ANDROLOGY

Andrology is mainly concerned with the health of a male, his reproductive system, and urological problems that are only found in men. 

Andrology also includes a diagnosis of male infertility, research into infertility, gamete and embryo banking and patient, health care provider education therapeutic techniques to improve fertility, embryology services such as in vitro fertilization (IVF) and embryo cryopreservation, and consultation services. In more than 90% of cases, male reproductive disorders have a purely bodily cause that can be diagnosed and treated successfully – sometimes with medication, at other times with external devices, or with surgery.

1. Appearance: – What the sample looks like.
2. Volume: – How many samples there are. After 2 days of abstinence, there should be more than 2ml of semen.
3. Liquefaction: – When semen is produced (ejaculated) it coagulates on contact with the air, then, over a short period, it liquefies. Liquefaction should be complete at the time of testing (1 hour after ejaculation).
4. Viscosity: – This is a measure of how fluid the sample is (for example, water has a low viscosity, treacle has a high viscosity). Semen should have a fairly watery consistency at the time of testing (1 hour after ejaculation).
5. pH: – The pH of a substance is a measure of how acid or alkaline it is (pH 7.0 is neutral). The pH of semen increases with time but should not be less than 7.2 at 1 hour.
6. Motility: – This measures what percentage of sperm are moving and how well they are moving.
7. Sperm Count: – This is a measure of the total number of sperm (spermatozoa) present. It is usually recorded in millions of sperm per ml of semen. A normal count is regarded as being greater than 15 million per ml.

Specialists in Andrology deal with specifically male problems, especially those concerning their genitourinary system/reproductive system. 

Thus, any problem that is unique to men and is found uniquely in the male body needs the attention of an expert andrologist. 

Some of the conditions an andrologist treats –

1. Prostatitis;
2. Prostate cancer;
3. Penile cancer;
4. Testicular cancer;
5. Erectile dysfunction;
6. Infertility;
7. Varicocele;
8. Hydrocele;
9. Balanitis;
10. Testicular torsion; and
11. Premature ejaculation.

Instead of being different in their type of specialty, the main difference between the two is the doctor’s choice. Every andrologist is a urologist by extension but has narrowed his services down to a specific type of patient. While urologists treat individuals of both sexes and reproductive issues, andrologists are the male counterpart of gynaecologists and treat only male reproductive issues. An andrologist can choose to specialise even further, treating only reproductive problems or only impotence and erectile dysfunction.