Society often expects men to avoid seeking medical care when they’re sick or to skip annual wellness exams. Unfortunately, too many men live up to the stereotype.
Women go to the doctor at a higher rate than men, who may choose to neglect routine medical care due to stigma, anxiety or a variety of other reasons. Avoiding the doctor, however, can lead to serious illness and more invasive and costly care in the long run. Making time for regular doctor visits may not be at the top of your to-do list, but it’s well worth prioritizing.
Why Many Men Don’t Go to the Doctor
Like many men, you may consider seeking care for health issues as a sign of weakness. From a young age, you may have heard men are supposed to be tough, play through pain and shrug off illness. Those messages ignore the risks of neglecting your physical and mental health and create a stigma around going to the doctor.
In addition to the stigma of seeking medical care, you may hesitate to go to the doctor for other reasons, including:
- A busy schedule. From tending to work and family to making space for exercise and hobbies, you have a lot going on. Finding time to go to the doctor isn’t always easy, and taking time off work may be tough.
- Believing your health is fine. If you feel good, you may not see the need to have an annual physical exam.
- Fear of the unknown. You may believe ignorance is bliss. If you see the doctor, you may worry they may find a problem with your health.
- Reluctance to discuss personal health matters. Like many men, you may not feel comfortable talking about mental health, urinary problems, sexual health or even everyday aches and pains.
You may convince yourself you have a good reason to skip going to the doctor, but you’re risking your health. Let’s explore four reasons to make time for routine medical care.
1. Get a Head Start on Treating Health Problems
Each year, have a medical checkup with a primary care provider, who may be a physician, nurse practitioner or physician assistant. Establishing a relationship with this medical provider allows them to get to know your health in detail so they can make personalized recommendations to boost your wellness. Plus, building trust will help you feel comfortable discussing whatever’s on your mind, including sensitive symptoms.
During your yearly visit, your primary care provider will:
- Check your blood pressure and other key health indicators
- Discuss your health status
- Examine you for signs of health problems
Importantly, your medical provider will also conduct or arrange for recommended health screenings, including cancer screenings. As you age, screening for diseases such as prostate cancer and colorectal cancer can find these conditions early. This gives you an advantage because early detection can lead to easier and more successful treatment.
2. Stop Medical Conditions Before They Start
The only thing better than detecting a disease early is avoiding it altogether. You can increase your chances of preventing heart disease, Type 2 diabetes and other chronic medical conditions by seeing your primary care provider at least once a year.
At your yearly checkup, your medical provider will review your risk factors for major chronic diseases and discuss changes you can make to your lifestyle to reduce your risk. This can empower you to play a more active role in your health and help you take charge of one of the most important aspects of your life.
3. Feel Better Faster
When you’re sick, prolonging the discomfort by delaying or refusing to seek medical care simply doesn’t make sense. Illness makes you less effective at work and less dependable for your family. Going to your regular doctor—or, if appropriate, seeing an urgent care provider—when you don’t feel well can put you on the path to recovery faster. As a result, you’ll be able to return your focus to the important people and responsibilities in your life sooner.
Seeing your primary care doctor early when you have a new medical concern can often save you many hours of waiting in an emergency department if the condition worsens. Additionally, primary care providers are often able to discuss these issues as a telemedicine visit, providing a more convenient way to receive care quickly.
4. Flip the Masculinity Script
You make the time to take your car to the mechanic for regular maintenance, so why wouldn’t you do the same for your body? Seeing a primary care provider at least annually helps make sure that you’re getting the care you need, too—and your body is infinitely more complex than a car.
The notion that men don’t go to the doctor isn’t manly. Avoiding the doctor means not taking advantage of one of the best tools available to reduce the risk of and treat diseases—and that affects the people you love.
You want your family and friends to be able to depend on you when they need you. Good health makes that possible. By going to the doctor, you demonstrate to those you love that you want to keep showing up for and making memories with them for years to come. There’s nothing more manly than that.
More to Read
- Men’s Mental Health: Breaking the Silence
- Be a Good Role Model: Building a Healthy Lifestyle With Your Kids
- 5 Reasons Why You Need a Primary Care Provider
- 16 Questions You Should Ask Your New Primary Care Provider
- Why Do You Need an Annual Wellness Exam?
- Men: Take Your Health Back!
Medically reviewed by Andrew Delapenha, MD.Â
