Dear Healthy Men: I just read that the United States is one of the only industrialized countries in the world without a paid maternity leave program. Where do you stand on that issue? A: We support it—and we’re glad to see that President Joe Biden and others in his administration have come out in support of...Continue reading
Category: Fatherhood
Overcoming Picky Eating
Dear Mr. Dad: I’m a single dad and I love cook. I make a special point of preparing meals I think my kids will like—or at least eat! But time after time I find myself dumping perfectly good, untouched food into leftover containers, or worse, into the trash. The kids seem to want nothing but...Continue reading
How Your Relationships with Your Children Change When They Leave Home
Dear Mr. Dad: Our daughter is going away to college. On one hand, I’m thrilled that she’s becoming so independent. But we’ve always been very close and I’m worried that our relationship will suffer. Will it? A: Well, the day you’ve hoped for and dreaded is finally here. Your child is going to move out. Some...Continue reading
Labor and Delivery: The Dad’s Role
Dear Mr. Dad: My wife is due in about a month and I’m already in a panic. We took a childbirth prep class, but I’m convinced that I won’t know what to do—or, worse still, that I’ll do something wrong—when labor starts. I’m wondering whether I should just step away and let the doctors and...Continue reading
In Vitro Fertilization vs. Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection
In vitro fertilization or IVF has been around for over 40 years and is a proven treatment for many forms of female and male infertility. It has even earned itself a Nobel Prize. Known as “test tube baby” technology, it is more aptly called “petri dish conception.” By putting half a million sperm and one egg...Continue reading
The Nitrous-Powered Vasectomy
Over the last 25 years and 2,500 no scalpel vasectomies that I’ve performed, I’ve have learned a lot about men. A famous cancer surgeon once told me that he thought that a well-done vasectomy under local anesthesia is “probably the hardest surgical procedure in the entire field.” Harder than taking out a bladder? Yep! Because you’re dealing with a...Continue reading
Ditch your dad bod in 5 easy steps
Men with dad bods, beware. Your sex appeal appears to be dwindling. Maybe some women still profess to prefer a man with what they consider a sexy “dad bod” but new research finds that the pleasantly plump physique could likely increase health risks later in life.
Love (or the Lack Thereof) in the Time of COVID
Dear Mr. Dad: Now that the COVID-19 pandemic seems to be coming to an end, I’m curious about whether it has had much of an impact on family relationships, both between mom and dad and between parents and their children. A: I hope you’re right about the pandemic coming to an end. More than 100 million...Continue reading
Resilience: The Greatest Gift You Can Give Your Children
Dear Mr. Dad: Of all the non-material things parents can give to their children, what do you think is the most important? A: Well, that’s about as close to an impossible question as I’ve ever been asked. Of course, happiness comes to mind. But then so does the ability to form close, loving relationships. So does...Continue reading
Postpartum Depression for Dads? Yep, It’s a Thing.
Dear Healthy Men: About three months ago, I became a new dad. I was super excited during the pregnancy, but ever since we brought the baby home, I’ve been in a funk. I’m tired, irritable, short tempered, and I’m just not enjoying fatherhood. Is there something wrong with me? A friend jokingly suggested that I...Continue reading
