Men and coronavirus

[QuentinWinters]

Young men more likely to break lockdown
www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-52587368

Men in all age groups more likely to be severely impacted and die.

Maybe it is time for male specific restrictions?

This is really quite intrusive. 10 or so detailed questions about sexual health asked of all the women?

Oh for goodness sake- get a grip. There is clearly something which causes men to be at greater risk than women- indeed at least one poster on here was pretty pleased about that. You aren't being forced to give any of this information.

There is one poster complaining that trans women will lie about having periods. Even if that is true the numbers involved will be minute. Statistically insignificant comparded to the data which will be missing if women don't provide this information.

The questions are clearly trying to work out if it is just xy, or xy plus hormones.

But they don't only ask have you ever had a period

They ask have you ever, are you now, are they regular, every 28 days, less frequent, irregular, are you pregnant, are you taking hormones, the pill, hrt etc

That's correct. I didn't get the extra questions as I don't allow apps to update automatically but when I updated it, it gave me the opportunity to update my profile.

BeetrootRocks

Do you know what this app is for? It's about tracking COVID infection, tracking symptoms and analysing the data. As new information comes to light, so they are requesting different information from respondents. I've been completing it since it started. Once I'd registered I was only asked two questions every day - have you had a test for Covid and how do you feel today - that has 2 possible answers - I feel like I normally do, or I feel unwell. If you say you feel unwell it asks you more questions.

As time has gone on, occasionally you've been asked an extra question, depending on new information that has come to light. I think they added a new question when loss of sense of smell was recognised for example.

Now, they're looking at why women appear to be less severely affected than men. One hypothesis is that female hormones are protective in some way and so they are collecting data to see if that is true. That might have implications for say, post menopausal women.

Why would frequency or quality of erections be in anyway relevant to Covid tracking? No one has to take part in this.

I've been involved in a medical study before. I had to answer questions about my menstrual cycle because it was relevant to see if my symptoms changed according to where in my cycle I was. I don't suppose men having the same study done were asked about erections but that had no impact on the study.

Yet women's sexual health, just answer FFS! It's medical research!!!

I can't believe some of the responses here. What part of "it affects men more than women" don't you understand?

What part of "is that because of oestrogen or testosterone" don't you understand.

It is not asking you about sexual health.

Why would frequency or quality of erections be in anyway relevant to Covid tracking? No one has to take part in this

I think that comment takes today's prize for the silliest comment. This app has nothing to do with sexual health.

If it's about hormones what are they asking men

But it isn't about testosterone. It's about oestrogen and progesterone because there is a theory that they are somehow protective.

Maybe read up about it before making yourself look foolish.

For prostate screening men are asked if they have had intercourse in the past 24 hours.
Surprisingly few, it turns out.

I don't suppose men having the same study done were asked about erections but that had no impact on the study.

They're unlikely to ask that question anyway because low testosterone only plays a role in the minority of ED cases, so it wouldn't be relevant (it would also be rendered pointless by a question about low testosterone diagnosis).

I've donated smear samples for cancer research before, I can't fully express how angry it would make me if objections over the voluntary study I was participating in being 'intrusive' interfered with their life saving work.

For prostate screening men are asked if they have had intercourse in the past 24 hours
Surprisingly few, it turns out

And your point is what exactly?

If it's about hormones what are they asking men

It is intended to find out as, Hooves said, if having oestrogen and progesterone has an effect. The question as such isn't addressed to men or women- it asks questions to find out if the responder is affected by these hormones.

I doubt female hormones are particularly protective as older people in general are the ones suffering more from this disease. The levels of sex hormones drop significantly in the elderly, male and female.

WrathofFaeKIopp

Have you contacted them to give them the benefit of your expertise?

Men are affected at much greater rates than women - they are trying to find out why. What's wrong with that? Maybe it will be unfounded. Maybe there will be something in it. Surely good science involves keeping an open mind?

My point is, the question is related to the diagnostic test and helps to better understand the cohort of men being tested.

I doubt female hormones are particularly protective as older people in general are the ones suffering more from this disease. The levels of sex hormones drop significantly in the elderly, male and female

I doubt you know anything about it unless you actually are a researcher. We know age is a factor- that's hardly surprising or unexpected.

What is unexpected is sex is a factor. The questions are trying to find out more information about why that might be.

Er yes its my job.

More men than women are in critical care and dying in each age group even at 80 plus when there is a higher proportion of women in the population, and way after the menopause.

www.icnarc.org/DataServices/Attachments/Download/b8c18e7d-e791-ea11-9125-00505601089b

What is unexpected is sex is a factor.

Sex is a factor in many medical conditions, and as I understand was for SARS too, which is a similar respiratory coronavirus.

WrathofFaeKIopp

Er yes its my job

But you don't seem to understand why these questions are being asked for this research and introduced a random and irrelevant point about screening for prostate cancer.

But men who are overweight can have elevated oestrogen resulting in a range of issues.

How has oestrogen been decided as something to check for protective factors rather than testosterone as a risk factor? Be interested in that.

Sexual health is probably the wrong word, I agree. Reproductive health then. Which is highly personal. Women are just used to being asked about their periods, could they be pregnant etc every 5 mins from when we're really young. Men don't get this level of intrusion so much.

Another clue

On a question aimed at women, why is 'I've never had periods', likely to be a rare answer, the first one?

In surveys you sometimes put the answer you are most interested in near the top as some people don't read the whole list
Or it reveals what the researcher has on their mind

The fact that answer is first on the list is a little odd...

Sexual health is probably the wrong word, I agree. Reproductive health then. Which is highly personal. Women are just used to being asked about their periods, could they be pregnant etc every 5 mins from when we're really young. Men don't get this level of intrusion so much

It is not about reproductive health. As hooves has said it's about identifying exposure to oestrogen and progesterone.

Sex is a factor, but female sex hormones alone, does not contribute to further understanding of the sex-based differences in physiology.

But men who are overweight can have elevated oestrogen resulting in a range of issues.

The oestrogen elevation is the result, not the cause.

Reproductive health then. Which is highly personal. Women are just used to being asked about their periods, could they be pregnant etc every 5 mins from when we're really young. Men don't get this level of intrusion so much.

There's a large number of reasons for this but one of the major ones would be that pregnancy presents specific challenges and risks to medicine. In this case, they're being used because they're good indicative factors of potential hormone states and deviations.

Sex is a factor, but female sex hormones alone, does not contribute to further understanding of the sex-based differences in physiology.

It's a good thing they're not considering it as the only avenue to understanding this disease. They're asking because it's a variable that may provide insight.

Well yes it's a symptom but it's still elevated.

With a large percentage of the population overweight or obese, and obese men at particular risk, isn't that fact that obese men can have elevated oestrogen of interest?

And does anyone know why it's oestrogen being looked into as protective while it doesn't seem to be that testosterone is being looked at as a risk factor?

And certainly questions about your reproductive system are personal!

I've heard several drs suggest that oestrogen and progesterone are playing a part though.

Obe aspect being considered is that Covid is causing constriction in blood vessels, particularly pulmonary artery and vein. Progesterone relaxes blood vessels doesn't it, if I'm remembering correctly? Listening to some scientists discussing this at a cellular level it is so complex and there seems to be so many effects that it is having at different levels of the cell and cell function.

And anyone got any ideas on the weird positioning of 'I've never had s period' at the top of the answers?