Doctors Are Removing Testicles for This | Dr. Susan Macdonald

About this episode

Dr. Gabrielle Lyon discusses chronic pelvic pain in men with Dr. Susan Macdonald, highlighting misdiagnoses and treatment options.

Most men don't know they have a pelvic floor, and most doctors aren't trained to look for dysfunction in it. The result: testicles are being surgically removed for pain that's actually neuropathic, at double the rate of a far more effective nerve-sparing procedure. In this episode, Dr. Gabrielle Lyon sits down with Dr. Susan Macdonald, a board-certified urologist, surgical program director at Penn State, and one of only ~30 U.S. specialists treating chronic pelvic pain in men, to discuss: Why "prostatitis" is often the wrong diagnosis, and how rounds of antibiotics mask the real problem The male pelvic floor anatomy almost no medical school teaches, and how to recognize dysfunction in yourself or a patient Off-label medications (Cymbalta, gabapentin, amitriptyline) that are quietly transforming chronic pelvic pain treatment Why erectile dysfunction is rising sharply in teenagers, and the role pornography plays in rewiring young brains Who actually qualifies for a penile implant, and what the surgery really involves If you've been told your pain is "all in your head," or you're a clinician seeing patients fall through the cracks, this conversation gives you the framework, the…

People in this episode

Host: Dr. Gabrielle Lyon

Guest: Dr. Susan Macdonald

Topics covered

• chronic pelvic pain
• male pelvic floor
• surgical procedures
• erectile dysfunction
• neuropathic pain
• antibiotic treatment

Keywords

• pelvic floor
• prostatitis
• surgery
• pain management
• teenage erectile dysfunction
• neuropathic pain

Sponsors

Manukora, Timeline, BONCHARGE

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Penn State

Products: Cymbalta, gabapentin, amitriptyline

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