What Are Some Of The Limitations And Potential Harms Of The Psa Test For Prostate Cancer Screening
Detecting prostate cancer early may not reduce the chance of dying from prostate cancer. When used in screening, the PSA test can help detect small tumors that do not cause symptoms. Finding a small tumor, however, may not necessarily reduce a mans chance of dying from prostate cancer. Many tumors found through PSA testing grow so slowly that they are unlikely to threaten a mans life. Detecting tumors that are not life-threatening
that requires treatment.
Known Side Effects Of A Radical Prostatectomy
So, what happens to a man when he has his prostate removed? There is a multitude of effects that occur to men after they have had prostate removal surgery.
The procedure is major pelvic surgery, and, as such, it carries along with it many potential risks. In addition to the immediate effects of the surgery, the removal of the prostate causes long-term side effects that are generally permanent.
Until recently, these side effects about what happens to a man when he has his prostate removed have not been relatively well-classified.
Most side effects are those reported by urologists that are performing the surgery. This reporting has been, in past years, rather poorly detailed and sparse due to the surgeons not anxious to publicize the failures of a procedure, they have attached a gold standard label.
The most reported side effects are erectile dysfunction and urinary incontinence.
Unfortunately, even though doctors have filed reports, the bias of the doctors filing them is questionable.
For example, one report details one of the significant side effects, postoperative erectile dysfunction, occurs between 14 and 90 percent of patients. This is a relatively wide range.
Based on my many years of practice, it is a very optimistic estimate. And it is likely provided by urologists who either do not want to admit their procedure causes such harm or deny the side effects and results.
Closing The Urethra During Ejaculation
During ejaculation, the prostate contracts and squirts prostatic fluid into the urethra. Here, it mixes with sperm cells and fluid from the seminal vesicles to create semen, which the body then expels.
When the prostate contracts during ejaculation, it closes off the opening between the bladder and urethra, pushing semen through at speed. This is why, in normal anatomic situations, it is impossible to urinate and ejaculate simultaneously.
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Helping To Produce Semen
one article , the prostate contributes between 2030% of fluid to the total semen volume. The remainder comes from the seminal vesicles and the testicles
Prostatic fluid contains components that make semen an ideal substance for sperm cells to live in, including enzymes, zinc, and citric acid. One important enzyme is prostate-specific antigen , which helps make the semen thinner and more fluid.
The fluid in semen helps the sperm travel down the urethra and survive the journey towards an egg, which is essential for reproduction.
Prostatic fluid is slightly acidic, but other components of semen make it alkaline overall. This is to counteract the acidity of the vagina and protect the sperm from damage.
What Are Pelvic Floor Exercises And Can Improve Erection Quality
As we age, we lose muscle tone throughout your body. That includes the muscles that men need to maintain erections. However, there are physical exercises men can do to reduce erectile dysfunction. The best ones are known as pelvic floor exercises or kegels.
Those muscles are the core of how your body maintains blood flow to the penis and therefore keeps erections strong.
They put pressure on the veins in your penis, preventing blood from flowing back into the rest of your body. If they arent strong enough then even if you can get an erection, you wont be able to keep it.
The process starts with identifying the muscles you need to activate. Thats best achieved by lying down with knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Thats when you breathe out and squeeze your pelvic floor muscles for 3 seconds.
Its important that you identify the right group, at the base of your buttocks, on either side of your perineum. It can be easy to mistake other muscles, such as the legs or stomach for the pelvic floor.
Once you are confident you have the right muscle group, then doing the exercises in a seated or standing position three times a day can firm and strengthen the muscles, with a likely improvement within four to six weeks.
Some men find that after the initial strengthening that options like Pilates become appealing as not only are there many exercises which improve the pelvic floor, but they can improve overall posture and strength.
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Side Effects And Risks
The tissues lining the prostate and rectum are delicate and vulnerable to cuts, tears, and abrasions. Massaging the prostate too intensely can easily lead to soreness. In the study described above, for example, 8.3% of participants reported discomfort after prostate massage.
Overly aggressive prostate massage can also cause rectal bleeding, creating a risk of bacterial infection or aggravating hemorrhoids.
Furthermore, manual prostate massage is discouraged for men with acute bacterial prostatitis. The massage increases inflammation and may promote the spread of bacteria to the urethra, other parts of the urinary tract, and the bloodstream.
That said, a few small studies of the effects of prostate massage performed by a physician have shown it to be beneficial as a therapy for chronic prostatitis when paired with antibiotics.
Prostate Cancer Diagnoses And Treatment
All cancer is complex, but prostate cancer testing and treatment is particularly complicated.
In some men with prostate cancer, the cancer will grow very slowly, and wont significantly affect them during their lifetime. Other mens prostate cancer can grow and spread very quickly. At the moment, there is no test that can tell what type of prostate cancer a man has when he is diagnosed.
Because some treatments for prostate cancer can cause side effects which might impact on quality of life, its important for men to discuss with their doctor all their options for testing and treatment, and to discuss these with their partners and families. These might include watchful waiting, which means waiting to see what the cancer does over time, radiation, surgery or taking medications.
You can read more about what kinds of questions to ask your doctors about prostate cancer testing and treatment on the Cancer Council website.
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Diet May Affect The Prostate Gland
To maintain a healthy prostate gland, try to eat a balanced diet with plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables. There is no convincing evidence that any particular foods will definitely reduce your risk of prostate cancer but some studies have shown benefit from:
⢠Eating selenium
There is some evidence that selenium, a trace mineral, helps lower the risk of prostate cancer by combating cell damage. Selenium is found in broccoli, Brazil nuts, seafood, asparagus, brown rice and onions. Selenium can also be taken in supplement form and works best when combined with vitamin E and zinc.
⢠Following a mediterranean diet
Mediterranean men have a lower prostate cancer rate and this is believed to be down to a diet rich in fruit and vegetables, garlic, olive oil, fish and tomatoes. Tomatoes contain a bright red pigment called lycopene, a powerful carotenoid antioxidant, which helps to repair damaged cells.
According to an American study of 47,000 men over six years, those who had at least 10 servings a week of tomato-based foods were up to 45 per cent less likely to develop prostate cancer.
What Does The Prostate Gland Do And Why Is It Important
The prostate is responsible for producing prostatic fluid, which is full of enzymes, proteins, and minerals that are vital for the proper functioning of sperm.
During climax, smooth muscle fibers of the stroma contract, forcing the prostatic fluid through the ejaculatory ducts and into the urethra.
In the urethra, the prostatic fluid mixes with fluid from the seminal vesicle, sperm from the testes, and secretions from the bulbourethral gland, a pea-sized gland below the prostate.
In all, prostatic fluid makes up 20 to 30 percent of semen .
Aside from producing prostatic fluid, the prostate is responsible for closing up the urethra during ejaculation so that semen doesn’t enter the bladder. During urination, the muscles of the central zone close the prostate’s seminal ducts so that urine cannot enter the prostate.
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What Changes Do I Need To Make To My Diet
Discuss your post-surgery diet with your doctor as you will probably want to avoid or at least minimize issues such as constipation. The lack of exercise, the medication, even the stress, might affect your bowel functions. Your diet will be focused on eating more vegetables, fruits, grains and avoiding meat, especially the red one, pasta, alcohol, fast-food, sugar and processed desserts.
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How About Giving A Prostate Massage With A Toy
If youre using a sex toy, only opt for one that is specifically made for anal play, meaning it has a flared base or some other feature that makes it so that nothing can go in that cannot come back out. You might try something like the Booty Bling Plug , but there are also toys made specifically for prostate play. The Hugo Prostate Massager is a sleek toy with two motors for pressure and vibration, and the Duke Vibrating Prostate Massager has a unique shape that targets prostate stimulation along with perineum pressure and is meant to create a real feeling of fullness. Even if you dont grab a toy specifically for prostate play, please dont use random things lying around your house to explore prostate pleasure. Every physician whos ever worked in the ER has a story of a household anal sex toy gone awry, Hong warns. If you can imagine it, its probably been up the rectum.
If this is all feeling good to your partner, they may orgasm from the stimulation. Dont be nervous if theres a climax that doesnt involve ejaculationaccording to Brown-James, that can happen during prostate play. As long as you and your partner are enjoying yourselves, the journey is way more important.
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What Would You Tell Men Who Are Opposed To Having Things Put In Their Rear End
Fred: Without being too forward or rude, just grow up and give it a go. The stigma around it is so incredibly strong, mostly because it goes against the masculine trend of only putting your dick in things, but seriously itll change your life. Youll never wanna orgasm any other way again.
Alan: While its certainly valid and not everyones favorite cup of tea, the sensations offer a wider range of pleasure to bring into the bed with yourself or with your partner. If you are searching for something new to try, this is a sensation that all people with a prostate can enjoy.
Evan: I would say to men who are reticent to put things up their ass that they are probably fearful because of societal pressures/expectations. They need to look at their prostate as an important part of their body and sexuality to explore.
Drew: I would say you’re really missing out! Take some time to reflect on why you’re not open to exploring this amazing pleasure center. Does it rub up against your ideas of masculinity and what it means to be a man? Do you have anxiety related to the other fluids and substances that might be down there? Are you afraid of exploring this with your partner and what they might think? If any of these are coming up I would recommend starting small and solo: small size toys, or preferably your own finger. The prostate is a gift, celebrate and cherish it!
*Name has been changed to allow subject to freely on private matters.
Other Possible Side Effects
Anorgasmia is the inability to achieve orgasm regardless of the level of stimulation.
2) Penile shrinkage
Removal of the prostate seems to initiate a phase of penile shrinkage that varies between 2 to 3 cm. For men with large organs, this may have little effect. But a man that starts on the small side might be very dismayed about it.
Early penile rehabilitation may avoid structural endothelial and smooth muscle damage by improving penile oxygenation.
3) Urine leakage or pain during intercourse
4) Urine leakage at orgasm
5) Pain or discomfort at orgasm
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Age Is A Factor With Prostate Cancer
Prostate cancer usually affects men over 50 and approximately half of this age group also show signs of prostate enlargement. According to Cancer Research UK, the largest number of cases is in those aged 75 to 79.
One in 25 men will die from the disease and in the UK, around eight in 10 newly diagnosed prostate cancer patients now survive beyond ten years.
Prostatitis can affect men of any age.
The Purpose Of Prostate Surgery
Prostate cancer surgery, or radical prostatectomy, is a procedure conventional medicine praises for curing prostate cancer.
It has been performed for many years and was regarded as the gold standard of prostate cancer treatment. However, few studies compare its efficacy to other techniques.
Most men diagnosed with prostate cancer today are typically diagnosed with Gleason 6 cancer levels. But, according to many experts, this diagnosis may not be cancer! According to Mark Scholz, MD, a board-certified oncologist and expert on prostate cancer:
Misuse of the term cancer has tragic implications. Real cancer requires action and aggressive medical intervention with the goal of saving a life. But consider the potential havoc created by telling someone they have cancer when it is untrue. This dreadful calamity is occurring to 100,000 men every year in the United States with men who undergo a needle biopsy and are told they have prostate cancer with a grade of Gleason 6.
The impact of this is quite profound. Most prostate cancer diagnosed today falls into this Gleason 6. If it is not cancer, thousands of men have had aggressive treatment for cancer they dont really have.
Aggressive treatment, usually a complete surgical removal of the prostate , is the typical result. This leaves the patient to suffer from its side effects for the rest of their life.
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What Does A Prostate Orgasm Feel Like
P-spot orgasms are said to feel similar to penile orgasms, only way more intense and felt through the entire body.
There are reports of people having super orgasms, which are a stream of fast, continuous orgasms that cause the body to shudder.
Not everyone ejaculates during a prostate orgasm, but some release a dribble of milky fluid from the urethra.
A little bit of prep can help make the experience a good one whether youre flying solo, or on the giving or receiving end of things.
How Is A Prostate Problem Diagnosed
A prostate problem is most often diagnosed because of the symptoms that it causes. Your doctor will also do a physical examination called a digital rectal exam, or DRE. Other tests can be done to measure the urine flow, which can help the doctor decide how much the prostate is blocking the urine stream.
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Is A Prostate Massage The Same Thing As Trying For A Prostate Orgasm
Yes. If you massage the prostate in a way that feels good, youre probably going to have an orgasm if you keep at it.
Some doctors recommend prostate massage therapy to help relieve the symptoms of certain conditions, such as painful ejaculation prostatitis.
Yep! Though evidence on the efficacy of prostate massage for certain conditions is somewhat limited, it does appear to have some benefits.
Psa Level Risk Analysis
- 15% of men with a PSA level less than 4 ng/ml go on to develop prostate cancer.
- 31% of men with PSA levels between 4 10 ng/ml have shown to develop prostate cancer.
- 50% 65% of men with psa scores over 10 ng/ml develop prostate cancer.
An important part of the your results is finding both the
1. Total amount of PSA in your blood.
2. Ratio of free vs bound PSA.
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You Can Spot Prostate Cancer Symptoms
Worrying prostate symptoms to look out for include needing to urinate more during the night, dribbling before or after urinating, and a weak urine flow. Less common symptoms include pain in the testicles, problems getting an erection, pain when ejaculating, pain when passing urine and blood in the urine.
Worrying prostate symptoms to look out for include needing to urinate more during the night.
Prostate cancer doesn’t always affect the urinary stream until the disease is advanced, so urine flow isn’t a reliable indicator on its own. There are a variety of reasons for a change in the pressure of urine flow, such as a non-cancerous enlargement of the prostate, called benign prostatic hyperplasia or prostatitisâ inflammation or infection of the prostate. If your once normal urine stream has dwindled to a trickle, visit your GP.
Symptoms Of Benign Prostate Enlargement
The prostate is a small gland, located in the pelvis, between the penis and bladder.
If the prostate becomes enlarged, it can place pressure on the bladder and the urethra, which is the tube that urine passes through.
This can affect how you pee and may cause:
- difficulty starting to pee
- a frequent need to pee
- difficulty fully emptying your bladder
In some men, the symptoms are mild and do not need treatment. In others, they can be very troublesome.
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