Men living in rural Australia are turning to a phone app to talk to GPs about sensitive health issues like hair loss, mental health and sexual problems.

The problem had played on Ty's mind for three years.

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Online ads promising solutions seemed like scams, a specialist was hundreds of kilometres from his home in Katherine in the Northern Territory and beyond his wife, nobody knew.

"I had some recent surgery and it ended up causing premature ejaculation," Ty told AAP.

"When all of a sudden this pops up and you're in your 30s - you start getting anxious about it."
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When Ty came across an advertisement online unlike others he'd seen, he decided to take a chance on the men's healthcare phone app Pilot.

The app, launched by young entrepreneurs Tim Doyle, Benny Kleist and Charlie Gearside in June, links users with GPs who consult with them online.

Patients fill out an in-depth questionnaire then talk to doctors using online messaging for sensitive topics like hair loss, skin, sleep, sex and mental health.

"There are some things that you'll never be able to replace a physical consult for," Mr Gearside said.

"The main thing telehealth helps with is breaking down the barrier of access. Especially with mental health, it makes that first conversation as easy as possible."

For Ty, his treatment so far has been successful - which has helped his relationship too.

"No one comes forward with these issues because they think they'll be seen as weak," he said.

"To talk about those things it's pretty awkward especially face-to-face.

"You don't have to look at them in the eye, if that's what bothers you, or if in my situation you are far away from specialists."

The patient's prescribed medicine is sent via mail and if telehealth isn't suitable users are referred to their regular GP.

Pilot is growing at roughly 50 per cent a month with 7000 paying customers and 16,000 registered users with 5000 of those from rural areas.

"We are making an impact to blokes who are hundreds of kilometres away from a doctor - that's crazy," Mr Gearside told AAP.

"We've been surprised by how well it's been taken up in rural areas, but it makes perfect sense because that's what the internet is for, reducing that distance."

The app's popularity in regional areas prompted the Pilot team to waive the $20 consult fee for the month of November for men in areas with a rural postcode.

"Blokes in rural areas, whether they are miners, fly-in-fly-out workers, farmers, living in regional cities or one doctor towns, can access anyone on their phone at anytime," Mr Gearside said.

The company is on track to do $3 million in its first year, with future plans for a female fertility-based app called Kin.

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