B.C.’s Prostate Cancer Foundation has released a unique underwear design with both front and rear access in hopes of inspiring more men to get potentially life-saving exams.
The non-profit group revealed its “Checkup Briefs” on Tuesday (Sept. 20), in a move to mark Prostate Cancer Awareness Month and get prostate exam-hesitant men thinking more about their health. The underwear are like any other pair of briefs, except for the addition of a back-end closure to give doctors simple access to patients during check-ups.
Prostate cancer is the most common form of the disease among Canadian men. BC Cancer says one in nine men in the province are expected to be diagnosed with it. In 2021, that number amounted to more than 3,600. An estimated 500 of B.C. men diagnosed with prostate cancer die from it each year.
Despite this, one third of men say they won’t get an exam, according to Prostate Cancer Foundation BC.
“Our goal with Checkup Briefs is to amplify awareness around the importance of having prostate exams through a more humorous approach. We hope that this more tongue-in-cheek direction can allow men to feel more comfortable about learning and talking about prostate exams,” executive director Leah Lariviere said in a news release.
To get a pair of the briefs, men need to book a prostate exam appointment and let the cancer foundation know by leaving a comment on their Instagram launch post.
More information on prostate cancer can be found at prostatecancerbc.ca.
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