Does Having Regular Sex Help Prevent Prostate Cancer

Can You Prevent Prostate Cancer

Because experts cant definitively say what causes prostate cancer, they havent issued recommendations on how to prevent it. But according to Harvard Medical School , quitting smoking and eating a heart-healthy diet focused on fish, poultry, plant-based protein, vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and salads may reduce your risk. Getting regular exercise and using 5-alpha-reductase inhibitors have been shown by some studies to reduce the risk of prostate cancer.

Frequent Ejaculation May Protect Against Cancer

By Shaoni Bhattacharya

Frequent sexual intercourse and masturbation protects men against a common form of cancer, suggests the largest study of the issue to date yet.

The US study, which followed nearly 30,000 men over eight years, showed that those that ejaculated most frequently were significantly less likely to get prostate cancer. The results back the findings of a smaller Australian study revealed by New Scientist in July 2003 that asserted that masturbation was good for men.

In the US study, the group with the highest lifetime average of ejaculation 21 times per month were a third less likely to develop the cancer than the reference group, who ejaculated four to seven times a month.

Michael Leitzmann, at the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, Maryland, and colleagues set out to test a long-held theory that suggested the opposite that a higher ejaculation rate raises the risk of prostate cancer. The good news is it is not related to an increased risk, he told New Scientist. In fact, it may be associated with a lower risk.

It goes a long way to confirm the findings from our recent case-control study, says Graham Giles, who led the Australian study. He praises the studys large size including about 1500 cases of prostate cancer.

Can Sex Increase The Risk Of Prostate Cancer

Number of sexual partners, age at first intercourse, and ejaculation frequency appear to influence a mans risk for prostate cancer, according to new research.

The notion that sexual activity might affect prostate cancer risk has been controversial. A meta-analysis published in 2002 reported that increased ejaculation frequency and having more sexual partners were associated with prostate cancer risk, but age at first intercourse was not.

Since then, more research has been conducted. The current study incorporated the newer studies and applied a dose-response analysis to the data to determine the roles of the above factors.

The research team searched relevant databases and identified twenty-two studies on the topic published through April 2018. Overall, the studies included 55,490 participants from nine countries. Most studies came from North America, but Europe, Australia, Asia, the Caribbean, and Cuba were also represented.

They found that men with fewer sexual partners were at lower risk for prostate cancer. For every 10 female partners the men had, their risk increased 1.10 fold.

First intercourse at an older age also seemed to lower prostate cancer risk, which was decreased 4% for every five years of delay.

However, hormonal levels, injury, and inflammation might also be involved, the authors noted.

Additional research is needed to validate these findings, the authors said.

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Does Sexual Activity Improve Prostate Health

Regular ejaculation enhances the immune systems response to the presence of cancer cells.

According to a report published in JAMA, men who reported having more than 20 ejaculations per month were 33% less likely to develop prostate cancer.

These measured ejaculations included sexual intercourse, nocturnal emissions, and masturbation. Researchers evaluated nearly 30,000 patients, of whom 1,449 developed prostate cancer.

Assuming the men answered the survey questions honestly, the results indicated that active sex life is not associated with higher cancer risk in most men.

An Australian study of 2,338 men also came to a similar conclusion. This study found that men who averaged 4.6 to seven ejaculations a week were 36% less likely to be diagnosed with prostate cancer before the age of 70 compared to men who ejaculated less than 2.3 times a week on average.

The study found no connection between prostate cancer and the number of sex partners.

When Should You Get Tested For Prostate Cancer

A blood test known as Prostate-Specific Antigen was once routinely given to all men over age 50 to check for elevated levels of a substance in the blood that might indicate prostate cancer. That recommendation was withdrawn in the early 2010s, because the test is imprecise and could lead to overdiagnosis and overtreatment. But in May 2018, the US Preventive Services Task Force issued its latest recommendation : Between the ages of 55 and 69, men should individually decide whether to screen for prostate cancer with a PSA test, after consulting with their doctor. Prostate cancer screening is not recommended after age 70 since there is no evidence it results in an increased lifespan.

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More Sex For Prostate Cancer Prevention

One study, published in the British Journal of Urology International, found that the more ejaculations a man has between the ages of 20 and 50, the less likely he is to develop prostate cancer. The findings suggest that a man in his twenties who ejaculates more than seven times a week has one-third the risk of getting an aggressive type of prostate cancer as a man who ejaculates less than three times a week.

The study, done in Australia, relied on questionnaires filled out by men younger than 70, including 1,079 men who had been diagnosed with prostate cancer and 1,259 men who did not have the disease. The authors of the study speculate that ejaculation may have a protective effect against prostate cancer, but they admit that their findings need to be supported by more research.

Frequent Ejaculation May Reduce Prostate Cancer Risk: How Orgasm Protects Against Disease

During this years annual meeting of the American Urological Association in New Orleans, researchers affirmed what may be the first modifiable risk factor for prostate cancer: ejaculation.

A modifiable risk factor refers to the risks people can prevent through healthy habits, such as diet and exercise. Most of the risk factors for cardiovascular disease, for example, are modifiable the Centers for Disease and Control Prevention reported healthy habits could prevent at least 200,000 of the deaths caused by heart attack and stroke. But for something like prostate cancer, the risks stem more from individual genes and family history.

A 2004 JAMA study was among the first to suggest a modifiable risk factor, finding high ejaculation frequency may be associated with lower risk for prostate cancer. The present research builds upon these findings with the high quality data collected from nearly 32,000 men participating in the Health Professionals Follow-up study the men were followed for a total of 18 years.

At the start of the study, men aged 20 to 29 and 40 to 49 were asked to calculate the average number of times they ejaculated per month, including the number of times they ejaculated during the previous year. Researchers then used both averages to compute a lifetime average.

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Less Sex For Prostate Cancer Prevention

Another study published more recently in the same journal found that men who have lots of sex in their twenties and thirties are more likely to get prostate cancer, especially if they masturbate a lot.

This study, done at the University of Nottingham in England, also relied on questionnaires. The study participants included 431 men with prostate cancer diagnosed before age 60 and 409 men without prostate cancer. Among its findings were that men with prostate cancer are more likely to have had female partners, more likely to have had a sexually transmitted disease, and more likely to masturbate.

What Are The Types Of Prostate Cancer

Believe it or not, theres more than one kind of prostate cancer. They differ in how quickly and aggressively they grow. Heres the breakdown:

• Nearly all prostate cancers are known as adenocarcinomas. This type of cancer develops in gland cells. And, more than nine out of 10 prostate cancers are acinar adenocarcinomas. They affect a type of cell called acini.

Other types of prostate cancer are rare. They include:

• Small cell carcinoma, a very aggressive cancer which accounts for about 1% of prostate cancers

• Urothelial carcinoma of the prostate, a deadly, difficult-to-diagnose cancer that accounts for 1% to 4% of prostate cancers

• Ductal adenocarcinoma, which on its own accounts for less than 1% of prostate cancers, but it can occur with acinar adenocarcinoma

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How Are Prostate Cancer Stages Determined

Once all testing has been completed, your doctor will tell you the stage of your cancer, or how much it has progressed and whether it has spread beyond your prostate. The stage will help your medical team decide which treatment is best for you. The higher the stage, the more advanced your cancer. The most common way to stage prostate cancer is the TNM system, developed by the American Joint Committee on Cancer, which hinges on three important factors:

• T : How much of your prostate the tumor affects

• N : Whether the cancer has spread beyond your prostate to nearby lymph nodes

• M : Whether your cancer has metastasized, or spread far beyond your prostate to your bones, to nearby organs such as your bladder or rectum, or to more distant organs like your lungs, liver, or brain.

The TNM system also includes your PSA level and your Grade Group, based on your Gleason score. With your stage designated, which is labeled in a range of T1 to T4 , a treatment plan can be developed.

Will Treatment Cause Erectile Dysfunction

When youre sexually excited, nerves cause tissues in your penis to relax, allowing blood to flow into the organ. The nerves that control erection are very delicate. Surgery or radiation for prostate cancer may damage them enough to cause ED. When you have ED, you cant get or keep an erection.

Radical prostatectomy is a surgery to remove the prostate gland. When your surgeon removes the gland, they may damage the nerves and blood vessels that run along it. If theyre damaged enough, you wont be able to get an erection following the procedure.

Today, doctors can do nerve-sparing surgery, which helps prevent permanent ED. Your surgeon can still touch those nerves and blood vessels, causing ED as a temporary side effect. Many men have trouble getting an erection for a few weeks, months, or even years after their procedure.

Radiation therapy also damages blood vessels and the nerves that control erection. Up to half of men who have radiation for prostate cancer experience ED afterward. In some men, this symptom will improve with time. Sometimes radiation side effects dont appear until a few months after the treatment. If ED starts late, it may not be as likely to go away.

A few treatments can help with ED until youre able to have erections on your own again.

Additional treatments include the following:

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Does Having More Ejaculations Lessen The Chance Of Prostate Cancer

For reasons not fully known, ejaculating more may lower the risk of prostate cancer.

Ejaculating after all, based upon some studies, through sexual intercourse or masturbation, does not seem to protect against higher risk prostate cancers. The studies do not sort out between ejaculating during sexual intercourse or masturbation, and the effect of each on prostate cancer.

One study followed 32,000 men for 18 years. It found men who ejaculated the most had a 20% lower chance of prostate cancer vs. those who ejaculated 4 to 7 times a month. The more the number increased per month, the lower their risk. Other studies have found ejaculation rate has no impact on prostate cancer rates.

Ejaculation may protect the prostate by flushing out harmful chemicals that build up in semen. It is also possible ejaculation does not actually protect against prostate cancer. Men who ejaculate more may have healthier lifestyle habits that decrease their odds of being diagnosed with the disease. Additionally, ejaculating may only reduce the risk in men in certain age groups.

The bottom line is more research is needed before we know for sure whether more ejaculation reduces the risk of prostate cancer.

Dr. Anne Calvaresi is the chair of the Urology Care Foundation’s Prostate Health Committee. She works in Philadelphia and specializes in urology and prostate health.

Active Sex Life ‘cuts Prostate Cancer Risk’

Having an active sex life in their 50s could protect men against prostate cancer, say researchers.

But greater levels of sexual activity among men in their 20s could increase their chances of developing the disease in later life, they warn.

Men who are very sexually active in their 20s and 30s are more at risk, a study shows. Researchers at Nottingham University conclude that keeping up a regular sex life rather than excessive activity in younger years followed by a fallow period is best for mens health.

Dr Polyxeni Dimitropoulou, now at the University of Cambridge, said: We were keen to look at the links between sexual activity and younger men as a lot of prostate cancer studies focus on older men as the disease is more prevalent in men over 50.

Men who are sexually active in their 50s had some protection from prostate cancer, a study has found

Hormones appear to play a key role in prostate cancer and it is very common to treat men with therapy to reduce the hormones thought to stimulate the cancer cells.

A mans sex drive is also regulated by his hormone levels, so this study examined the theory that having a high sex drive affects the risk of prostate cancer.

Engaging in sexual activity more than 20 times a month between the 20s and 30s increased the risk of prostate cancer, says a report in this months issue of the British Journal of Urology International. But frequent activity in a mans 40s and later appeared to have little impact on their risk.

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It Improves Heart Health

Contrary to popular belief that rigorous sex can up your risk of a heart attack or stroke, regular orgasms can actually help protect you against cardiovascular disease. A report from the Massachusetts Aging Study found that men who had sex once a month or less were 45% more likely to die of cardiovascular disease than men who had two or more orgasms per week. So if you cancel plans with friends to stay home and M-bate, just tell them it’s for your own health. Hey, you won’t be lying.

Providing Your Medical History

At first, the doctor will probably ask you about your medical history. Do you have any chronic illnesses? What illnesses and operations have you had in the past? What medications are you taking, if any? Your doctor is also likely to ask about your psychological well-being and lifestyle: Do you suffer from depression? Are you under a lot of stress? Do you drink alcohol? Smoke? Use illegal drugs? Have you felt a loss of affection for your partner? Have you recently grown interested in a new partner?

As part of this health history, be prepared to tell your doctor specific details about the symptoms that brought you to the office and when they began. Your doctor might want to know how often you had sex before the problem started and if there have been weeks or months in the past when youve had erectile dysfunction. Your doctor may conduct a written or verbal screening test.

If the cause is clear a recent operation for prostate cancer, for example the conversation may move directly to your treatment options. Otherwise, you may need to answer more questions to help the doctor narrow down the possible causes and avoid unnecessary testing.

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What You Can Do Now

Sexual side effects from prostate cancer treatment are often temporary, especially if your doctor used nerve-sparing surgery. While your body recovers, you can try a few things to maintain your sex life:

• Let your doctor know about any sexual problems youre having right away. Although it can be hard to talk about sex, being open and honest will help you get the treatment you need.
• See a therapist. Couples therapy can help you and your partner understand and deal with sexual issues.
• Take care of yourself by exercising, eating a well-balanced diet, reducing stress, and getting enough sleep. Looking and feeling your best will give your self-esteem and mood a boost.

Drugs To Prevent Prostate Cancer

Men with benign prostatic hyperplasia are often treated with dihydrotestosterone -lowering drugs called finasteride or dutasteride. These drugs have been studied extensively to determine whether they can prevent prostate cancer, and results suggest that they could reduce cancer risk by about 25 percent. Patients who develop cancer while on the drugs are more likely to get an aggressive form of the disease, so discuss the advantages and disadvantages with your doctor.

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What Are The Symptoms Of Prostate Cancer

Nearly all men diagnosed with prostate cancer learn they have the disease while its still in its early stages, before symptoms occur. Screening for prostate cancer, which well get into next, picks up as many as nine out of 10 cases.

So, what happens when the cancer is not caught in early stages? More advanced prostate cancer can cause the following symptoms:

• Frequent urination, especially at night

• Difficulty urinating

• Weak stream when urinating, along with dribbling or interrupted flow

• Blood in your urine or semen

• Pain in your bones, where prostate cancer often first spreads

See your doctor if you have any of these symptoms. While they could signal cancer, some symptoms may arise from other conditions. For example, benign prostatic hyperplasia causes your prostate to grow. It is a common and non-cancerous culprit of urinary difficulties in men over 50.