University of Iowa urologist bringing men’s health education to fraternities

IOWA CITY — A lot of men who end up in University of Iowa urologist Amy Pearlman’s office are in their 30s, 40s, or 50s and are having symptoms. They’re fatigued. They can’t get or hold an erection. They have pain. Or a lump.

But it doesn’t have to be that way.

“So many conditions that I see related to men’s health are so preventable,” said Pearlman, who directs the UI Men’s Health Program. “I want to empower people so that they know they don't have to suffer. They can prevent these things. They can really live their best lives if they just get some simple education.”

And that’s where Pearlman comes in.

“So many of these behaviors start young,” she said.

Like in college, when newly-minted high school graduates are on their own for the first time and feeling invincible — going out late, drinking, smoking, eating cold pizza for breakfast.

“We’re doing such a poor job at baseline, simple education, and I just was trying to figure out a way to educate people in a creative way — rather than just person-by-person in the office,” she said. “My clinic has 20, 30 patients, and I’m just educating each person one by one by one. When, in reality, the stuff that I have expertise in — when it comes to men's health — is relevant to every single person who has male genital parts.”

So where can Pearlman access large groups of young men with one overarching educational presentation on men’s health? Fraternities, and her first yielded a crowd of more than 100 brothers this fall.

“And this spring, we have at least four additional fraternities who have signed up for this educational session,” Pearlman said.

The goal of Pearlman’s fraternity-based men’s health sessions is to give young men a road map for better health later in life and a toolbox for following it.

“My hope ultimately is, can we change behavior,” she said.

Pearlman through her presentation shares with the students basic tips on staying healthier longer and different types of providers and resources they can and should access. But she also homes in on the “why” — which looks different for teenagers and men in their early 20s.

“So their why for not picking up a cigarette may not be because they don't want lung cancer — that doesn't really resonate with a lot of guys who are 20 years old,” Pearlman said. “But one thing that would resonate with a guy who's 20 years old might be his penis — his penile health.”

In her presentation, Pearlman aims to normalize conversation around urology and penal health by discussing how the body functions and is structured.

“Let's talk about how your brain signals your testicles to produce testosterone,” she said. “Let's talk about how we can increase your testosterone levels. Let's talk about what makes up your penis.

“It's hard to offend people when you just go back to anatomy.”

She also, in her presentation, talks to the students about sexually-transmitted infections, dispelling myths, sharing resources, encouraging testing, and offering tips on communication.

“We tell people, if you have an STI or herpes or something like that, you’ve got to tell your partners,” Pearlman said. “But we don’t actually give people the skills to teach them how to do that in a way that doesn’t shame them or make them feel guilty or detract from whatever relationship they’re in.”

She offers examples and talking points, like: “I really care about you. I respect you. I care about our relationship, and I want to keep both of us healthy. I just want to let you know that I did have a herpes outbreak a year ago. I haven't had anything since. I don't have any current active lesions. But I just wanted you to know that because I care about you.”

She also talks about how alcohol and overconsumption can affect the penis — using that, again, as a relevant “why” to reconsider binge drinking.

“Guys understand that when they drink too much, they can’t get an erection,” she said.

Although Pearlman is starting with the fraternities — in spreading the news about men’s health among the younger population — her vision is to pack an auditorium with students from all sectors of campus.

“Because when you think about whose role it is to educate men on their health, to be honest with you, I don't want fathers to be educating their sons,” she said. “And the reason is the fathers don't even understand their bodies. The fathers are in my office, in their 60s, 70s, and 80s, and for the first time in their lives they're learning what their bladder does, and what their prostate does.

“So I don't want the dads educating them,” she said. “We’ve got to start with just educating as many people as we can, so they can then educate their friends and their family members.”

Vanessa Miller covers higher education for The Gazette.

Comments: (319) 339-3158; vanessa.miller@thegazette.com