Movember

‘Movember’, what does it mean? It means a whole month of men up and down the country growing a moustache to raise funds and awareness for all the dads, brothers, sons and mates that have been affected by prostate and testicular cancer.

Did you know that prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men in the U.K.? One man dies from prostate cancer every 45 minutes. Testicular cancer is the most common cancer in young men, with one in twenty not surviving. These figures are not to scare you, nor are they intended to upset anyone, they are the stark reality of why ‘Movember’ exists.

So, what as a country are we going to do about those statistics? We’re going to fight them the one way we know how… by raising awareness and fundraising!

The ‘Movember’ Foundation are the leading charity who are focusing on changing the face of men’s health, whilst addressing some of the biggest health issues by men. They not only focus on prostate and testicular cancer, they also tackle mental health and suicide prevention. Their aim by 2030 is to reduce men dying prematurely by 25%. How are they going to achieve this?

1) Taking Action Early

2) Bright Minds Brought Together

3) Tackling Biology

4) Reducing Side Effects

5) Affordable Treatment

6) Tailored Treatments, Precision Care

7) Helping Men Make Tough Choices

8) Raising the Standard

9) Global Initiatives

What can you do to get involved? 

• Grow – why not grow a moustache to support? It doesn’t matter how big, small or extravagant it is!
• Move – you can walk or run, all you need to do is commit to 60 kilometres. Why 60km? A kilometre for every man that is lost to suicide each hour.
• Host – why not host a get together with your friends or work colleagues? Host a dinner party, a sports match, a disco or even a group shave-off to start the moustache growing process.

You don’t just need to raise money, you could also raise awareness by educating yourself on the symptoms of testicular and prostate cancer and when to go and speak to your doctor:

Symptoms of Testicular Cancer

• Painless swelling or lump in one of the testicles
• Any change in shape or texture of the testicles
• An increase in the firmness of a testicle
• A difference between one testicle and the other
• A dull ache or sharp pain in your testicles or scrotum, which may come and go
• A feeling of heaviness in your scrotum

Symptoms of Prostate Cancer

• Needing to pee more frequently, often during the night
• Needing to rush to the toilet
• Difficulty in starting to pee
• Straining or taking a long time while peeing
• Weak flow
• Feeling that your bladder has not emptied fully
• Blood in urine or blood in semen

You can click on the links to find out more about Movember and the symptoms of testicular and prostate cancer.

It is important to educate yourself on health issues facing men and you can find out more in our Men’s Health Week blog.

Sources:

• https://uk.movember.com/ 

• https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/testicular-cancer/symptoms/

• https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/prostate-cancer/symptoms/