9 Common Symptoms Men Should Never Ignore

Fatigue, bathroom issues, bedroom troubles — it’s easy to dismiss these symptoms (and others) as related to stress, aging, or lifestyle factors. But they could be a sign for men of health issues that may progress to something more serious if ignored.

Getting medical care for unusual symptoms before they become more severe can lead to earlier detection, more treatment options, and better long-term outcomes.

1. Feeling Tired All the Time

“Persistent fatigue can be a sign of worsening glucose control, which can lead to type 2 diabetes,” says Sergio Guiteau, MD, a preventive medicine researcher and physician who is double board-certified in primary care and sports medicine, and the medical director of South Florida Advanced Rejuvenation in Miramar. If blood sugar issues continue undiagnosed and untreated for too long, the symptoms can worsen, become difficult to treat, and may even become permanent, he says.

Craig Bober, DO, a family medicine doctor at Inspira Medical Group Primary Care Mantua in Sewell, New Jersey, recommends seeing your primary care doctor for fatigue that lasts longer than a week and isn’t accompanied by other symptoms. “If other symptoms occur, such as shortness of breath, swelling, fevers, bleeding, or new unexplained symptoms, urgent care or emergency room evaluation may be beneficial sooner,” he adds.

For men, fatigue — along with other symptoms like urinary changes, blood in the urine, persistent lower back pain, and unexplained weight loss — can be warning signs of prostate cancer and should be evaluated, Dr. Benjamin says. “Routine [prostate] screenings beginning for average risk men at age 50 are crucial, because prostate cancer can also develop without symptoms in its early stages,” he adds.

2. Bedroom Problems

“Erectile dysfunction can sometimes serve as an early warning sign of cardiovascular disease, because blood vessel changes may appear before more obvious heart-related symptoms develop,” Benjamin says. Men experiencing ED, especially alongside high blood pressure, diabetes, smoking history, or high cholesterol, should discuss it with their physician rather than assuming it is age-related, Benjamin adds.

It’s also worth flagging if you notice anything unusual “down there,” as abnormalities could be a sign of testicular cancer. “Signs to look out for are things like an abnormally large testicle that is grossly asymmetric, a sensation of heaviness in the scrotum, a dull ache in the lower abdomen or groin, or a lump or firmness in the testicle,” Dr. Guiteau says.

3. Mood Changes

If you think you’re experiencing depression, get evaluated by a primary care provider within two weeks, Dr. Bober says. “Emergency room evaluation is needed immediately for suicidal thoughts, intent, or psychosis, whereas urgent care is less helpful in these situations,” Bober adds.

4. Bladder Issues

A primary care doctor or urgent care should evaluate urinary symptoms within a few days of symptom onset, Bober says. If your symptoms include severe pain, with or without fever, he recommends you go to the emergency room.

5. Regular Diarrhea or Constipation

“If these episodes are associated with bloody stools, dark stools, persistent pain, or changes in weight, then men should seek immediate medical attention,” Guiteau adds.

“Men should speak with their healthcare provider about regular colon cancer screening,” Guiteau says. “This is even more important if there is a personal family history of colon cancer.”

6. Chest Pain

“Chest pain should be addressed urgently, usually in the emergency room,” Bober says. “Difficult-to-explain chest pain or red flag symptoms, such as exertional chest pain [meaning it comes on with physical effort], pressure, shortness of breath, and sweating, should all be evaluated urgently.”

For chest pain lasting five minutes or more, call 911 or go directly to the emergency room. If you have chest pain that doesn’t last this long and you aren’t sure how serious it is, it’s best to err on the side of caution: Go to urgent care right away to get an evaluation.

7. Moles That Bleed or Change

“Any moles that bleed or change in size, color, or shape would benefit from evaluation by a primary care provider or dermatologist within a month,” Bober says. If you think you might have an infection, go to urgent care, especially if you can’t get an appointment right away with your primary care office, Bober says. Emergency room evaluation for moles is unnecessary, he adds.

8. Unintentional Weight Loss

Go to your primary care doctor within a month if you notice slow weight changes occurring over weeks or months, Bober says. For rapid weight gain or loss (a change of more than three pounds in one day), go to urgent care or the emergency room, especially if you have difficulty breathing, difficulty with eating or drinking, or dehydration, he adds. These symptoms may also be indicators of uncontrolled diabetes, underlying infection, or even underlying heart failure.

9. Memory Problems

Go to your primary care doctor within the month if you have gradual memory concerns, says Bober. “However, changes that are sudden in onset and new should be evaluated in the emergency room, especially if there is acute confusion or new neurologic symptoms such as vertigo, speech changes, weakness, numbness, or tingling,” Bober adds. He says these symptoms could be linked to underlying stroke, brain infection, electrolyte abnormalities, medication overdose, or uncontrolled diabetes. “Urgent care may help to rule out sources of delirium, such as UTIs, if you have a history.”

Go to the emergency room if symptoms are severe, sudden, and profoundly debilitating (like dizziness that keeps you from standing), Bober says. Go to urgent care if you have mild symptoms that come on slowly (like feeling moderately dizzy when turning your head).