The Movember campaign has just started this year. But what is this movement exactly and how to join?

This blog entry is about to explain it.

What is Movember?

Movember is an acronym for the word mustache and November. This is the name of a worldwide campaign to raise awareness of the physical and mental health of men and the importance of screening tests.

As men tend to have fewer visits at doctors and taking less screening tests, the aim of this campaign is to draw attention on diseases that are very common among men and could be diagnosed with screening tests and treated efficiently the early stage. It focuses on the prevention, early detection and effective treatment of prostate cancer, testicular cancer, and depression.

The Movember Movement was founded by a group of young Australian men, in 1999. The movement became nationwide very quickly and after a few years, it grew into a worldwide health awareness campaign. The supporters are growing mustache, wearing it as a “pin” in November, to draw attention to the good cause. This became the symbol of Movember. Like this, if someone is asking about the reason of the new facial hair, the message of Movember will be passed as well.

What kind of screening tests are available?

Few people knew that the risk of prostate cancer could be detected in early stage, with a simple blood test.

Prostate cancer is the second most common type of cancer among men. Sometimes symptoms do not occur for a long time. Therefore, and for the sake of our peace of mind, it is recommended to attend on a screening test, especially over 50 years. Regular screening allows to detect the disease in early stage and like this, the treatment could be more effective.

First, it is recommended to visit a urologist to have a physical examination of the prostate.

Also, a blood test is suggested, to detect the risk of prostate cancer. PSA (prostate-specific antigen) is a protein, produced in the prostate, which can be analyzed from a blood sample. Its elated level refers to prostate enlargement and prostate cancer.

Join the Movember movement and take a screening test in November, and also remind your male friends to take care of their health!