Simon
- plus: The Most Dangerous
Occupations Kate Wong,staff writer
- The Mystery of Muscle Revelations
about the biology of skeletal muscle may lead to
drugs that reverse age-related muscle
deterioration--and perhaps fill out the biceps
of bodybuilders. Glenn Zorpette, staff
writer
- plus: Sports Supplements: Bigger
Muscles without the Acne and You See
Brawny, I See Scrawny
- Extreme Sports, Sensation Seeking and the
Brain Men, disproportionately more than
women, risk their lives in new sports whose
common denominator is defiance of injury and
death. Glenn Zorpette, staff writer
- Spokes
Man for a Hard Problem Can riding a
bicycle too much cause impotence? An examination
of what it takes to keep men in the saddle.
Steve Mirsky, staff writer
Sex and Fatherhood
(text extract modified from - Scientific American)
- Impotence in the Age of Viagra The
little blue pill that has become the primary
treatment for men with erectile dysfunction may
eventually be supplanted by gene therapy.
Arnold Melman
- The Circumcision Dilemma New
parents must decide on the procedure despite
conflicting evidence of any medical benefit and
the contention of men's groups that removal of
the foreskin diminishes sexual pleasure.
Edward O. Laumann
- plus: Anticircumcisionists Decry a
Male's First Sacrifice Mia Schmiedeskamp,
contributing writer
- Of Babies and Barren Men
Microsurgery for repairing testicular
varicose veins or blockages can help many of the
10 percent of American men who want to become
fathers but can't. Marc Goldstein
- Beyond the Condom: The Future of Male
Contraception The physiology of sperm
production complicates the development of the
male Pill, but research and even clinical trials
continue on this vital new method of birth
control. Nancy J. Alexander
Lifelong Health
(text extract modified from - Scientific American)
- Teenage American Males: Growing Up With
Risks Adolescent boys are more likely
than girls to be shot dead, have promiscuous sex
or go on drinking sprees. Intervention programs
that redefine the image of manhood may remedy
this behavior. Freya Lund Sonenstein
- Grappling with ADHD Use of
stimulants to treat this disruptive condition
common among boys has been controversial, but
most doctors now support it. Tim Beardsley,
staff writer
- Treating
Men Who Batter Women Domestic
violence research is leading to a better
understanding of the types of men who assault
their partners--and generating hope that
interventions can become more effective.
Marguerite Holloway, staff writer
- Combating Prostate Cancer Advances
in diagnosis, treatment and prevention may aid
in reducing the toll from the second most lethal
cancer among men. Marc B. Garnick and
William R. Fair
- Longevity: The Ultimate Generation
Gap Women live longer than men by an
average of six years. Understanding the reasons
for the difference in life span could help men
age more successfully. Harvey B. Simon
Mens Reproductive Health Hazards
(From the CDC)
The CDC (USA) provides information and
statistics on reproductive health in men and women
,as well as information on reproductive
technologies. Most documents are available as HTML
pages or in PDF format for printing.
- The
effects of workplace hazards on male
reproductive health
- This document provides general
information about reproductive hazards, an
explanation of how substances in the
workplace can cause reproductive problems in
men, and suggestions for preventing exposure
to reproductive hazards.
- Health-risk behaviors among young
people
- Youth
Risk Behavioral Surveillance System (PDF
810KB)
- The Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance
System (YRBSS) monitors six categories of
priority health-risk behaviors among youth
and young adults - behaviors that contribute
to unintentional and intentional injuries;
tobacco use; alcohol and other drug use;
sexual behaviors that contribute to
unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted
diseases (STDs) (including human
immunodeficiency virus [HIV]
infection); unhealthy dietary behaviors; and
physical inactivity. The YRBSS includes a
national school-based survey conducted by CDC
as well as state, territorial, and local
school-based surveys conducted by education
and health agencies. This report summarizes
results from the national survey, 33 state
surveys, 3 territorial surveys, and 17 local
surveys conducted among high school students
from February 1997 through May 1997.
- Contraceptive practices
- Surgical sterilization in the United
States: prevalence and characteristics,
1965&endash;1995
- Vital
and Health Statistics Series 23/No.20 (PDF
289KB).
- This report presents national data on the
prevalence of surgical sterilization from
1965 to 1995 among women 15&endash;44 years
of age. Data are shown by type of sterilizing
operation and demographic characteristics of
the women. For the 1994 survey data, reasons
for the three most common sterilizing
operations (tubal ligation, vasectomy, and
hysterectomy) are shown, as well as the
desire for reversal among those with
potentially reversible operations.
- Summary
of national report and highlights on the
prevalence of surgical sterilization from
1965 to 1995
- Between the 1965 and 1988 surveys, the
prevalence of surgical sterilization rose
dramatically among married women
15&endash;44 years of age in the United
States from 16 to 42 percent. In 1995, the
prevalence remained about the same at 41
percent.
- In the 1965 and 1973 surveys, tubal
ligation and vasectomy were equally common
among currently married and ever-married
women aged 15&endash;44 (and their
partners). Since the 1982 survey, tubal
ligation has become more prevalent than
vasectomy, occurring 11Ú2 to 2 times as
often. Among married women in 1995, 24
percent reported a tubal ligation,
compared with 15 percent reporting that
their husbands had a vasectomy.
- The profile of the typical
ever-married woman with a tubal ligation
has changed over time, as has the profile
of the typical woman who reported that her
husband or partner had a vasectomy. From
1973 to 1995, an increasing proportion of
tubal ligations occurred among
ever-married women aged 35&endash;44 years
with 1 or 2 births (as opposed to 3 or
more births) and with education beyond
high school. Over the same period, a
similar shift toward older age, lower
parity, and higher education occurred for
vasectomies. In addition, vasectomies
reported by Catholic women represented a
greater proportion of all vasectomies
reported in the 1995 survey than in the
1973 survey. Some of these shifts reflect
similar changes among the general
population of ever-married women between
the survey years.
- Age, parity, religious affiliation,
and education continued to be strongly
associated with overall surgical
sterilization rates. Marital status, race
and Hispanic origin, and socioeconomic
factors such as education and income were
also strongly associated with particular
types of sterilizing operations.
- Among ever-married women aged
15&endash;44 years in 1995, 41 percent
were surgically sterile (15.3 million
women), 26 percent reported having a tubal
ligation, 7 percent had a
hysterectomy, and 12 percent were
currently living with a husband or partner
who had a vasectomy.
- The most frequently cited reasons for
tubal ligation and vasectomy among women
who had any births were that one or both
partners wanted no more children. Among
nulliparous women with tubal ligation,
medical reasons and problems with their
birth control method were cited most
often. As expected, medical problems were
the most frequent reason given for
hysterectomy, cited by 90 percent.
- Nearly 25 percent of women with
an unreversed tubal ligation in 1995
expressed a desire for reversal of the
operation, on the part of herself, her
husband or partner, or both. About 11
percent of married or cohabiting women
whose partner had a vasectomy reported
some desire for reversal. Higher levels of
desire for tubal ligation reversal were
seen among younger women, Hispanic women,
and women with lower levels of education
and income.
- Sexually transmitted diseases
Centre for Disease Control (USA) - Mens Reproductive Health
Coronary Heart Disease
Clinical Guidelines on the Identification, Evaluation,
and Treatment of Overweight and Obesity in Adults Bethesda (MD): National Institutes of Health, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) (c1998)
"Recent studies have shown that the risks of nonfatal myocardial infarction and CHD death increase with increasing levels of BMI.
Risks are lowest in men and women with BMIs of 22 or less and increase with even modest elevations of BMI."
"In British men, CHD incidence increased at BMIs above 22 and an increase of 1 BMI unit was associated with a 10 percent increase in the rate of coronary events. 162 Similar relationships between increasing BMI and CHD
risk have been shown in Finnish, Swedish, Japanese, and U.S. populations.
Health Services/Technology Assessment Text (HSTAT) Bethesda (MD): National Library of Medicine (US), (2003)
table: Physical Activity and Cardiovascular Health
Obesity
Clinical Guidelines on the Identification, Evaluation,
and Treatment of Overweight and Obesity in Adults Bethesda (MD): National Institutes of Health, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) (c1998)
table: Combined Prevalence of Overweight and Obesity Among Adults Age 20 to 80+ years, by Gender, Race/Ethnicity, and Age: United States, 1960-1994.
Health Services/Technology Assessment Text (HSTAT) Bethesda (MD): National Library of Medicine (US), (2003)
table: Screening and Interventions for Overweight and Obesity in Adults
Prostate Cancer
Health Services/Technology Assessment Text (HSTAT) Bethesda (MD): National Library of Medicine (US), (2003)
table: Screening for Prostate Cancer
References
Reviews
Holmila M, Raitasalo K.
Gender differences in drinking: why do they still exist? Addiction. 2005 Dec;100(12):1763-9.
Peate I.
The effects of smoking on the reproductive health of men.
Br J Nurs. 2005 Apr 14-27;14(7):362-6.
Galdas PM, Cheater F, Marshall P.
Men and health help-seeking behaviour: literature review.
J Adv Nurs. 2005 Mar;49(6):616-23
Sternberg P, Hubley J.
Evaluating men's involvement as a strategy in sexual and reproductive health promotion.
Health Promot Int. 2004 Sep;19(3):389-96.
Kaufman JS, Cheek DJ.
Men's cardiovascular and pulmonary health.
Nurs Clin North Am. 2004 Jun;39(2):283-300.
Alexandersen P, Christiansen C.
The aging male: testosterone deficiency and testosterone replacement. An up-date.
Atherosclerosis. 2004 Apr;173(2):157-69.
Morley JE, Perry HM 3rd.
Andropause: an old concept in new clothing.
Clin Geriatr Med. 2003 Aug;19(3):507-28.
Morley JE.
The need for a Men's Health Initiative.
J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 2003 Jul;58(7):614-7.
Hall RH.
Promoting men's health.
Aust Fam Physician. 2003 Jun;32(6):401-7.
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UNSW Embryology ISBN: 978 0 7334 2609 4
UNSW CRICOS Provider Code No. 00098G
Comments
This resource page is a link to the few resources available on Men's Heath as it relates to reproduction. Beneath each link is a brief description of the
page/s content.
The material is for educational purposes only and cannot be reproduced
electronically or in writing without permission.
Please email Dr Mark Hill if you wish to make a comment about this current project.
