guy-necology?
A pap smear for men?
Maria Fabrizo for STAT
To get a general picture of a cisgender man's fertility, semen analysis can measure the concentration, speed, and shape of sperm. Recent research shows sperm can also be a more general proxy of health for the person who produced it. Metabolic disorders, cardiovascular disease, and cancer all show correlation with infertility, and specifically with low sperm count. Now, a growing number of men's health startups are pushing a new idea: having men routinely undergo a semen analysis, for both fertility and general disease prevention.
"I am trying to propose to the world that we need 'guy-necologists,'" Paul Turek, a physician who runs his own clinic, told STAT's Annalisa Merelli. "And that … the semen analysis is the new pap smear for men." But not all experts are convinced that semen analysis would be beneficial, especially at a broad population level. Read more from Nalis on the arguments for and against this new screening practice for men.
research
What patients want vs. what works best ...
When it comes to surgery vs. medications for weight loss, patients are voting overwhelmingly for newer GLP-1 drugs over long-established bariatric surgery, a new analysis tells us. Surgery may be better at lowering blood glucose levels, inducing weight loss, reducing risk factors for cardiovascular disease, and lessening the need for diabetes medications like insulin injections, a recent study concluded, but medication is winning the day. That's despite high rates of drug discontinuation followed by weight regain.
The details: bariatric surgeries fell by 13% in 2024 compared to 2023 while GLP-1 use climbed 67%, Cedar Gate Technologies (part of IQVIA) said in a statement Wednesday (the report was not made public). Its analysis of commercially insured patient data found that 8 out of 10 surgery patients were women but obesity drugs were split almost 50-50 between males and females. The $24,215 cost of surgery was up 10% over the previous year while GLP-1s cost $5,200 a year, up 8% from 2023. — Elizabeth Cooney
first opinion
… And what patients want vs. what docs recommend
Over the last few years, physician Jody Dushay has treated a lot of people with GLP-1 medications. She used to worry about shortages and treatment delays, especially as the drugs became more popular among people without type 2 diabetes who were trying to lose weight. But these days, her most troubling clinical dilemma is completely different.
"As an endocrinologist, I am not professionally trained to treat eating disorders or disordered eating, but I know both when I see them," Dushay writes in a new First Opinion essay. "And I am unfortunately seeing them more often."
In her experience, some people become so fixated on reaching a certain number on the scale that they lose sight of having made tremendous improvements in their overall health. Read more on how Dushay approaches the conversation when patients may have lost too much weight on the powerful medications.
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