Men’s health centre

Health questions for men in their 30s

Stress

Stress isn't always a bad thing - we all need a little bit of stress just to get us out of bed in the morning. But long-term prolonged stress can cause a build-up of the body's natural stress hormones, which may lead to heart disease, cancer, stress or depression.

In your thirties the pressures of starting a family, buying a home and climbing the career ladder can all contribute to making life more stressful. But men are particularly bad at dealing with the causes of stress and often ignore the symptoms so vigilance can only improve your health.

Questions you could ask your doctor or pharmacist:

• How do I know I'm stressed?
• What is stress?
• What if my symptoms aren't caused by stress?
• Does getting stressed mean I can't cope?
• What should I do when I realise I'm getting stressed?
• Do I need to take medication?

Fertility

Men are most likely to get married and start a family in their thirties, so fertility may become an issue now. Three-quarters of infertility in men is caused by not having enough sperm or sperm that's not mobile enough.

There are many causes of infertility, from wearing tight trousers to certain medicines and illegal drugs. As always, the best source of information is your GP, so any man who’s worried about his fertility, should pay them a visit.

Questions you could ask your doctor or pharmacist:

• What tests are available to measure my fertility?
• Can my diet affect my sperm count?
• Is there anything in my lifestyle I could change to improve my fertility?
• Can stress affect my sperm count?
• What treatments are available for male infertility?

Smoking

Everyone knows smoking is bad for you, but it's easier to ignore the damage you're doing to your health when you're young. Once men hit their thirties and start to feel the effects of smoking, such as a chronic cough or breathlessness, however, they're able to take the idea of quitting more seriously.

Your doctor and pharmacist can provide information, advice and practical help with giving up smoking.

Questions you could ask your doctor or pharmacist:

• How is smoking affecting my body?
• What are the specific risks, given my family history, if I continue to smoke?
• Can the NHS help me to give up smoking?

Options to consider

• Take a vitamin and mineral supplement made specifically for men to help maintain general health, vitality and reproductive health.
• Female and male fertility test kits are now available at your local pharmacy.  Intended for home use, these kits can measure the concentration of sperm in your ejaculate that can swim, a key indicator of sperm quality.
• Get a nicotine replacement inhalor to help reduce and progressively lessen the nicotine cravings people get when they try to stop smoking. (Contains nicotine, willpower required. Always read the label).
• Try some nicotine replacement lozenges to help to alleviate some of the unpleasant withdrawal effects that frequently occur when giving up smoking, such as cravings and irritability. (Contains nicotine, willpower required. Always read the label).
• Sign up for the NHS Stop Smoking service at your local pharmacy; you're four times more likely to stop smoking if you use this service than if you try to stop smoking on your own.