What is Prostatitis? This is an inflammatory disease of the prostate. Only men have a prostate, so at first glance the disease is only relevant to them, but in fact it also affects the life of a regular sexual partner.
Causes of the disease
What causes prostatitis? There is a myth that prostatitis can arise either from bacteria or from hypothermia. In reality, things are somewhat different. There are always bacteria in the prostate gland, and hypothermia is just a predisposing factor that can trigger the onset of inflammation.
With hypothermia, there is a violation of blood microcirculation, as a result of which the blood supply to the pelvic organs is impaired. This changes the amount of blood around the prostate. There are fewer blood cells to fight bacteria and they can no longer cope with the strain. It turns out that hypothermia provokes the development of the inflammatory process and is an indirect cause of the development of prostatitis.
Chronic and acute illnesses
How does acute and chronic prostatitis manifest itself? The symptoms of prostatitis in acute form are noticeable by stabbing pain, high fever and painful urination with weak pressure. With chronic prostatitis it is more difficult. Its symptoms can easily be confused with a simple malaise, so the patient thinks that nothing bad is happening: he was sitting in a cold place, was tired, or ate something.
The following manifestations of symptoms of prostatitis in chronic form are known:
- aching pain in perineum;
- excruciating pain radiating to the scrotum;
- excruciating pain in the lower abdomen radiating to the sacrum, coccyx and penis;
- impaired urination during prostatitis is characterized by either weak or normal pressure, but sometimes this symptom does not manifest itself;
- Some patients experience erection problems, which are mostly psychological in nature, as a direct connection between inflammation of the prostate and erectile dysfunction has not been proven.
Precautions
How often should you have intercourse to avoid prostatitis? What is the prevention of prostatitis?
The prostate produces what is known as prostatic secretion - a viscous fluid that contains components that are also found in sperm. The liquid part of semen is the secretion of the prostate and the secretion of the seminal vesicles, which are located behind the prostate. At a young age, a man always has a morning erection, which is accompanied by the production of prostatic secretion. If sexual intercourse doesn't occur, these will increase day after day. This leads to stagnation, which then leads to a slight enlargement of the prostate and pain - stabbing pain occurs in the perineum.
Nature intended that every erection should end with ejaculation. I woke up 30 times a month - 30 erections, so 30 intercourse! There is a generally accepted opinion in urology that an average of 22 ejaculations are required to prevent prostatitis. Again, these are just recommendations. In practice, this is sometimes very difficult to achieve, and every person has different needs for sex.
What tests need to be done?
What tests should be done if you have or suspect prostatitis? This initially involves a general blood test and a general urine test.
During the consultation, the urologist will conduct a thorough examination, during which a digital rectal examination will be performed. The doctor examines the prostate, touches it, assesses pain, consistency and elasticity. In this case, prostate secretion is collected for analysis.
A test for prostatitis indicates the following:
- Assessment of leukocyte count. The more of them there are, the more active the inflammatory process.
- Examination of prostate secretion for bacterial cultures. Allows you to identify which bacteria cause inflammation, in what quantity they are present and which drugs work against them and which are completely useless.
- Take a swab for sexually transmitted infections.
- 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 prostatitis treatment take?
It all depends on the type of prostatitis. If the disease is caused by bacteria, an antibiotic must be prescribed. Due to the peculiarities of the porous 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 at the periphery, so there is a cumulative effect during the 20 days of taking the antibiotic and the drug only reaches the desired therapeutic concentration from the 20th to the 28th day. It is therefore important to take the medicine for the entire period recommended by your doctor.
Other drugs
In addition to antibiotics, they also prescribethe following medications:
- Probiotics that restore intestinal flora.
- Antifungal medications. When taking antibiotics, the activity of the immune system decreases and fungal diseases (most often Candida albicans or thrush) occur in men, even if they have only one sexual partner.
- Vitamins.
- Preparations to improve microcirculation in the blood.
- Antiplatelet drugs that thin the blood. They are prescribed to ensure that the blood supplies the tissue well and delivers the prescribed medication.
Non-drug treatment
- A prostate massage helps against congestion.
- Firstly, the massage purely mechanically pushes out the mucus and bacteria that have accumulated in the prostate.
- Secondly, blood supply and lymphatic drainage improve.
- Physiotherapy and hardware treatment. Vibrolaser magnetic field therapy delivers good results. The laser improves the permeability of cell membranes for drugs, they penetrate into the prostate and under the influence of a magnet, lymphatic drainage improves, which is enhanced by vibration therapy.
What happens if it is left untreated?
If prostatitis is not treated, then:
- The risk of male infertility increases. Prostatic secretion is an essential part of sperm, so bacteria and all of the bacteria's waste products affect its quality. The sperm become less active and there is a fight for nutrients (fructose, citric acid, zinc) between bacteria and sperm. This weakens the sperm and loses its ability to fertilize.
- Various adhesion processes can form in the vas deferens. This leads to sperm simply not being released and not entering the egg.
- Regular, excruciating pain may occur. Sometimes some patients are lucky and for a while nothing bothers them and they think the disease has gone away on its own. But then the symptoms return and become more severe.
"Do’s" and "Don’ts" for prostatitis
What can you eat?
- Salty is possible, but without abuse (add a little salt to the food).
- Alcohol – possible in minimal quantities (a glass of wine or 50 g of cognac, whiskey per evening).
- Coffee – 1-2 cups per day are allowed, in large quantities it is forbidden, as coffee leads to vasoconstriction and deterioration of microcirculation in the blood.
Is sexual intercourse possible?
If ejaculation itself does not cause painful, sharp sensations, it is possible, even necessary, to have a sexual life. If sexual contact causes pain or discomfort, it is better to avoid sexual activity for the duration of treatment.
Is it possible to visit baths, saunas and hammams?
Here everything depends on what stage the prostatitis is at. If it is an acute process with fever, there is no need to go to such places. If the treatment of prostatitis proceeds as usual and no worrying symptoms appear, dosed visits to the bathhouse or swimming pool are not prohibited. However, you must keep your stay in the steam room and cold water to a minimum.
Is physical activity necessary?
You can't do without physical activity at all; Feasible physical exercise is the best helper in the treatment of prostatitis. The main thing is not to subject the body to increased stress from training. You can walk, run, squat, etc.
As for the bike, not everything is clear. Doctors advise men against 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 squeezed and the blood supply is disrupted. There is no direct connection, but when it comes to prevention we try to exclude all possible factors, even if they do not have a direct influence.
Do I have to treat my sexual partner?
Treatment of the partner is only necessary if a sexually transmitted infection is detected. In fact, prostatitis is not transmitted through sexual contact, so treatment of the partner is usually not necessary, but an examination by a gynecologist would not hurt.