Svend Aage Madsen

Europe's men need their own health strategy.

A recent European report on men’s health shows that it lags behind that of women. Alan White and colleagues analyse the problems and call for more policy, practice, and research aimed specifically at men

Psychological aspects of male fertility treatment

AIMS To explore and to identify the possible need for psychological communicative support in men undergoing fertility treatment. BACKGROUND Male infertility affects many aspects of a mans life and may cause a life crisis. Although infertility treatment is now commonplace in men, they often feel remote and disconnected from the treatment process. DESIGN A descriptive survey. METHODS A questionnaire with structured and open-ended questions was completed by 210 Danish men undergoing fertility treatment. The questionnaire covered three issues: individual perception of male infertility, gender equality issues, and communication with health professionals in the clinic. Data were collected during 2008. FINDINGS Of the participants, 28% believed that their reduced sperm quality affected their perception of masculinity. 46% stated that equal involvement between partners was a very important element of the treatment; however, 63% said that the health professionals communicated primarily with their female partner. Finally, 62% found that there was a need for a deeper dialogue with the nurses concerning male infertility and 72% lacked information about the psychological consequences of male infertility. In general, participants wanted a more open and balanced dialogue about infertility treatment and the role of the male partner during this process. CONCLUSION Infertile men want health professionals to view them on equal terms with their partner. When treating the infertile man, there is a further need to develop more inclusive communication skills.

An examination of the association between premature mortality and life expectancy among men in Europe.

BACKGROUND A feature of the health of men across Europe is their higher rates of premature mortality and shorter life expectancy at birth than women. Following the publication of the first State of Mens Health in Europe report, we sought to explore possible reasons. METHOD We analyzed trends in life expectancy at birth in 19 European Union member states (EU19) between 1999 and 2008 using mortality data obtained from Eurostat. We then used Pollards decomposition method to identify the contribution of deaths from different causes and at different age groups to differences in life expectancy. RESULTS Between 1999 and 2008, life expectancy at birth in the EU19 increased by 2.74 years for men and by 2.09 years for women. Most of these improvements were due to reductions in mortality at ages >60, with cardiovascular disease accounting for approximately half these improvements for men. In 2008, life expectancy of men in the EU19 was 5.92 years lower than that of women. Deaths from all major groups of causes, and at all ages, contributed to this gap, with external causes contributing 0.96 years, cardiovascular disease 1.80 years and neoplasms 1.61 years. CONCLUSION Improvements in the life expectancy at birth of men and women have mostly occurred at older ages. There has been little improvement in the high rate of premature death in younger men, suggesting a need for interventions to tackle their high death rate.

Men's Mental Health: Fatherhood and Psychotherapy

The links between mens health and fatherhood are underscored in studies of the psychological transformation of men as they become fathers, studies of mens mood disorders related to fatherhood, and studies of psychotherapy with men who suffer from postpartum depression. This article discusses two aspects of fatherhood in the Nordic countries (with a particular focus on Denmark): mens experiences of fatherhood and mens depression related to fatherhood.