Award-winning urologist - and pioneer in Men's Health - Dr. Paul Turek blogs weekly about issues such as infertility, vasectomy and vasectomy reversal, sexual and hormonal dysfunction and more. Keep up with the latest on this fascinating field of medicine.
Posts by Dr. Turek
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The Beauty of Belts
Regardless of what kind of shoes you wear, try this: bend down and pretend you’re tying your shoes. If you can’t see the toes of your shoes, there’s a good chance that your testosterone level is low. And, you could probably be healthier. When weight goes up, testosterone goes down. And belly weight is really not the healthiest weight to gain. So what, you say? You wear loafers or slip-on … Continued
Mindful Eating
“Thou shouldst eat to live; not live to eat,” once said Socrates way back when. Sure he was smart, and probably brilliant. But how does one really “eat to live?” Summer is just around the corner. And this one is gonna be different. For the first time in quite some time, you really want to avoid being both pale as a ghost and overweight for your first foray into the … Continued
Medicine Without Surgery
Blasphemy! A surgeon who chooses not to operate? Precisely. Dr. John Duckett Jr, surgeon extraordinaire and personal role model, once told me: “It tries your patience, and you may go gray faster, but there are times you learn more by not operating.” I have followed his advice many times in my career, and our latest research is a direct result of this advice. The Heck with That Many men with … Continued
Fully the Fellows
He came in to talk about a vasectomy reversal. “Doc, it’s been 15 years since my wings were clipped. Do my sperm still work? If I have kids, will they be ok?” A Two-Sided Picture Great questions! He was wondering whether being blocked so long from a vasectomy had fiddled with his sperm. Somehow messed it up. I broke this question into 2 parts: What disease risk does he bring … Continued
Climb Every Mountain
The case of the month is an actual patient of The Turek Clinic. It is presented in honor of National Infertility Awareness Week. They were a cute couple, a bit nervous and very excited. She was 20 years old and he was 24, and they appeared deeply in love. They had been trying to conceive for a while and, following a move to America, were told by their doctor that … Continued
Snip-n-Save
It’s tax day! Feeling powerless? It’s no wonder. In the words of Albert Einstein, certainly no mathematical slouch, “the hardest thing in the world to understand is income tax.” Alas, you have done your best and the tax return is in. Time for a reward. What will it be: a new Tesla sedan, season tickets to the Giants, or a Diebenkorn Ocean Park painting? Hardly! How about more like a dinner … Continued
A Year of Answers
This is a guest post from a patient who lives in Europe. He has shared his remarkable journey about being infertile in the past. As I continue to be moved by his story and his fortitude, I asked him to write to us again. He is also the inspiration for the creation of The Turek Clinic Support Forum. The road to where I am today has been hard, actually more … Continued
Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah
How about an April Fools riddle: What 100-year old garment accessory lives less than an inch from your privates and is a leading cause of penile injury? Nope, not your stylish skivvies! It’s your pant zipper. Zipper History An American invention from 1913, the “hookless fastener” was first used on rubber boots and tobacco pouches. It took another several decades before the zipper landed on men’s trousers. Now, roughly 14 … Continued
Biology Always Wins
The case of the month is an actual patient of The Turek Clinic. “I thought for sure that I never wanted kids. They broke the mold when they made me,” he told me. But then, he met the woman he never thought he would meet. “She changed everything. Nothing was the same after her,” he said with a wide, intoxicating smile. A Perfect Record He came in to talk about … Continued
A Good Citizen
What makes you feel like a good citizen? Is it giving blood? Coaching your kid’s team? Volunteering at a school or shelter? Church work? Voting? Recycling? What is it that makes you feel part and parcel of the wide, wide world around us? I asked this question of myself recently. As a doctor, quite naturally I thought of helping people. I am a big fan of the “smallest things make … Continued
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Videos
Dr. Paul Turek, an Elsevier Author at AUA 2011
Dr. Paul Turek sits down with Elsevier to discuss his most recent publications. To read more about his published work with Elsevier, visit www.elsevierauthors.com/paulturek.
NICHD’s Scientific Vision: The Next Decade
This video features highlights from the scientific visioning process coordinated in 2011 by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), part of the National Institutes of Health. The aim of this process is to develop a scientific vision that inspires NICHD, its many partners, and the research community to think ambitiously and broadly, across traditional disciplinary boundaries, about new ways to advance knowledge and … Continued
“A Guy’s Guide to Maintaining Sexual Health,” Presented By Invitation at Google
As an international thought leader on men’s health issues, Dr. Turek was asked to present an overview of sexual health for men at any age at Google. This talk addresses the concepts and cures for common sexual issues such as low sex drive, infertility, hormonal disturbances and other conditions that affect reproduction.
Clinic by the Bay, San Francisco’s Volunteers in Medicine Clinic
Clinic By the Bay’s overarching goal is to improve access to comprehensive, quality health care for the region’s working uninsured, while providing meaningful opportunities for civic engagement. As one of 84 Volunteers in Medicine clinics nationally, we engage retired and practicing doctors, nurses, and other community volunteers to provide compassionate care, free of charge, to our working uninsured neighbors. As such, Clinic by the Bay is about “neighbor helping neighbor.” … Continued
Myth Busters – Is Coca-Cola a Contraceptive?
The Mythbusters team approached Dr. Turek, an expert in sperm biology, to help them figure out how Coca Cola irrigation of the female reproductive tract after sex could be a contraceptive. They wanted to better understand if there was any biological basis for a Coca Cola “contraceptive effect”. On reviewing their “scientific” experiments, Dr. Turek helps them come to the conclusion that Coca Cola does not necessarily kill sperm on … Continued
Cancer and Male Infertility – Segment on The Economist
The Economist TV (United Kingdom) interviews Dr. Turek about his published research discovery showing that many infertile men may have problems with DNA repair. DNA repair is critical to normal growth and development. Studies show that problems with DNA repair can lead to cancer and infertility in animals. This finding has potentially profound implications on cancer and male infertility, as discussed in the video. The findings could have an impact … Continued
Dr. Paul Turek on TV Show ‘The Doctors’
Jennifer and Brian are struggling to conceive. Brian has been diagnosed with azoospermia and so they went to Dr. Turek to explore their options to have their own child. Dr. Paul Turek explains the latest advances of FNA testicular mapping during the show.
Male Infertility Blockage Repair
CBS This Morning interviews Dr. Turek about a common male infertility blockage problem that can be cured with microsurgery. This is the same kind of procedure that is used to reverse vasectomies, but in this case, the patient did not have a vasectomy. He presented with a blockage of unknown cause and Dr. Turek repaired it microsurgically. As a result of the blockage procedure, the couple conceived naturally afterwards.
Not So Fast: Early Ejaculation Cure
The most common male sexual health problem is early ejaculation. This is defined as ejaculation that occurs too early for the satisfaction of either the patient or his partner. This problem really affects the sex lives of men and is much more common that even erectile dysfunction. In this interview for CBS Evening News, Dr. Turek focuses on the diagnosis of early ejaculation and discusses older and newer treatment options … Continued
Sperm Count Decline
There has been an ongoing and vocal worldwide debate over the past decade about whether or not sperm counts are falling among men. This television interview with Dr. Turek was conducted to learn more about the “truth” behind the perceived worldwide sperm count decline in men. How significant is the trend? Could other issues explain a broad decline in sperm counts across the globe? Dr. Turek discusses these issues.
Male Reproductive Health and Stem Cell Research
Bay Area KTVU Channel 2 interviews Dr. Turek about his exciting breakthrough in male reproductive health. The interview focuses on his recently published research, performed in conjunction with a team from Stanford University, on stems cells found in men’s testes. This research project created stem cells from the testicles of adult men. This is groundbreaking work because it avoids the use of embryos, viruses and other politically charged mechanisms that … Continued
Male Infertility Breakthrough for Non-moving Sperm
Patients with male infertility can often present with sperm in the ejaculate that doesn’t move. Sperm must move to find and fertilize eggs during natural conception. These sperm may be fine in every other way, but in this situation, male infertility is the rule. In this interview with CNN, Dr. Turek describes his published invention that was designed to harmlessly “poke” a nonmoving sperm with a weak sugar solution to … Continued
UCSF Videography: Dr. Turek’s Lecture For the American College of Surgeons
When Dr. Turek ran in to a scheduling conflict, we solved the issue by creating this video lecture for the American College of Surgeons.
Proud Chair, Medical Advisory Board
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Associations
- American College of Surgeons, Fellow
- American Society of Andrology, Executive Council member and President
- American Society of Reproductive Medicine, Chaired Post-Graduate Courses and / or Workshops
- American Urological Association, Active Member
- Asian Journal of Andrology: Editorial Board
- AUA Medical Student Curriculum in Urology
- Doximity.com, Board Member
- FertilityPlanit.com, Advisory Board
- HealthLoop.com, Advisory Board
- RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association, Chaired Post-Graduate Courses and / or Workshops
- Royal Society of Medicine (UK)
- Societe' Internationale d'Urologie
- Society for the Study of Male Reproduction, Chaired Post-Graduate Courses and / or Workshops
- The Society for Male Reproduction and Urology (SMRU), Chaired Post-Graduate Courses and / or Workshops