Andrology (from the Greek andros, man) is the medical specialty that deals with male health, particularly relating to the problems of the male reproductive system and urological problems that are unique to men. It is the counterpart to gynaecology, which deals with medical issues which are specific to women. Andrology has only been studied as a distinct specialty since the late 1960s: the first specialist journal on the subject was the German periodical Andrologie (now called Andrologia), published from 1969 onwards .
Men are more susceptible to heart disease than women, and tend to have a slightly shorter natural average life span. However, men are more resistant to many conditions that adversely affect women, such as osteoporosis.
