More men heading to the OBGYN

Jacksonville doctor offering men hormone replacement therapy

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – For women, a trip to the OBGYN is nothing unusual. They typically go at least once a year -- or more often if you are pregnant. While men may be spotted in the waiting room sometimes, they're usually with a patient. But, that's not the case at one doctor's office in Jacksonville.

"I send everybody to him. Anyone that says I'm tired, I say go check it out," said Mario Genovese, the owner of Café Genovese off County Road 210 in St. Johns County.

The 42-year-old and is talking about the doctor that started him on hormone replacement therapy a year and a half ago, and the advice he often offers his own customers on the side.

"I feel like I'm 18 again," Genovese said. "More energy, sleeping at night, no more back pain. Just a bunch more energy."

When Genovese tells his male customers and friends about HRT, he sends them to a place they never expected to go: to an OBGYN.

"That was the awkward thing. I was there and then I left and I was like, you gotta have a back room or back door or something for us," Genovese joked.

Dr. Kenneth Sekine is long-time OBGYN in Jacksonville who has delivered a lot of babies, including mine. But a few years ago, he started offering HRT for his patients. Then in 2014, he decided to make that the focus of his work. Pretty soon, the female patients were sending in the guy in their life.

"And those men whose wives are getting the pellets come in and say, whatever you gave her you gotta give me cause I can't keep up," said Sekine.

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Soon, those men would talk about how great they felt to their buddies, just like Genovese, who has sent dozens of other men to see Sekine, too. Now, Sekine's practice has a large amount of male clients -- with most coming to him complaining of exhaustion and loss of sex drive.

"I felt sluggish. So, I went in to the doctor, got my testosterone checked and found out it was very low," said new patient Chance Henderson.

Sekine matched the hormone pellets to what Henderson needed in order to put his levels back to where they should be.

Here's how it works: The pellets -- that are about the size of a tic-tac -- are inserted through a small incision in the buttocks. Then, the bioidentical hormones are released into the body over several months.

News4Jax talked to Henderson just days after his pellets were put in, and he said he could already tell a difference.

"The last three days I've had no naps. I've had no naps! And I feel energetic. Usually around this time I get sluggish, but I'm feeling good," Henderson explained.

That's why Genovese says he will keep sending his friends to see Sekine and continue doing the treatment himself. As he says, he never wants to lose his "sizzle" again.

"Forever, until I die I will have these. No reason to stop. Wouldn't want to go back to feeling the other way," Genovese said.

Sekine says bioidentical hormones are different from synthetic hormones because bioidentical hormones are made from plants and dissolve over time. However, patients are carefully monitored and have frequent blood tests.

Insurance doesn't cover the pellets or office visits, so you have to pay out of pocket. The cost averages out to be between $100 and $150 a month.

As far as side effects from non-synthetic hormone replacement, Sekine says they are very rare and very minimal. However, in rare cases, side effects could include:

  • Acne or oily skin
  • Mild fluid retention
  • Stimulation of prostate tissue -- with perhaps some increased urination symptoms such as a decreased stream or frequency
  • Increased risk of developing prostate cancer
  • Increased risk of blood clots
  • Worsening of sleep apnea (a sleep disorder that results in frequent night time awakenings and daytime sleepiness)
  • Decreased testicular size
  • Increased aggression and mood swings

The Food and Drug Administration offers more information on bioidentical hormones on its website at FDA.gov.