Movember 2021

Globally, men die on average 5 years earlier than women, for reasons that are largely preventable¹. 

Hosted every year in November, Movember is an annual awareness event that asks men to abstain from shaving for a whole month to raise awareness of men’s health issues—specifically prostate and testicular cancer, male mental health and suicide prevention.

Here, we have broken down the three areas of men’s health that Movember focuses on and the signs to look out for in either yourself or the men in your life:

1. Mental health & suicide prevention

Globally, on average, 1 man dies by suicide every minute of every day¹.

The Movember campaign encourages individuals across the globe to have conversations with the men in their lives who might be struggling with their mental health.

Spotting the signs: Suicidal behaviours can vary from person to person. While a very difficult task, the most effective method of suicide prevention is to recognise these warning signs and know the appropriate responses. 

Behavioural signs include the individual;

• Using drugs or alcohol to cope
• losing interest in their favourite activities
• Feeling low on energy alot
• Avoiding others

2. Prostate cancer

Prostate cancer occurs when some of the cells in the prostate reproduce far more rapidly than normal, resulting in a tumour. Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in men in the UK. Globally more than 14 million men are diagnosed with prostate cancer each year. 

Spotting the signs: Symptoms of prostate cancer do not usually appear until the prostate is large enough to affect the tube that carries urine from the bladder.

These symptoms include:

• Needing to urinate more often
• Frequent pain or stiffness in the lower back, hips or upper thighs 
• Weak or interrupted flow of urine 

3. Testicular cancer

Testicular cancer is considered a relatively rare type of cancer, however, it’s still the most common cancer in young men aged between 15 and 39.

Spotting the signs: Testicular cancer is one of the most treatable types of cancer and over 95% of cases can be cured during its early stages, but it must be treated quickly.

Signs to look out for include:

• painless swelling or lump in one of the testicles
• a change in shape or texture of the testicles

How can I get involved?

Moustaches in Movember: Help raise awareness for men’s health by growing your moustache for November. You can raise funds by getting yourself sponsored by your friends, family and colleagues.

Take the MOVE challenge: MOVE is a 30-day physical fitness challenge organised by the Movember Foundation. It encourages people to run or walk 60km—for the 60 men we lose to suicide each hour, every hour across the world—over the course of November. Sign up here!

Host a Mo-ment: Host a group fundraising event in your community to gather funds for life-changing research to help stop men from dying prematurely. For example, a virtual ‘shave down’ party - a group shave-off of facial hair at the beginning and end of November.

References

¹ Movember, https://uk.movember.com/?home 

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