Urology and Andrology – What’s The Difference?
Urology and andrology are related medical specialties, but they have significant differences.
Urologists see patients of both sexes in order to diagnose and treat urinary problems, as well as male reproductive issues. However, an andrologist is essentially the male equivalent of a gynecologist, specializing entirely on issues involving the male reproductive system.
Additionally, an andrologist can choose to specialize even further, for example treating only male reproductive problems, or only impotence and erectile dysfunction.
What Is A Urologist?
Urology refers to a medical specialty that focuses on conditions of the urinary system. A urologist is able to diagnose and treat genitourinary problems in both men and women using medicine or surgery.
What Is An Andrologist?
Andrology is a branch of urology that deals exclusively with male-specific medical conditions of the genitourinary tract. This specialty covers the treatment of genital conditions, such as undescended testes, and injuries and diseases that may affect fertility or sexual function.
Like urologists, andrologists are also trained to perform surgery and treat patients using medicine and other forms of treatments. An andrologist may opt to narrow his or her focus even further, for example by specializing in only reproductive problems or only erectile dysfunction (ED).
Key Differences Between Urologists and Andrologists
Both urology and andrology are closely related medical specialties. The differences between the two are based on the choices of the individual doctor, not due to an inherent difference in the specialties.
While andrologists are generally classified as being urologists, there are nevertheless important differences between the two branches of medicine. Two of the main differences between urologists and andrologists are the gender of the patients treated, and the types of conditions that are treated.
Patient Gender
The gender of the patients that they treat is a key distinction between andrologists versus urologists. Although a urologist is trained to treat conditions in both men and women, andrologists specialize in treating only men and the conditions that affect them.
Types of Conditions Treated
Another important distinction between urologists and andrologists is the type of conditions which they treat. For example, a urologist will typically treat conditions such as:
- Problems affecting the kidneys
- Issues involving the bladder
- Problems with the ureter and urethra
- UTIs (urinary tract infections)
- Conditions affecting the adrenal glands
On the other hand, andrologists are most often able to treat male conditions, such as:
- Male fertility problems
- Conditions affecting the penis, scrotum, and testes
- Problems with the prostate gland
- Male-specific cancers
- Erectile dysfunction and impotence
See Also: What Is A Fertility Specialist?
Karl Bianco is an Executive Editor at The Sperm Count Report. He has previous experience as a senior editor for both print and digital media for 8 years, where he wrote about and edited articles pertaining to health and fitness, sex and relationships, medical news and technology.
