When it comes to maintaining our health and wellness, most of us don’t give a lot of thought to our urologic health — unless something goes wrong. In fact, because many problems start slowly, it’s easy to overlook symptoms that could mean something more serious is beginning to develop.
Spring is a great time to take stock of your health, and that means paying close attention to the subtle changes that may require a medical evaluation. Here, Alfred Shtainer, MD, FACS, reviews why patients at Adult and Pediatric Urology should schedule a urology evaluation this spring.
Once the cold, gray, icy days of winter fade, it’s natural to want to spend more time outdoors. It's also a time to start making travel plans for the season or for the warmer summer months.
While it might be easier to tolerate an increased need to urinate or even minor bladder leakage while you’re indoors and near a toilet, when you’re out and about, these symptoms become a lot more annoying — and even embarrassing.
Bladder leakage is never normal, and neither is urination that disrupts your regular routines, including sleep. You might be dealing with prostate problems, urinary tract infections (UTIs), or overactive bladder (OAB), all concerns that won’t go away on their own — but fortunately respond well to medical intervention.
Scheduling a visit at the first sign of symptoms is ideal, but if winter weather and holiday plans have delayed medical treatment, now is the time to schedule a visit so we can find out what’s causing those symptoms and design a treatment plan to improve your health and quality of life.
Most of us can’t wait to say goodbye to frigid winter weather, but the summer’s intense heat and humidity aren’t always welcomed with open arms. Not only can the summer be intolerably hot in the city, but hot, dry air also increases the risk of dehydration.
Your kidneys require plenty of fluids to do their job. Even mild dehydration increases your risk of kidney and bladder problems, including urinary tract infections and painful kidney stones. Dehydration means less fluid passing through your urinary tract, and that means it’s harder to wash away the germs that lead to infection. Plus, dehydration causes urine to become more concentrated, which can raise the risk of kidney stone formation.
If you have a history of kidney stones, UTIs, or other urinary tract issues, now is the time to take steps to reduce those risks. Scheduling a visit now provides us with an opportunity to ensure your urinary tract health is in good order before the heat arrives, and it also provides a chance to talk about hydration and other lifestyle strategies that can help prevent infections and kidney stones.
With spring comes renewal, making it a great time to schedule a preventive visit or checkup. Depending on your needs, preventive care may include prostate exams, incontinence testing, and other discussions about urinary and sexual health concerns.
Preventive visits are important even when symptoms are mild or absent. Prostate enlargement and early prostate cancer may not cause noticeable symptoms at first, but early detection can make a meaningful difference in comfort, treatment options, and long-term outcomes.
Plus, scheduling a visit proactively enables Dr. Shtainer to gather health information, review your medical history, and establish a baseline for future care. In addition, having that relationship in place makes it easier to address concerns promptly if issues arise later.
Issues like erectile dysfunction, urinary leakage, or pelvic discomfort rarely — if ever — go away on their own. In fact, they usually get worse, and sometimes, they can be a sign of a serious underlying problem.
Spring is an ideal time to take an all-important first step toward better urologic health now and for the future.
To schedule your visit, request an appointment online or call Adult and Pediatric Urology in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens, New York, today.
