AINU Launches Men’s Health Awareness Drive Ahead of International Men’s Day

Chennai: In the lead-up to International Men’s Day on November 19, the Asian Institute of Nephrology & Urology (AINU), Chennai, has rolled out a comprehensive Men’s Health Awareness Program to spotlight the growing burden of male infertility, erectile dysfunction, and lifestyle-related urological disorders among younger Indian men.

The initiative, part of November’s global focus on men’s health—particularly prostate and testicular cancer—aims to encourage early screening, open dialogue, and proactive care for conditions often shrouded in stigma.

“Men’s health remains one of the most under-discussed areas in preventive medicine,” said Dr Sanjay Prakash J, Clinical Lead – AINU Andrology. “We’re seeing men in their 20s and 30s presenting with fertility and sexual health issues once confined to older age groups. Early intervention is key.”

Male Infertility: A Rising Concern

Recent studies presented at the event revealed alarming trends:

• A 2023 Gujarat-based study found 37% of 2,348 men had abnormal semen parameters.
• A pan-India multi-centre study reported 72.1% of men had poor semen quality, with azoospermia highest in the East (14.2%) and lowest in the South (5.8%).
• A 2019 study showed 60% of men aged 30–39 had abnormal sperm parameters.
• Over the past 37 years, seminal parameters have declined by 1.27 million/ml annually, indicating a generational drop in fertility potential.

Experts attributed the decline to urban stress, obesity, diabetes, smoking, and environmental toxins.

Erectile Dysfunction: No Longer Just an Ageing Issue

Once considered age-related, erectile dysfunction (ED) is now increasingly reported among younger men:

• National prevalence ranges from 16–25%, rising to 70% among diabetics and hypertensives.
• A Vindhya region study found 29.1% ED prevalence among men aged 18–30.
• South Indian data showed a rise from 6% in men aged 20–29 to over 50% in those above 40.
• Currently, 1 in 10 Indian men experiences ED, with 25% of cases reported below age 30—up from 5–7% a decade ago.

Doctors linked ED to rising metabolic disorders, including diabetes and hypertension.

AINU’s Holistic Men’s Wellness Program

To address these challenges, AINU Chennai has launched a dedicated Men’s Health Wellness Program, offering:

• Andrology consultation
• Hormone profiling (Testosterone, TSH)
• Diabetes and metabolic screening (HbA1C, Lipid Profile)
• Scrotal ultrasound
• Semen analysis

“The stigma around men’s reproductive health delays diagnosis and treatment,” Dr Sanjay added. “Screening is not optional—it’s essential for recovery and long-term wellness.”