A Consultant Urologist, Dr Odezi Otobo, says there is no medical or urological evidence having regular sex and ejaculation reduces a man’s risk of coming down with prostate cancer.
Otobo, who works with the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital, said this at a medical outreach for men organised by Asi Ukpo Comprehensive Cancer Centre on Monday in Calabar.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the outreach, which was held at the premises of the Christian Central Chapel International, Calabar, is part of programmes to commemorate “Movember.”
Movember, which involves the growing of mustaches, is an annual event held in November to raise awareness of men’s health issues such as prostate cancer, testicular cancer, and men’s mental health.
The urologist, who was reacting to claims on social media that constant intimacy and having multiple girlfriends could prevent prostate cancer, said the disease was either hereditary, caused by lifestyle, or environmental.
“Instead of taking unprofessional and unscientific advice from different quarters, it is important to visit a hospital if you notice anything, and for those in their forties and fifties, get screened because early detection is key to effective treatment of cancer.
“Prostate cancer is indolent cancer and can be handled when a man is aware, visits a medical facility, and changes his lifestyle, not by having multiple ‘side chicks,’ he said.
On his part, Mr Yegwa Ukpo, the Executive Director, Asi Ukpo Comprehensive Cancer Centre, said they had to commemorate Movember because men’s health issues were hardly addressed in society.
Represented by Mrs Mercy Njoku, Event and Outreach Manager of the centre, Ukpo said there was something about masculinity in a society that made men think they had to keep their issues to themselves.
“I want to appeal to the men to take their health seriously because cases of men slumping and dying in their forties and fifties are on the increase; we don’t want this to continue.
NAN
