Is Sex Good For Your Prostate
Whether or not sex is good for prostate problems is a question many men wonder, and its an important one that needs answering.
The prostate plays an active role during sexual activity.
Along with other structures, the prostate is responsible for making fluid in semen, which helps transport your sperm when you ejaculate.
The effect regular ejaculations have on the prostate should become a significant talking point, especially amongst men who are experiencing prostate problems.
This article will determine whether a healthy sex life can reduce the risk of developing prostate cancer.
Can A Swollen Prostate Cause Erectile Dysfunction
Erectile dysfunction can affect your ability to get and maintain an erection.
It is a very common condition around 322 million men globally by 2025 are projected to experience persistent difficulty achieving and sustaining erections.
This condition may be caused by psychological factors like performance anxiety or stress.
Likewise, your medication for managing high blood pressure or ulcers or other conditions could also affect erectile functioning.
However, physical conditions like an enlarged prostate and prostatitis may account for many cases of erectile dysfunction.
Well be examining how a swollen prostate can lead to ED.
Well do this by looking through the links between benign prostatic hyperplasia, prostatitis and erectile dysfunction, their causes, as well as treatment options which may affect erectile abilities.
If Youre The Giving Partner
Cleanliness and safety are a must, even for the giver.
Cut and file your nails smooth to help avoid scratching or tearing the delicate skin in and around the anus.
Wash your hands thoroughly, even if youre planning to use a condom over your finger to penetrate your partner. For extra comfort, stuff cotton balls inside the condom or glove.
You can also get the party started in the shower together, which serves as foreplay and gets you both all nice and clean for the big show.
Youll probably need to try a few different moves and experiment with speed and pressure to find what feels best.
Here are some techniques to try, whether youre using fingers or toys.
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Why Do Men Have A Prostate
The prostate is a small gland in men that helps make semen. Located just below the bladder in front of the rectum, it wraps around the tube that carries urine and semen out of the body. It tends to grow larger as you get older. If your prostate gets too large, it can cause a number of health issues.
How Men Can Be Proactive About Their Prostate Health
Aside from knowing your family’s medical history, Tyldesley said eating a healthy diet is also important for your prostate health. Eating plenty of fruits and vegetables everyday, minimizing red meat in your diet, exercising several times a week and moderating the amount of alcohol in your diet are all important steps to take to ensure prostate and overall health.
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Is It Possible To Reduce Psa Levels And Shrink The Prostate Naturally Without Drugs Or Side Effects
First off, let’s look at a chart showing the normal PSA level by age.
Keep in mind these PSA levels are taken from western men, whose levels tend to be higher because of the standard western diet. Also keep in mind there are slightly different PSA levels by age for different racial groups due to different prevalences of prostate disease.
What Does My Prostate Do
It is a small gland that is part of the male reproductive system. Its supposed to be about the shape and size of a walnut.
It rests below your bladder and in front of your rectum. It surrounds part of the urethra, the tube in your penis that carries pee from your bladder.
The prostate helps make some of the fluid in semen, which carries sperm from your testicles when you ejaculate.
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Can A Reversal Of The Vasectomy Be Performed
Although a vasectomy should be considered a permanent surgical procedure, there is a surgical procedure that can reverse a vasectomy. It is called a Vasovasostomy. A vasovasostomy involves surgical reconnection of the vas deferens to re-establish the flow of sperm. Patients are cautioned that fertility is not guaranteed.
The Nasty Truth About Prostate Drugs
BPH is a more serious condition than many men realize.
Men with BPH have an 8X higher risk of developing prostate cancer.
The largest study ever done on this was conducted over 30 years and examined over 3 million patient records, noting that men with BPH had a 200% higher chance of dying of prostate cancer.
Having an enlargedprostate is like a ticking-time-bomb, every daythat you let it go untreatedis another day of strainingin the bathroom, wakingup in the middle of thenight and running the riskof the condition becomingmore serious…
For BPH, doctors will often prescribe drugs that work by relaxing the bladder sphincter or the smooth muscles of the prostate gland to improve urine flow.
But the relief is temporary.
These drugs cover up thesymptoms without treating them.
Its like putting a fresh coat of paint on a damaged old house. Sure, it looks better. But it doesnt fix any of the damage. Sooner or later the walls will come crashing down.
Secondly, these drugs come with nasty side effects like headaches, fatigue, and sudden fainting.
The truth is that…
Prostate drugs do not work.
At best they hide the symptoms but only for a short while. And at worst they come with a whole bunch of nasty side effects.
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Symptoms Of Prostate Disease
In its earliest stages, prostate disease may or may not be associated with symptoms. The symptoms of prostate disease depend on the condition, but may include:
- difficulties urinating, such as trouble starting the flow of urine
- the urge to urinate often, particularly at night
- feeling as though the bladder can’t be fully emptied
- painful urination
- blood in the urine or blood coming from the urethra independent of urination.
Blood in the urine is often due to causes not related to the prostate. Always see your doctor if you find blood in your urine.
Al Roker Discusses His Prostate Cancer Journey
- TODAY anchor and prostate cancer survivor Al Roker tells SurvivorNet about his decision to get surgery, saying I just want this out, when talking about his cancer.
- The television host also bravely adds that everything is working fine in the sexual function department after battling cancer. But its a common side effect men experience when dealing with this type of cancer.
- Roker has also made a point to inform people, especially those within the Black community, of the importance of screenings and vigilance when it comes to your health.
My first reaction was, I just want this out. I dont want to do radiation, Roker says of the prostate cancer that was growing inside his body. At the end of the day, I thought, surgery first, then I thought, no, maybe radiation, then I went back and , no, surgery. That was that. Once I make a decision, I dont really second guess it.
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How Does The Prostate Work
The prostate is a gland about the size of a chestnut and weighs about 30 grams . It is part of the male reproductive system and is located inside the body. The prostates most important function is the production of a fluid that, together with sperm cells from the testicles and fluids from other glands, makes up semen. The muscles of the prostate also ensure that the semen is forcefully pressed into the urethra and then expelled outwards during ejaculation.
The prostate is located directly below the bladder and above the muscles of the pelvic floor. The rectum is behind the prostate, making it possible to feel the gland from the rectum using the finger. The ducts in the prostate gland flow into the urethra, which passes through the prostate. The word prostate is taken from the Greek expression meaning one who stands before, which describes the position of the prostate gland. Viewed from below, where the urethra leaves the gland, the prostate stands before the bladder.
The tissue of the prostate gland can be divided into three different zones, listed here from innermost to outermost, which encircle the urethra like layers of an onion:
The prostate has various functions:
Production of fluid for semen:
Hormone metabolism: In the prostate the male sex hormone testosterone is transformed to a biologically active form, DHT .
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The prostatic fluid mixes with sperm and fluid from the seminal vesicles which makes up the majority of semen and contains various other components, including the fructose that provides the main energy source for sperm outside of the body inside of the urethra.
Changes in the composition or secretion of the prostatic fluid affects the health and function of sperm, impacting male fertility. These changes may arise due to various health issues with the prostate.
Learn More About the Form and Function of the Prostate
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The Prostate Boosts Your Sexual Capability
Prostate gland secretions comprise a large portion of seminal fluid and proper function of the gland is crucial to sexual capability in men.
The prostate contributes around 20-30% to the total seminal volume. The prostatic fluid contains substances that allow the sperm cells to live. One of these substances is the PSA, which makes the semen more fluid. This prostate role ensures that the sperm cells survive until it encounters an ovary to form an egg-cell.
Prostate Cancer: Risk Factors Symptoms And Treatment
Aside from prostatitis and BPH, another common prostate issue is prostate cancer.
Excluding skin cancer, prostate cancer is the most common type of cancer among American men, according to the American Cancer Society. About 1 in 9 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during his lifetime.
The risk of developing prostate cancer is higher for men who are over age 65, are African-American, or have a family history of the disease.
Most often, prostate cancer develops slowly, but some men develop an aggressive form of the disease.
Early prostate cancer generally doesn’t cause any symptoms. Symptoms generally develop as the disease progresses and include:
- Urination issues
- Bone pain
- Numbness of the legs and feet
- Loss of bladder or bowel control
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Its Another Muscle That Needs Work
The prostate gland contains muscles that help in expelling the semen out of the penis during sexual intercourse. The prostate is a muscle-driven mechanism between urination and ejaculation.
This gland works by expelling the seminal fluid through a contraction. The semen is then forced outside and the ejaculation takes place.
Pde5 Inhibitors: Viagra Levitra And Cialis
Approved by the FDA in 1998, sildenafil revolutionized the way we think about and treat erectile dysfunction, largely because it is so easy to use and effective. Since then the FDA has approved three closely related drugs, vardenafil , avanafil and tadalafil .
All four drugs work in a similar fashion, by affecting the normal physiology of the penis. In particular, they block PDE5, an enzyme that breaks down the erection-producing chemical cyclic guanosine monophosphate. This enables the penis to fill with blood and to stay erect long enough for intercourse. Of course, its important to realize that none of these drugs is an aphrodisiac. Youve got to feel sexually stimulated in order for them to work.
The main differences between the drugs have to do with timing: how quickly they begin to work, and how long their effects last . Levitra may start working slightly faster than Viagra although the FDA says that like Viagra, it should be taken about an hour before sexual activity. Some studies suggest that Levitra may help some men who dont respond to Viagra. And while some doctors are skeptical about this claim, theres no harm in trying Levitra or Cialis if Viagra doesnt work for you.
Cialis has also been approved to treat men with both erectile dysfunction and BPH. The dose is lower, usually 5 milligrams per day.
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Additional Tests That May Aid Prostate Cancer Diagnosis
There are few other diagnostic tools or tests, which can be performed before you have a prostate biopsy, that may help your physician gather more information about your specific case. These procedures may help determine the likelihood of the presence of cancer and its aggressiveness and increase the accuracy of a biopsy when performed. Those tests include:
4Kscore blood test is a molecular test that helps predict the likelihood and risk of a patient having aggressive prostate cancer. If youre a patient whose PSA values are borderline for a prostate biopsy or you have a condition that could be aggravated by a biopsy, your physician may use this test before to help determine whether you should get a biopsy or a repeat biopsy.
Urine sample testlooks for biomarkers that may indicate the presence of prostate cancer cells in a patients body. This test may also be helpful when trying to determine whether a patient should be rebiopsied or not.
Multiparametric MRI
The use of multiparametric MRI imaging of the prostate gland before a biopsy has been a game changer in prostate cancer diagnosis, increasing the accuracy of biopsies over standard biopsies. The mpMRI doesnt replace the standard biopsy, but by improving its accuracy, it may help decrease the number of biopsies needed.
The mpMRI has a higher resolution than a standard prostate ultrasound. This increases the ability to see suspicious lesions in the prostate, providing additional targets for the biopsy to sample.
What Does The Prostate Gland Do
09 August 2010
The prostate gland is a male reproductive organ whose main function is to secrete prostate fluid, one of the components of semen. The muscles of the prostate gland also help propel this seminal fluid into the urethra during ejaculation .
The prostate is a muscular gland that weighs about three-fourths of an ounce about the size of a small apricot. It surrounds the urethra just beneath the bladder .
During ejaculation, millions of sperm move from the testes through tubes called the vas deferens into the area of the prostate. At this point, the prostate contracts, closing off the opening between the bladder and the urethra, releasing fluid into the urethra and pushing semen on through.
The fluid excreted by the prostate makes up about one-third of the total volume of semen and contains various enzymes, zinc and citric acid. Though prostate fluid is slightly acidic, another fluid in semen made by the seminal vesicles leaves semen slightly alkaline, or basic. This alkalinity helps protect sperm and prolong their life after they are deposited in the acidic environment of the vagina, according to the biology textbook, âLife: The Science of Biology, Eighth Additionâ .
One component of prostate fluid an enzyme called Prostate Specific Antigen also aids in the success of sperm by liquefying semen that has thickened after ejaculation. This thinning action allows sperm to swim more freely, according to the medical reference book âProstate Specific Antigenâ .
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What Is Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia
Well get to that, but first lets explore the prostate to understand how this condition may affect its effectiveness.
Your prostate is a part of your reproductive system responsible for producing the fluid that goes into your semen.
For a walnut-shaped gland, its a big part of your fertility and does impact your chances of having children.
The prostate surrounds the urethra at the neck of the bladder.
In cases of benign prostatic hyperplasia, the prostate becomes enlarged without being cancerous.
Because of the increase in size, the gland presses against and pinches the urethra, making it harder for urine to flow out.
In response, the bladder walls become thicker, eventually weakening the bladder and making it unable to empty the urine in it completely.
This may lead to complications like urinary tract infections, bladder damage and blood in the urine.
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Its Key To Human Reproduction But Also Due To Its Location Prone To Causing A Host Of Problems Including Signs Of Prostate Cancer
The prostate gland is a small, walnut-sized organ at the base of the bladder that encases the ureter. It can also cause significant problems for many men, including benign prostatic hyperplasia , prostatitis, and prostate cancer.
The prostate gland is a male organ weighing about one ounce and often compared to the size of a walnut or chestnut. It is located in the pelvic region just below the bladder, in front of the rectum, and above the pelvic floor muscles. The primary function of the prostate gland is to secrete fluid that is a component of semen, a mixture of fluid and sperm cells released during ejaculation.
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How Erectile Dysfunction Affects Patients With Prostate Cancer
Regardless of whether the nerves were spared during surgery or whether the most precise dose planning was used during radiation therapy, nearly all men will experience some erectile dysfunction for the first few months after treatment. The reason for this is simple: the nerves and blood vessels that control the physical aspect of an erection are incredibly delicate, and any trauma to the area will result in changes to the natural order, explain the Prostate Cancer Foundation regarding the causes for erectile dysfunction in prostate cancer patients.
Erectile dysfunction can, however, vary and about 40 to 50% of patients with intact nerves start to see improvements a year after the treatment. After two years, about 30 to 60% of the patients are expected to return to their normal function before the treatment. However, not all treatments can spare the patients nerves. In the case of radiation therapy, erectile dysfunction is not a such common side effect, affecting only about 50% of the patients, while in the case of brachytherapy, between 25 and 50% of the patients are affected. Erectile dysfunction not only affects patients sexual life, but can also cause emotional problems.
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