Andrology Hospital in Chennai
The specialty of Andrology is a subspecialty of Urology which deals with men’s health problems such as infertility, sexual and reproductive health disorders. The Department of Andrology at Apollo Hospitals Chennai provides comprehensive treatment for men’s health problems under one roof. Our highly experienced Andrologists are supported with advanced medical equipment to provide the highest quality of care with a patient-centric approach. At Apollo Hospitals, we offer the best personalized treatment plans from counselling to therapy for men of all age groups.
Some of the common conditions treated by our Andrologists at Apollo Hospitals are:
- Erectile dysfunction
- Male Infertility
- Premature ejaculation
- Varicocele
- Deficiency in male hormones or androgens
- Low testosterone levels
- Anejaculation
- Retrograde Ejaculation
- Peyronie’s disease
Treatments
Male Infertility
Men contribute approximately up to 40% to infertility in couples.
There are many causes for male infertility such as low sperm count or absent sperms in the semen (azoospermia), sperm problems like reduced motility, abnormal shape of sperms, sperm tract infections, reduced male hormones, erectile dysfunction and varicoceles. This can also be due to male sexual dysfunction while the sperms may be completely normal.
The management of male infertility includes:
- Comprehensive evaluation and treatment of male causes of infertility.
- Treatment of azoospermia, low sperm counts or sperm abnormalities.
- Sperm retrieval
- Penile vibrostimulation (for difficult semen sample collection)
- Surgical sperm retrieval (TESA or Micro TESE).
- Varicocele correction (Microsurgical varicocelectomy).
- Treatment and counseling of unconsummated marriage or male sexual dysfunction.
- Advanced Genetic testing and genetic counseling.
Oncofertility, fertility preservation and sperm cryopreservation
Due to the developments in cancer treatment, survival rates among cancer patients have increased. However, cancer treatments may potentially damage sperms. Oncofertility at Apollo Hospitals, is a specialized service, dealing with fertility preservation in boys and young men who are undergoing treatment for cancers such as surgery, radiation or chemotherapy. Fertility preservation includes sperm cryopreservation (for cancers or falling sperm counts), assisting men who have difficulty in semen collection, incidentally detected sperm abnormalities during evaluation and testicular tissue cryopreservation in appropriate situations.
Male Sexual Dysfunction
Sexual dysfunction can be physical (related to body) or psychological (related to mind) or more often a combination of both. Male sexual dysfunction broadly includes treatment of erectile dysfunction, premature ejaculation, retrograde ejaculation, penile curvature, retrograde or anejaculation, pain during ejaculation and low libido (reduced sex drive).
Causes of sexual dysfunction in males:
- Cardiovascular disease.
- Chronic illness.
- Low testosterone levels.
- Concern or anxiety about sexual performance.
- Nerve damage.
- Spinal cord diseases/ post surgery/ trauma
- Depression/ Anxiety.
- Marital or relationship problems.
- Work-related stress or anxiety.
- Past sexual trauma.
- Smoking, Tobacco, consumption of alcohol and drug abuse.
Treatment of the following conditions by the Department of Andrology:
- Erectile dysfunction is usually treated with medicines, intra penile injections, constriction band devices or penile prosthesis implantation.
- Management of Diabetic males with inability to initiate an erection.
- Premature ejaculation.
- Anejaculation (absent semen passage).
- Retrograde ejaculation (Sperms going in backward direction and entering the urinary bladder).
- Peyronie’s disease (penile curvature).
Chronic Testicular Pain and Pelvic Pain
Some men develop pain in the testis which persists for long duration and does not completely resolve with medicines. There are many causes of testicular pain which include infection, nerve injury, varicocele, twisting of testis (torsion) or cancer. The cause of such pain needs detailed evaluation and in some, spermatic cord block may be used to assess the level of improvement. Once found successful, they benefit from microsurgical denervation of spermatic cord, a special operation performed using the operating microscope with good success rates.
In Chronic Pelvic Pain (also referred as Chronic Prostatitis) symptoms experienced by the patient includes perineal discomfort, pain with ejaculation, difficulty or burning sensation during urination. All this can have a significant impact on the quality of life which will further lead to stress, anxiety and depression. Depending on the cause, pelvic pain can be a mild discomfort or severe pain. Our Andrologist will conduct a detailed evaluation, review symptoms and medical history to determine the cause and provide the best suitable treatment.
Low Testosterone Levels
Low testosterone levels (male hypogonadism) is a condition in which the male reproductive glands do not produce enough testosterone (a male sex hormone). Causes of low testosterone includes injury or trauma, chemotherapy, tumors of the pituitary gland, chronic illness, obesity, side effect of any prescribed medications, consumption of alcohol etc.
Symptoms due to low testosterone hormone levels (Hypogonadism) includes low libido, tiredness, fatigue, reduced concentration at work, weight gain and reduced muscle mass. Men can have associated infertility or erectile dysfunction which is mainly taken care by Andrologists. Young men with hypogonadism can be treated successfully to improve sperm counts. Treatment of testosterone deficiency is necessary to maintain overall health, bone and cardiovascular health, to sustain good erections and sperm health.
Premarital and Men’s Health Check
At Apollo Hospitals, we offer personalized premarital and men’s health check for men who are anxious and have concerns before marriage. This also helps those who have previously experienced failed marriages due to sexual dysfunction or would like to marry again, to have themselves evaluated before doing so. The Premarital Health Check includes an outpatient assessment of sperm function and erectile function. It helps identify and prevent spread of Sexually Transmitted Infections and picking up rare genetic defects from being inherited.
Men’s Health
At Apollo Hospitals, we offer detailed evaluation of men’s health including general tests, urinary flow assessment, prostate health, erectile function, specialist consultations based on symptoms, nutrition assessment and diet prescription, exercise counseling and assistance in treatment/ reversal of lifestyle diseases.
