Dr. Turek's Blog

What Happens to Birth Rates During Pandemics?

Posted on by Paul Turek, MD

At first glance, you’d think that staying at home (by law) during the COVID-19 pandemic would mean more babies being born. After all, conception rates are seasonal, with the highest rates occurring during the winter months when we’re all huddled inside. Romance and sex are all about contact time, right? Turns out, it’s a bit […]

Where You Get Your Semen Analysis Done Matters

Posted on by Paul Turek, MD

Quick question. Which matters more: How you collect your semen sample or who analyzes it? Correct, it’s who you give it to that matters more. Barring major interruptions or large faults in technique, collecting semen is basically triggering a spinal reflex that’s pretty consistent in humans, kind of like a light switch. But to properly […]

Love in the Time of a Pandemic

Posted on by Paul Turek, MD

A tiny virus about 1/50 the size of a red blood cell and containing a short little strand of RNA has rocked our world. According to Kelly Clark, the COVID virus “…is just an inexplicable, purposeless mutation” hoisted upon us, like it or not. It has maimed or killed hundreds of thousands around the world […]

Why Male Sexual Health Care Is Good Medicine

Posted on by Paul Turek, MD

It’s not easy to define “good medicine.” When I think of “good medicine,” I think of medical care that isn’t reactive, ponderously slow and inefficient. Good medicine is efficient, impactful, proactive, empowering and curative. Much of medicine treats illness, but good medicine heals it. Much of medicine is based on science but good medicine is […]

Marijuana and Risk of Testicular Cancer

An Unholy Duo: Weed and Testis Cancer

Posted on by Paul Turek, MD

I know that it is legal in most states. I also know that getting “high” on pot is not the same as getting “drunk” on alcohol. These issues aside, I still worry a lot about the relationship between pot use and the risk of testicular cancer. Some recent meta-analysis research adds fuel to the fire. […]

Coronavirus Modern Plague

Is COVID-19 Our Modern Plague?

Posted on by Paul Turek, MD

It’s hard to believe that something so small can kill us in epidemic numbers, not to mention utterly and completely change life as we know it. The COVID-19 virus is about 50 times smaller than a red blood cell and contains a single strand of RNA with 26,000 base pairs. By way of comparison, the […]

Coronavirus and Male Fertility

Posted on by Paul Turek, MD

Flu season typically wreaks havoc on my male fertility practice. A solid flu, complete with fevers and body aches, drops sperm counts like a brick. But only temporarily. Things usually bounce back within 2-3 months. In contrast, the common cold doesn’t affect male fertility. This leads us to believe that the fever’s the thing. Fevers […]

Common Sex Myths About Trying to Conceive

Common Sex Myths About Trying to Conceive

Posted on by Paul Turek, MD

She just “pulled the goalie” and stopped her contraceptive. It’s now time to have that baby you’ve been talking about. You find yourself both excited and a bit scared about what happens next. And hopefully, it will happen. In fact, the odds are in your favor that it will happen, since this is one of […]

The Effects of Marijuana on Fertility

Posted on by Paul Turek, MD

In 1996, California was the first state to legalize medical marijuana, sparking a trend that now includes 36 states. Colorado and Washington became the first of 16 states to legalize recreational cannabis. Currently, pot is the most widely consumed semi-legal recreational drug in the western world with an estimated 250 million users, including 1 in […]