Ladies, time to stand up and fight for your man

Women play a key role in prostate cancer awareness and detection.

It’s the month of Movember, and there’s something we ladies need to talk about. That’s right. We’re talking about men – the men in our lives, to be specific.

While we may love them to bits, they have a real knack for being annoyingly frustrating, especially when the talk shifts to personal health.

We often come across women who are well versed about their husband’s, father’s or son’s health. They usually know a great deal about their medical conditions, treatment regimes, doctor’s names and follow-up appointments.

Men on the other hand, will likely share that that they are a little unwell, and there’s nothing to be worried about, or perhaps even joke about how they have not been to a health check-up since their university days.

Most men feel that they are in good health and they know how to look after themselves. They do not see the need to get checked until things get visibly bad. Some even think that they’re invulnerable to health risks - including cancer.

Though they can be difficult, we can hardly blame them for this pattern of behaviour they display.

Throughout the ages, men were expected to be strong, bold, dominant and courageous, as they held the fort for their families as sole breadwinners. To do this, they’ve had to take care of themselves and be in tip top health. Any indication otherwise was perceived as a weakness.

Fast forward to the present. While the role of men has changed and the burden of being the sole bread winner has been lifted, society’s view of the strong stalwart man of the house has remained.

In 2000, the World Health Organization (WHO) acknowledged the need to pay greater attention to the shorter life expectancy of men. The report indicated that health-promoting behaviours are linked with femininity, and that risk-taking health behaviours are linked with masculinity.

This fact is hardly surprising. We see this being reinforced with children every day. Just sit back and observe the reaction when a five-year-old boy gets a cut on his finger. What happens?

He is told that ‘big boys don’t cry’.

The next thing you know, he’s a full-fledged adult evoking a similar dismissive reaction to other more serious health problems.

As a society, we should be addressing this issue especially since studies have shown that men of all ages experience a significantly higher mortality rate from all kinds of cancer. This high rate of death in men becomes even more pronounced for men over the age of 65.

Prostate cancer is the fourth most common cancer in Malaysian men, with a staggering 502 cases diagnosed in 2007. Globally, prostate cancer is the second most frequently diagnosed cancer in men and the fifth leading cause of death from cancer in men.

The good news is that prostate cancer can be curable - if detected early.

Doctor's appointments can be much less intimidating when they are attended together.

Ladies, this is where you come in. If you do not already know, November is the month dedicated to prostate cancer awareness.

Men all over the world will be sprouting moustaches and acting as walking and talking prostate cancer awareness advocates by participating in the Movember movement.

But whether or not your man is flaunting a stache off this month, we women have an equally (if not more) important role to play when it comes to the health of our man.

We’ve established that men can be evasive creatures when it comes to the topic of their health. Well then, it is just up to us to fix that, isn’t it?

The reality is when the man of the house gets sick, everyone else suffers along with him. However, there are many things we can do as women who are determined to get our men’s health on the right track.

How can you help?

Self-education – There’s nothing more powerful than knowledge. Find out what exactly is prostate cancer, how it’s diagnosed, its prevalence, its early symptoms, and prognosis. With the Internet, there is almost nothing that you can’t find information on. Make sure your sources of information are legit.

Share your knowledge – Once you know the risk groups, share it with your man casually and let him sleep on it for a bit. Once he has digested the facts, he may be more open to the idea of going for a health screening.

Schedule appointments – Even if your man may open to going for a screening, he may not want to display his willingness too much (blame masculinity here). You may have to make the initial step of finding a doctor and making an appointment. Ask around through word of mouth about oncologists or hospitals that are reputable and work from there.

Make health screenings a ‘together’ thing – Don’t just put your man under scrutiny. While he is getting his medical check-up, get yours done too, along with a mammogram if needed. He’ll feel less vulnerable if the both of you face this kind of situation together.

Don’t make it a big deal – Whether you’re trying to convince him to go for a screening, or he’s been diagnosed with a potential health problem, the last thing your man will want is for you to freak out. Avoid letting your emotions take over or overreacting. This may cause unnecessary defensiveness. Instead, take a deep breath, remain calm, and talk to him.

They say that behind every successful man is a woman.

We say that, behind every healthy man, is a powerful woman. Through the Fight for Your Man campaign, we encourage all women to stand up and take charge of your loved one’s health through education, and an active participation in your man’s health and lifestyle.

If your man is above 40 years of age, get him to go for health screenings. With your added tenacity, we will be able to fight against, and overcome, prostate cancer.

This article is brought to you in conjunction with the Fight For Your Man campaign by Janssen Malaysia.