Osteoporosis, breast cancer, even bladder infections are all health conditions we normally associate with women. Yet they can affect men too and a lack of awareness could be fatal.
Here, we speak to men who all succumbed to classic ‘female’ conditions – and experts explain what symptoms men should watch out for.
BREAST CANCER
Mark Winter, 59, a self-employed surveyor, lives in East Sussex and has two sons. He says:
Washing myself in the shower one morning, I felt a lump under my left nipple, which was about the same size as the nipple. I didn’t think anything of it, but a month later it was still there and a female friend – who’d had a benign breast lump – said I ought to see my GP just in case.
The doctor didn’t appear too concerned but referred me for an ultrasound to get it properly checked out.
I was called back for a biopsy a couple of days later and I went back a few weeks later for the results.
I went with my partner Lorraine and being the only man in the waiting room of the breast clinic was strange – people assumed I was there to support her.
It came as a massive shock when the consultant explained I had breast cancer – grade 3 – that meant the cancer cells were growing quickly. I couldn’t speak for about ten minutes but just cried.
Professor Kefah Mokbel, a consultant breast surgeon of the London Breast Institute
That fact I was a man seemed so unreal. The doctor explained I’d need a partial mastectomy to remove the breast tissue as well removing some lymph nodes under my left arm where cancer had also been found.
The mastectomy didn’t bother me as it understandably would a woman. I just wanted it removing.
I had the operation in August 2020, four months after finding the lump. Since men have far less breast tissue than women the operation was minimally invasive. I was home the same day, with a horizontal 8in scar.
I had chemotherapy once a fortnight for eight sessions from October 2020. Thankfully I wasn’t sick, though I did lose my hair. I then had radiotherapy for 15 days.
Apart from some numbness in my left arm, over four years on I feel great. I’m taking the hormone therapy tamoxifen to prevent a recurrence. When I reach the end of the course this year I’ll really feel like it’s behind me.
My two sons were subsequently gene tested to check my breast cancer wasn’t hereditary – it was a huge relief to know that it wasn’t. There was, however, no other explanation either.
I have so much to be grateful for – not least being prompted to get the lump checked out. I’d never heard of men getting breast cancer, which is why I have been supporting the Breast Cancer Now campaign ‘Men Get Breast Cancer Too’.
I realise breast cancer is rare in men. But even the leaflets I saw in clinics were all pink – we need to smash the myth that this is just a female disease if we are going to save lives.
EXPERT COMMENT: Professor Kefah Mokbel, a consultant breast surgeon of the London Breast Institute, says: ‘Breast cancer is rare in men – around 400 are diagnosed with the disease in the UK each year, compared to around 45,000 women.
‘It is more rare in men because they have a smaller volume of breast tissue – so there are fewer cells that could mutate and become cancerous. The hormone oestrogen – a driver for most cases of breast cancer – is also low in men.
‘Common symptoms in men include a lump under the nipple, distortion of the nipple or discharge. We’re still learning about breast cancer in men since clinical trials tend to be focused on women. Men who have defective genes for breast cancer can pass it on to sons or daughters too. So, it’s vital for them to get checked.’
OSTEOPOROSIS
Rob Oldfield, 60, above, a computer programmer, lives in South Devon with his wife, Ali, 68. He says:
When I slipped and broke a bone in my left hand in my hand in 2021, I got it strapped up at my local A&E and I thought that was that.
So I was surprised when my health authority invited me for a DEXA scan [a type of X-ray that measures bone mineral density] to rule out osteoporosis – I’d only associated that condition with women.
I was even more shocked to receive a text telling me I had osteoporosis. I was prescribed calcium tablets and a drug, alendronic acid, which both help build strong bones.
Not only did this come out of the blue, I felt I was just left to deal with my diagnosis with no support.
I discovered the Royal Osteoporosis Society, which gave me lots of information about improving my bone health, including the importance of doing weight-bearing exercise to slow bone loss.
Since my diagnosis I’ve tried to be careful, although in November 2021 I did break a bone in my left ankle after I slipped when running. This was painful and took around ten weeks to heal.
I don’t know why I got osteoporosis – there’s no family history and I had no warning signs.
But I’d advise other men who have fractures to be aware that it’s not just a condition that affects women.
EXPERT COMMENT: Dr Nicola Peel, clinical trustee of the Royal Osteoporosis Society, says: ‘Osteoporosis is a condition where your bones lose strength, making you more likely to suffer a fracture, even after a minor bump or fall.
‘Men are less susceptible to it as they have bigger bones (so they have more bone to lose). They also don’t go through the menopause – loss of the hormone oestrogen is a strong driver for bone loss, as oestrogen is needed for bone growth and strength.
‘An estimated 6.7 per cent of UK men aged 50 or over have osteoporosis (compared with 21.9 per cent of women of the same age). It’s vital that [cases among] both sexes are identified and treated because of the long-term risk of falls and loss of independence.
‘Advice for men tends to be lifestyle-based: a calcium-rich diet and exposure to the sunlight on the skin, as this helps the body manufacture vitamin D, vital for bone health.
‘Vitamin D supplements are advised in winter months – the NHS recommends adults take a daily supplement of 10mcg of vitamin D between October and March. Weight-bearing exercises such as running and avoiding smoking and alcohol will also protect bones.’
‘MANOPAUSE’
Jeremy Kareken, 55, a playwright, lives in London. He is divorced with two children. He says:
In my late 40s I started experiencing the ‘male menopause’. I have always tended to be a little tubby, but it got worse – I went from 14st to 19st at one point, despite going to the gym. I didn’t think I was eating more – but I was.
At the time I was raising my two children (then aged ten and seven) as well as working in TV part-time, but I lost interest in everything – sex, socialising.
When friends came over, I’d hide upstairs as I just couldn’t be bothered. I was also very depressed and tired – even going up the stairs was an effort – but I put it down to age.
Despite also being an improviser and actor, conversation was a struggle – my clever comebacks all dried up. I also experienced brain fog.
Eventually I saw my GP and had some blood tests, which revealed I had very low testosterone levels.
Suddenly it all made sense. I was prescribed a testosterone gel, to be applied twice a day in places where it won’t rub off – or come into contact with other people – such as the inside of my thighs.
Gradually after a couple of months I started taking an interest in socialising again.
Over the years the treatment has helped me normalise my testosterone levels – also helped by my losing weight and exercising more.
My recent blood test was normal – though my doctor keeps an eye on this.
I know women really suffer with the menopause – but I now know some men do too. I’d advise other men who feel the way I did to see their doctor as it could boil down to a simple hormone issue.
EXPERT COMMENT: Dr Edward Rainbow, GP and men’s health and mental health specialist at the Centre for Men’s Health in London, says: ‘The andropause or “male menopause” happens when men either do not make enough testosterone or the testosterone they have doesn’t work properly – thought to affect 2 per cent of men over 40.
‘This causes sexual, physical and mental symptoms, including depression, loss of sex drive and poor sleep.
‘Testosterone naturally drops off from the age of around 30. It isn’t normally necessary to get your testosterone tested – a healthy lifestyle involving cutting out simple carbohydrates, eating a whole-food diet, stopping smoking, cutting down on alcohol and regularly doing strength exercises can really boost your levels. Zinc supplements may also help.
‘But you should see a doctor if you are suffering from depression and these measures don’t work.’
THYROID PROBLEM
Jerry Harris, 62, above, a retired welfare rights adviser, lives in East London. He says:
Around ten years ago out of the blue my heart started regularly pounding, I couldn’t sleep and I was eating two to three times what I’d normally eat. I just felt so unlike myself and would challenge colleagues over simple things. My calves also became twice their regular size, noticeable because I’m on the slim side.
Over several months, I went back and forth to various GPs as my sleep, fast heart rate and constant irritability worsened.
I was repeatedly told I had depression (I’d suffered with this previously) by a series of female doctors.
It took a male GP to realise that I had a thyroid condition. (The thyroid gland controls heart rate, metabolism and bone maintenance among other things.)
Blood tests revealed an overactive thyroid and I was prescribed carbimazole, which reduces the amount of hormones your thyroid produces.
That didn’t help: ten months later I was referred to an endocrinologist who told me the cause of my overactive thyroid was a condition called Graves’ disease. I’d need injections of radioactive iodine to shrink my thyroid so it produced less of the hormone.
Thankfully the treatment has been successful and combined with a healthy diet and regular exercise I feel pretty much myself again, though I still have an irregular heart beat for which I take medication.
I now know that because Graves’ disease is far more common in women, men get overlooked. Yet men like me can get it and do suffer – so it’s vital that doctors are more aware of this.
EXPERT COMMENT: Dr Mark Vanderpump, a consultant endocrinologist at the OneWelbeck Clinic in London, says: ‘Graves’ disease is an autoimmune condition that affects the thyroid gland. It causes the body to make too much thyroid hormone.
‘It is ten times more common in women – though it is unclear why. However pregnancy, which can suppress the immune system, and the low levels of oestrogen associated with the menopause, can increase risk.
‘This may be why men go under-diagnosed, though they also don’t tend to talk about medical conditions in the same way. The most important red flags are weight loss, palpitations and change of bowel habits – such as going more often.’
URINARY TRACT INFECTION
Christian Coker, 38, above, a father of two, is a personal trainer who lives in London. He says:
One morning when I went to the loo, I had a burning discomfort when passing water. It came out of nowhere and being a man, I ignored it.
But over the next few weeks the burning got worse. But because I was young – this started about nine years ago – and otherwise fit and healthy and out socialising a lot, I didn’t stop to think about it.
I felt embarrassed talking about it to friends and just tried to go to the loo less often because of the burning pain.
I managed to carry on working but began feeling lethargic – so finally after a few weeks I went to see my GP who immediately diagnosed a urinary tract infection (UTI).
I was astonished – I knew women could have these, but had no idea men could be affected too.
My doctor confirmed it was unusual for a man to get a UTI – but reassured me that antibiotics would sort the problem.
Within two days the burning had gone but over the next five years I had repeated episodes.
To avoid continually running to the doctors for antibiotics I started drinking two or three litres of water a day as well as cranberry juice, the moment I got an early tingling sensation when I went to the loo. Based on my own research I gathered this would cut the risk of recurrent UTIs as cranberry juice contains substances that stop bacteria sticking to the bladder wall.
This seemed to make it settle.
I changed my shower gel – switching brands containing chemicals for herbal alternatives – and also started taking a supplement, which includes cranberries and is supposed to help urinary health.
I still haven’t met any other men who’ve had a UTI but now I know we can get them, I want other men not to be embarrassed and to ensure they seek help.
EXPERT COMMENT: Chris Eden, a professor of urology at the University of Surrey, says: ‘Men account for 20 per cent of UTI cases in the UK.
‘They have a longer urethra – the tube that carries urine from the bladder out of the body – than women, which makes it more difficult for bacteria to reach the bladder and so UTIs are less common.
‘But it is vital that men know about UTIs: left untreated they can lead to serious kidney infections and even life-threatening blood infections.
‘The main cause of UTIs in men is often dehydration which increases the risk of infection [because there is less urine to flush out bacteria], so they are advised to drink more.
‘It’s worth noting that recurrent UTI can be an indicator of bacterial prostatitis [an infection in the prostate], usually treated with a six-week course of antibiotics because infection in the prostate is difficult to eradicate.’
