Dr. Turek's Blog

The Low Down on Being Knocked Up

Posted on by Paul Turek, MD

What drives pregnancy rates after vasectomy reversal? Lots of things. The judgment and skill of the surgeon are critical as not all surgeons are the same. Two operations are possible during reversal surgery (vasovasostomy or epididymovasostomy) and choosing the correct one for each side of each patient involves deft surgical judgment. After the type of […]

The Condom Cha Cha

Posted on by Paul Turek, MD

It is hilarious and it happened again recently. I had just finished his quick and painless no scalpel vasectomy and was about to hand him his signed “diploma” (really) for “meritorious performance and uncommon bravery” when he said it. Just as the others had said it, with that screechy, high-pitched, Vienna Boy’s Choir voice: “Nice […]

The Expert in Each of Us

Posted on by Paul Turek, MD

As President of the Northern California Urology Society, I held an interesting event in my office this week. I post it here because what I learned from it could apply to all of us in some small way. It was an event meant to highlight the idea of mentors in our lives. Titled “Inside the […]

Men as Fathers

Posted on by Paul Turek, MD

Honestly, I have a lot to be thankful for in November. A wedding anniversary, the birthdays of both daughters, and a restful holiday all in one month. Seeing the chocolate covered smiles on my young daughters as they inhaled birthday cake recently reminded me of something: My work involves turning men into fathers every day. […]

We are the Walrus

Posted on by Paul Turek, MD

Admittedly, he was an unusual patient. It was not only his generous size (2700 lb) but also his lack of clear speech in any discernable language that distinguished him from others I’ve treated. But, like most other men (80%), he had a great idea of what to do to conceive, but had the timing all […]

Bringing Africa Home

Posted on by Paul Turek, MD

During medical school, I spent several months at Hopital a la Dantec in urban Dakar, Senegal, West Africa. I saw things the unimaginable and the unbelievable. The ravages of polio and typhoid, amoebic abcesses, and tumors growing in places that I did not think possible. Without much of modern technology, medicine was a high art […]

Bringing It Home

Posted on by Paul Turek, MD

The workday was winding down. I made a cup of tea and pulled up the dashboard on my computer to review the progress of my patients after surgery. Everyone was progressing beautifully…but one. He reported that his pain had increased over the last 2 days. So I called him on his cell phone: “John, it’s […]

The Orchid in the Arctic

Posted on by Paul Turek, MD

Imagine taking a tiny skin biopsy from the arm of a man who, even while you are taking it (which can’t be pleasant) offers you a warm, reassuring smile. For this man, getting poked and prodded is nothing—he is happy enough just to be alive and breathing. A second chance at life after surviving cancer […]

The Solitary Life

Posted on by Paul Turek, MD

  He called me from rural northern California and the phone conversation went something like this: “Er… hello. I…I was wondering if you could help me.” “Sure, sir, how can I help you?” “Well…I’m single and haven’t dated in 20 years, but would really like to.” “I’m not so sure that I am the one […]

Weed Worries and Testis Cancer Studies

Weed Worries

Posted on by Paul Turek, MD

A good rule to follow in medicine when evaluating whether research should be translated into clinical care is “reproducibility.” Good research, that is research that is likely to end up as “true fact” in the long run, is reproducible…not just by the original researchers, but also (and more importantly) by others in the field. In […]