What is prostatic disease? This is an inflammatory disease of the prostate. Only men have prostate glands, so at first glance this disease only concerns them, but in reality it also affects the lives of regular partners.
Cause of the disease
What causes prostatitis? There is a misconception that prostatitis can occur due to bacteria or hypothermia. In reality, things are a little different. There are always bacteria in the prostate, and hypothermia is just one risk factor that can cause inflammation.
When hypothermia occurs, blood microcirculation is violated, reducing blood supply to the pelvic organs. As a result, the amount of blood around the prostate changes. There are fewer blood cells that fight bacteria, and they can no longer withstand the load. It turns out that hypothermia stimulates the development of the inflammatory process and is an indirect cause of the development of prostatitis.
Chronic and acute diseases
How do acute and chronic prostatitis manifest? Symptoms of prostatitis in acute form make themselves feel sharp pain, high fever, painful urination with weak pressure. With chronic prostatitis it is more difficult. Its symptoms can be easily confused with simple malaise, so the patient believes that nothing terrible is happening: he sits somewhere cold, gets tired, or eats something.
The following manifestations of symptoms of prostatitis in chronic form are known:
- pain in the perineum;
- persistent pain radiating down to the scrotum;
- persistent pain in the lower abdomen, radiating to the sacrum, coccyx and penis;
- poor urination in prostatitis is characterized by weak or normal pressure, but sometimes this symptom is not manifested;
- Some patients experience erection problems, often of a psychological nature, since a direct relationship between inflammation in the prostate and fertility disorders has not been established.
Precautions
How often should you have sex to avoid prostatitis? What is prostatitis prevention?
The prostate produces what is called prostatic secretions - a viscous fluid that contains components also found in sperm. The liquid portion of semen is the secretion of the prostate and the secretion of the seminal vesicles, located behind the prostate. When young, men always have morning erections, accompanied by the prostate gland producing secretions. If you don't have sex, it will build up day after day. This leads to stagnation, which then causes a slight increase in the size of the prostate and pain - persistent pain that occurs in the perineum.
Nature intended that every erection should end in ejaculation. I wake up 30 times a month - 30 erections, which means 30 sex! There is a widely accepted opinion in urology that an average of 22 ejaculations are needed to prevent prostatitis, but again these are only recommendations. In reality, this is sometimes difficult to achieve and everyone has different sexual needs.
What tests need to be performed?
What tests should be done if you have prostatitis or suspect it? First of all, this is a general blood test, as well as a general urine test.
During the consultation, the urologist will conduct a thorough examination, including performing a digital rectal examination. The doctor examines the prostate, touches it, evaluates the degree of tenderness, density and elasticity. In this case, prostatic secretions are collected for analysis.
Prostatitis testing suggests:
- Assess white blood cell count. The more there are, the more active the inflammatory process.
- Study of prostatic secretion for bacterial culture. Allows you to determine which bacteria cause inflammation, how many of them are present, and which drugs are effective against them and which are completely useless.
- Take smear samples to detect sexually transmitted diseases.
- Transrectal ultrasound examination. This is the most informative procedure that allows you to obtain information about the condition of the prostate, its structure and volume.
How long does it take to treat prostatitis?
It all depends on the type of prostatitis. For illnesses caused by bacteria, antibiotics must be prescribed. Due to the peculiarities of the spongy structure of the prostate and the specific blood supply to this organ, treatment with antibiotics and other drugs lasts 28 days.
The blood supply to the prostate is located in the periphery, so within 20 days of using antibiotics, the effect will be cumulative and only from day 20 to day 28 will the drug reach the desired therapeutic concentration. That's why it's important to take the medication for as long as recommended by your doctor.
Other medications
In addition to antibiotics, they also prescribe themthe following medications:
- Probiotics restore intestinal microflora.
- Antifungal medication. When taking antibiotics, the activity of the immune system decreases and fungal diseases (most often candida albicans or thrush) begin to appear in men, even if they have only one sexual partner.
- Vitamin.
- Preparations to improve blood microcirculation.
- Antiplatelet drugs thin the blood. They are prescribed to ensure a good blood supply to the tissues and carry prescribed medications to them.
Non-drug treatment
- Prostate massage helps overcome blockages.
- First, a complete mechanical massage to remove mucus and bacteria accumulated in the prostate.
- Second, blood supply and lymphatic drainage are improved.
- Physical therapy and hardware treatment. Vibrolaser magnetic therapy gives good results. Lasers improve the permeability of cell membranes to drugs, they penetrate into the prostate, and under the influence of magnets, the lymphatic drainage system improves, which is enhanced by vibration therapy.
What will happen if not treated?
If prostatitis is not treated then:
- The risk of male infertility increases. Prostate secretion is an integral part of sperm, so bacteria and any bacterial waste will reduce the quality of sperm. Sperm become less active and there is a competition for nutrients (fructose, citric acid, zinc) between bacteria and sperm. As a result, the sperm become weak and lose their ability to fertilize.
- Various adhesion processes can form in the vas deferens. This leads to the fact that sperm are not released and do not enter the egg.
- Persistent pain may often appear. Sometimes some patients are lucky and for a while, nothing bothers them and they think the disease has gone into remission on its own. But then the symptoms returned and became more severe.
"Do's" and "don'ts" for prostatitis
What can you eat?
- Can be salty but don't overdo it (add a little salt to food).
- Alcohol – can be in minimal quantities (a glass of wine or 50g of cognac, whiskey every evening).
- Coffee - 1-2 cups per day are allowed, but in large quantities it is prohibited because coffee leads to vasoconstriction and impaired blood microcirculation.
Is it possible to have sex?
If ejaculation itself does not cause sharp pain, you can still have a sex life, even if it is necessary. If sex causes pain or discomfort, it is better to abstain from sex during treatment.
Is it possible to visit the bath, sauna, hammam?
Here everything will depend on the stage of prostatitis. If this is an acute process accompanied by fever, then it is not necessary to go to such places. If the treatment of prostatitis proceeds as usual and there are no worrying symptoms, then visiting the bathhouse or swimming pool in large numbers is not prohibited. But you need to reduce the time spent in the steam room as well as cold water to a minimum.
Is physical activity necessary?
It is impossible to do without physical activity, feasible exercise is the best assistant in the treatment of prostatitis. The main thing is not to subject the body to increased pressure due to training. You can walk, run, squat, etc. v.
As for bicycles, not everything is so clear-cut. Doctors do not recommend men participate in this sport (unless only in the form of short walks). When a man sits on a bicycle, the blood vessels in the pelvic and perineal areas are compressed and the blood supply is interrupted. There is no direct relationship, but when it comes to prevention, we try to rule out all possible factors, even if they do not have a direct influence.
Do I need to treat my partner?
Treatment is only necessary for sexual partners if a sexually transmitted infection is detected. In fact, prostatitis is not transmitted through sex, so your partner usually doesn't need treatment, although an examination by a gynecologist won't do any harm.