When Should a Man See a Urologist?

Q: At what age should men start seeing a urologist?

A: Unlike women, who see a gynecologist for routine care starting in their teens, men don’t need to see a urologist early on.

Basically, we want to see you whenever you think you may need a urologist — or whenever another care provider thinks we can help you with something.

For most men, this tends to be after age 40, when regular visits to a urologist prove beneficial.

Ideally, however, you should already be plugged in with a primary care provider from internal medicine or family medicine for your baseline care.

I always tell men to think of their body like their car. Just as you go in for tire rotations, oil changes and general service inspections, you want to make sure your body is running well.

Your primary care provider can help with this — by making sure your cholesterol, blood pressure, blood sugar and weight aren’t creeping up, and that you’re exercising.

The more you heed your primary care provider’s advice and keep these factors under control, the lower your risk will be for heart disease, erectile dysfunction and other problems later in life.

—Urologist Bradley Gill, MD