How regularly should men have prostate exams? A prostate exam is physical exam that can be used as part of the screening for prostate cancer. The current recommendation is that men over the age of 50 should be offered a prostate screening every year that consists of a prostate exam and a lab test called PSA. Recent studies have suggested that this is too frequent and performing this screening every four years would be adequate. Men over the age of 75 are also excluded from [...]

How long is a virus contagious? I’ve heard it can only be transferred if the person affected still has a fever. That is not a simple answer each as virus has a different route of transmission and a different incubation period, or period when it is replicating in the body but necessary causing symptoms. Viruses can be transmitted by respiratory droplets, sexual contact, fecal-oral routes, or by fomites (viruses that are just floating through the are or resting on inanimate objects). Each virus has a [...]

Occasionally my boyfriend and I have sex without a condom. Is pre-ejaculate something I should be worried about? Yes, it is definitely something that needs to be worried about.  Men secrete a small amount of fluid prior to their climax. This fluid does contain sperm, even though it is a smaller concentration, and is capable of transmitting diseases such as gonorrhea and chlamydia. This is why the pull-out method is not a very effective method for birth control. Condoms should be worn all the time, [...]

Do vitamins really expire? Is it bad if I take them after their expiration date? The short answer is no but here is why. Vitamin producing companies are not required to print expiration dates on their products but most of them do for a point of reference. If properly stored vitamins have a shelf life of four to five years. “Stored properly” means in a cool, dry place, away from light, and in air tight containers. Places not to store your vitamins include the refrigerator, [...]