Information About the Field of Andrology
What Is Andrology?
Andrology is a field of medicine that deals with specific problems in males. The term comes from the Greek "Andros"- man and "logos"- doctrine. So that means andrology is the medical doctrine of men or simply men's medicine.
Andrology thus originated as a counterpart to gynecology, or women's medicine, but has not yet achieved the same level of recognition.
What Does an Andrologist Do?
Andrology has many areas of overlap with other medical disciplines. For example, it shares some topics with urology, which deals primarily with the urinary system, others with endocrinology, i.e., hormone medicine, and others with dermatology (skin and sexually transmitted diseases), sexual medicine, and human genetics.
Diagnosis and Therapy of Erectile Dysfunction
The main focus is on the reproductive ability and sexuality of men. For example, erection problems, which can have very different causes, and ejaculation problems, such as premature ejaculation, are part of the classic treatment area of andrology.
Diagnostics and Therapy Around Fertility and Sterilization
Furthermore, the problem of fertility, or rather an infertility, is a significant issue. Therefore, andrologists are also your contact for male sterilization, i.e., the cutting of the vas deferens for contraceptive purposes and its revision, i.e., the restoration of fertility.
In addition, in the case of an unfulfilled desire to have children, the andrologist can examine the sperm and, if necessary, initiate therapy to increase fertility (part of what is known as "reproductive medicine").
Diagnostics and Therapy for Hormone Disorders
Hormonal disorders, mainly concerning testosterone, which can lead to erection problems and loss of libido, and general fatigue and tiredness, are also part of the field of activity of andrology. These hormonal disorders are often, but not exclusively, a problem of the aging male. Thus, the age of patients ranges from pubescents to the elderly.
Which Doctors are Andrology Specialists in Germany and Switzerland?
Andrology is not a medical discipline that has separate specialist training. However, in the medical training regulations, it has the status of an additional title that a particular specialist can acquire. Therefore, in principle, urology, dermatology, and endocrinology specialists can have other andrological qualifications.
Since the overlapping field is the largest, most often, urology doctors hold the additional designation of andrology. If they suffer from a problem of the above, an appointment with a urologist or the general practitioner of their confidence is in any case not wrong.
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