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about important aspects of men's health - articles MEDI

It is said that in life a man must do three important things: build a house, plant a tree and give birth to a son. The decision to become a father is the most important moment in life. You can change jobs, move to a new place of residence and completely change your social circle, but a child is for life. His health will determine your attitude, his success will directly affect self-esteem, and the love of the baby will warm you every day, every minute, every second!

Preparation for conception is the foundation for the entire subsequent life of an adult man, which means that this period should be treated with the utmost responsibility.

One of my patients at the reception said: "Doctor, I want to become a father...". For me, being a father and being a dad are somewhat different concepts. Fatherhood is a biological concept, and being a dad is something more capacious, full of obligations, responsibility, but not devoid of sincerity and romance.

For a woman, a visit to the gynecologist has become a routine, one might say mandatory process before planning a pregnancy. But two completely full-fledged cells take part in conception - the egg and the sperm, which means the quality of the hereditary material, the ability to conceive, which we call fertility, directly depends on the health of the future father.

Modern dangers for men's health

A man's health, and hence the qualitative and quantitative characteristics of the seminal fluid, its fertilizing ability, is influenced by numerous and varied factors. Have you ever wondered what we eat? What products are on our table, where do they come from and under what conditions are they grown? Why doesn’t milk spoil in the refrigerator for almost a week after opening, and butter doesn’t melt? What do those we eat eat? Where does the fish we eat swim and what does it eat? What are our products packaged in? What pitfalls for a man's reproductive potential are modern cosmetics, sunscreens, household chemicals? I'm not talking about what we drink in everyday life and what we breathe in the metropolis...

Urbanization, environmental factors, lifestyle and dietary habits, chronic diseases, medication, bad habits, stressful stimuli, harmful working conditions, such as chemicals, ionizing radiation, vibration, high temperatures - all this undoubtedly impairs the reproductive potential of the human body . And the male body is especially vulnerable to these influences.

Over the past 50 years, in many industrialized countries, the quality of sperm has deteriorated sharply in men. The average Western man produces half as much sperm as his father or grandfather. Studies in Denmark, Scotland and France show that sperm density in young men is lower than in older men. In some European countries, poor sperm quality affects one in three young men.

One of the most common causes of male infertility is the inflammatory process of the reproductive system.

Infections - it is important to detect in time

The high frequency of genital infections in marriage is due to the prevalence of the inflammatory process, the possibility of long-term asymptomatic lesions of the gonads and often having a chronic and recurrent course. Indirect signs indicating an infection of the genitals are changes in the normal volume of semen, impaired motility and agglutination of spermatozoa, deviations in the biochemical parameters of the secretion of the gonads. The infectious process and its complications can affect in isolation or sequentially various organs of the genitourinary system: the prostate gland, seminal vesicles, vas deferens, testicles and their appendages.

Infection often leads to the occurrence of a chronic inflammatory process in the gonads, causing a toxic effect on the spermatogenic epithelium, a violation of the hematotesticular barrier, rheological properties and chemical components of seminal fluid, activation of the autoimmune process with the appearance of antisperm antibodies (ASAT). In the pathogenesis of inflammatory diseases, most often manifested in the form of prostatitis and vesiculitis, sexually transmitted infections (STIs) play an important role.

A high frequency of asymptomatic and subclinical forms of the inflammatory process caused by chlamydia, ureaplasmas and mycoplasmas has been established. Such forms of inflammatory diseases are the most dangerous in terms of infertility, because. years pass from the moment of infection to the visit to the doctor about the absence of children in the family. And all these years the infection has not been diagnosed and treated. As a result, a violation of the reproductive function in men can be caused even by partial or complete obstruction of the vas deferens, and in women - obstruction of the fallopian tubes and adhesions in the small pelvis.

Late fatherhood is a risk factor

Late fatherhood is not a new phenomenon. According to the biblical legend, the founder of the Jewish people, Abraham, became a father at the age of one hundred years, kings and royalty never denied themselves the joy of late fatherhood. Examples of our days: Nicolas Sarkozy (57 years old), Paul McCartney (61 years old), Valery Zolotukhin (70 years old), Oleg Tabakov (71 years old), Clint Eastwood (61 years old), Charlie Chaplin (73 years old).

Of course, there are undeniable advantages in late fatherhood. A man devotes more time to his family and child, sets priorities more clearly. As a rule, he has already reached certain heights in his career, built his own housing. In addition, mature fathers have the experience of previous marriages behind them, and often also adult children. It comes to understanding how much they have missed due to the career race and lack of time, and sometimes simply the lack of curiosity about children's life, which is characteristic of younger fathers.

But late parenthood is a risk factor. If a parent has crossed the line of 50 years, this often leads to a violation of the child's chromosome set or hereditary diseases. In general, the risk of having unhealthy offspring in such fathers is higher than in those who are younger. With the division of spermatogenesis cells and the formation of new DNA chains, there is always a risk of a “breakage” of the gene. And the older the man, the greater this probability. Thus, a twenty-year-old father can pass on about 25 hereditary mutations, a thirty-six-year-old father 50, and a fifty-three-year-old father already about 100.

Of course, a gene mutation does not yet mean its obligatory defect associated with the subsequent illness of the child, but this is a serious risk factor. Older fathers more often give birth to children with disorders in the formation of the skeleton and bone tissue. There is also a threat of development of mental disorders in children. According to the Lawrence Livermo California National Laboratory, the development of autism syndrome in children whose fathers are over fifty is twice as common as those whose fathers are not more than thirty years old.

And according to researchers from Tel Aviv University, fathers aged 55 and older are five times more likely to give birth to a child with Down syndrome, a 37% increased risk of manic-depressive psychosis in a child. Women who have a child whose father is older than 55 are twice as likely to have miscarriages and missed pregnancies. Of course, most children are still born healthy. But it is important to be aware of these risks as well.

Thus, almost every man in our time has a reason for early examination when planning the "heir". This is what will help to avoid severe, and sometimes irreparable consequences for the health of the unborn baby. The doctor's task is to carefully study your living conditions and professional environment, eating habits, and the presence of harmful chronic intoxications. Find out if they already have an impact on the reproductive sphere, and correctly and optimally prescribe an examination.

How they become dads or The psychology of fatherhood how they communicate with him.

The two main components of parenthood are motherhood and fatherhood . Unfortunately, very often fatherhood is perceived not as something unique, unlike anything else, but as just an addition to motherhood.

Paternity - is not just a blood relationship between a father and his child . Fatherhood is also defined as an innate feeling that prompts a man to act in relation to a child (or his children) with sympathetic responsibility ie. fatherhood is the ability to ensure the conditions for the development of a child , and not only from a material point of view. But fatherhood also provides unique opportunities for the manifestation of the personality of the man himself.

The main thing in the formation of a sense of fatherhood for a man - the future father - awareness of changes in the image of "I", awareness of oneself as a father . The main goal of the ongoing psychological restructuring is to provide a man, a husband with the most favorable conditions for the development and birth of a new person, for maintaining the mental and physical health of his wife. These changes include a serious reassessment of one's own values ​​for a man, setting new priorities in life. He has many new responsibilities and functions, changes in relations with his wife (after all, she becomes the mother of his children), new feelings and emotions that he has not experienced before, and even the vocabulary expands (at least for the terminology associated with pregnancy and newborn care).

That is, fatherhood is a completely new level on his life path, a new round in the development of the personality of a man .

But a new step in life is always a test. Fatherhood is only possible due to the fact that a man refuses many of the already stereotypical patterns of behavior with others and attitudes towards himself. The feeling of fatherhood is often accompanied by a change in lifestyle to one that is more consistent with the role and title of the father and contributes to getting used to this role for the first time (before assigning this title), which can cause crisis conditions.

How is “paternity” formed in the soul of a man? Of course, a lot depends on cultural and family traditions, but the personal history of a man, the history of his own relationship with his father, also plays a no less important role. Whom is the future father going to raise: his own child or himself, the way he was in childhood? To what extent will a man be able to realize that his child is not himself, to realize the great responsibility that falls on him?

The paternal attitude is laid down long before the birth of a child in a man and is determined by childhood impressions, affirmation of oneself as a man in adolescence, it is also influenced by erotic relationships of later years. The attitude towards the child is “predetermined” much earlier than the future father thinks about having a baby. Therefore, it is not at all surprising that those men who lived a happy childhood, who had a loving, caring, understanding father, want to have children more often than those who did not have such a childhood.

An important moment in the beginning of psychological adaptation to the father's role, the beginning of the formation of the self-concept of the father, is the moment when a man finds out that his wife (or another girlfriend) is pregnant. What kind of storm in the soul of the future father did the news of the pregnancy produce: delight, joy, grief, or did it leave him calm and indifferent? And this largely depends on how the relationship of a man with his father developed.

The birth of a child should be separately identified as a kind of test in a man's life. This is the moment when both the Mother and the Father are born (maybe that is why men who are not present at the birth of their own child often dump unspent energy with the help of alcohol). A very important factor is the presence of a man during childbirth, unless, of course, he feels an inner readiness for this (after all, his task from prehistoric times is to protect his woman if she herself cannot do this). In addition to helping to prevent adverse events during childbirth, the first cry of a child has the most tangible effect on the inclusion of not only maternal, but also paternal instinct. Fathers who witness the birth of their child, as well as their wives, experience deep feelings during childbirth and they form a strong attachment to children. American research 50 years ago showed that if a father is present at the birth of his baby, then they establish a special contact and their own unique relationship. Such a father is more involved in the life of the mother and child, without shifting all responsibility to the woman, he can take care of the child, play with him on an equal basis with the mother. He does not need to wait for the child to start talking or playing chess in order to start communicating with him. It is the establishment of relations with the child, the process of caring for him in the first months of life that determines the final stage of the birth of the Father.

There are three stages in the formation of the paternal sphere :

1) a stereotypical idea of ​​paternity before the wife's pregnancy;

2) rethinking stereotypes during pregnancy;

3) the actual formation of a sense of fatherhood after the birth of a child.

Let's try to look into the family where the child was born. What is the father doing? What is mom doing? Traditionally, the roles of husband and father have been the same for many generations. In recent decades, some confusion has arisen. Modern man is faced with numerous confusion of concepts. He is required to be both strong and soft at the same time. He must work hard, but at the same time put up with the work of his wife. In addition to all that a man traditionally should be able to do and do, in our time it is assumed that he should also be able to change diapers, feed a child, and much more. For many men, it is not entirely clear what their role of husband and father is, and it is not easy for them to play the former role of the breadwinner of the family, also fulfilling maternal responsibilities. However, all this is required of a modern man, and therefore the education of future men and fathers should be based on this. For the sake of justice, it should be noted that some current fathers in caring for a child have become such excellent specialists that they can compete with the most skilled mother.

Unfortunately, adaptation to fatherhood in many personally immature men, not yet begun, immediately ends with the news of pregnancy. The future father can leave, shifting all the problems that arise in connection with the appearance of the child to the future mother, not caring what will happen to his family next. If, due to his beliefs or situation, he cannot leave his family, his dissatisfaction with the appearance of a child can manifest itself in an indifferent attitude towards him, and in the worst case, in harsh authoritarian behavior patterns, a manifestation of violence towards his child.

All this - the history of relationships with one's father, the model of fatherhood of one's own father, cultural, social and family characteristics, physical and mental health - influence men's readiness for fatherhood . Egocentrism, infantilism, sexual promiscuity of a man shows his inability to manifest a paternal attitude.

But every man should think that the opportunity to become a father will allow him to fully realize not only male, but also personal potential . A man directly gives life to a new person and gets a unique opportunity to take care of him, love him, transfer his life experience to him. It is in fatherhood that a man satisfies many of his vital needs. Becoming a Father, a man gets the opportunity to creatively transform himself and the surrounding reality.

For many men, the period of pregnancy of the spouse, the expectation of the birth and, finally, the birth of a child itself can greatly influence the formation of their male maturity. Men seeking to try on a new role as a father have an increased sense of self-esteem, they0005 through the child realize and confirm their male viability . As a result, a man acquires a new personal and social status. He develops a tribal consciousness , a sense of responsibility for his family.

But during this period, men may actualize psychological problems, personal conflicts, in particular, related to their own experience of negative relationships with their father. That is why it is safe to talk about “pregnant dads”. Yes, they also, in their own way, in a manly way, “bear” a child, they take care of their wife, create the best conditions for her, solve the financial problems of the family, help in caring for the baby after his birth, build their own unique relationship with the child , but also remain face to face with their own intrapersonal conflicts. And no one pays attention to them, no one cares, but on the contrary, it requires care and attention from them.

And if most women feel like mothers for the first time during pregnancy, then most men feel like mothers after the birth of a baby, with whom a man does not have such a connection in the prenatal period as a woman. That is why it is so important for the future father to talk to the child before birth. The child hears his gentle voice and perceives it almost better than the voice of the mother. Yes, of course, a woman is more involved in communication with a child before birth and in the first months after childbirth. For her, pregnancy is a period of preparation for communication with the child after his birth, and this preparation takes place through direct physiological changes in the woman's body, changes in her values ​​and priorities during pregnancy, because her whole life is aimed at the well-being and development of the baby in her womb. Thus, maternal feeling, attachment to the child is formed during pregnancy, including through a new bodily experience. And in the father, the formation of attachment to the unborn baby is not associated with new bodily sensations.

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