Have you noticed more men with mustaches lately? Hopefully only through social media because it should’ve been covered by a mask! But if you’ve wondered what the moustache is all about- welcome to Movember!

According to Wikipedia and their website movember.com, Movember started almost two decades ago when a group of young men in Australia decided to grow moustaches to raise awareness for men’s health (including prostate cancer, testicular cancer and male suicide). This has since evolved into a global awareness campaign every November.

On the topic of men’s health I wanted to share some interesting facts and resources for you and the important men in your lives:

• You may know: Men have shorter life expectancies than women (68.9 yrs. vs 70.4 yrs. in Canada)
• But did you know: The life expectancy for Canadian men has actually been stagnant for a few years. Unfortunately this is due to the increased mortality among men between the ages of 20 to 45. Statistics Canada postulates that this increase may be due to the opioid crisis affecting various regions of the country.
• You may know: Men seek healthcare less frequently than women
• But did you know: Studies have shown that potential reasons men may avoid the doctor include embarrassment, fear of bad news or being judged and reluctance to take time off work. A GP survey conducted in the UK shows that men see their doctors as much as women do- once they retire. Other studies show that men fear that taking time off for medical reasons (especially mental health) will jeopardize their job security.
• You may know: Diabetes is on the rise among adults.
• But did you know: Men are more likely to be diagnosed with diabetes than women? According to Statistics Canada the rate of diabetes among adults have almost doubled from 2000-2011 and men are more likely to have worse outcomes or death due to diabetes compared to women. Diabetes can have negative impacts on heart health but can also affect fertility and sexual function.
• You may know: Cancer remains the leading cause of death in Canada
• But did you know: Men are more likely to be diagnosed with, and die from, three of the four most common cancers (lung, colorectal, prostate). Breast cancer is the exception.
• You may know: Suicide is a leading cause of death in young people.
• But did you know: Suicide rate in men is three times higher than it is in women. Those aged between 40-59 had the highest rate of suicide. Mental illness is the most important risk factor for suicide and depression is the most common illness among those who die from suicide. If you want more information, check out this resourceful website by the University of British Columbia: https://headsupguys.org/mens-depression/ 

Men’s health is a huge topic and deserves more attention! If you haven’t already, please check out Olive Fertility’s new “Techno Tuesdays” series written by Dr Gary Nakhuda focusing on men’s health. The link can be found here: https://www.olivefertility.com/blog/gary

Cheers to the gentlemen in our lives- fathers, spouses, brothers, friends. Stay safe, healthy and fertile!

References:

Movember. Wikipedia. Available at: URL: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Movember 

Our Story: Movember through the years. Available at: URL: https://ca.movember.com/about/history 

Health adjusted Life expectancy, by sex. Statistics Canada. Available at: URL: https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=1310037001 

Cancer statistics at a glance. Canadian Cancer Society. Available at: URL: https://www.cancer.ca/en/cancer-information/cancer-101/cancer-statistics-at-a-glance/?region=on 

Health status of Canadians 2016. Public Health Agency of Canada. Available at: URL: https://healthycanadians.gc.ca/publications/department-ministere/state-public-health-status-2016-etat-sante-publique-statut/alt/pdf-eng.pdf 

Health at a glance. Suicide rates: an overview. Health Canada. Available at: URL: https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/82-624-x/2012001/article/11696-eng.htm