Any healthy man can develop prostatitis;no one is immune from it.Astronauts and athletes with ideal lifestyles are also in the “risk zone”.Knowing the symptoms will allow you to recognize prostatitis in time and start treatment.
Urinary disorders
The urethra, urethra, runs through the prostate.One of their functions is to control the stream of urine and to open and close the outlet from the bladder.Therefore, when the prostate is irritated or inflamed, problems with urination often occur.
Increased or decreased urges
Symptomatic of prostatitis is precisely the increased frequency of the urge to urinate with a decrease in the amount of urine in one portion.Just an increase in the frequency of urges with the same portion and volume can be either the norm (I just started drinking more fluids) or a sign of a disease such as diabetes - diabetes mellitus or non-sugar diabetes.That is, the total amount of urine per day increases sharply and, as a result, a person runs to the toilet more often.This usually happens when you eat watermelon, for example.The amounts of urine are large or huge.
But if the same amount of urine comes out in one day, but it is distributed over 10-30 trips to the toilet, the size of each portion will of course be several times smaller.In women, this is observed with cystitis, in men with prostatitis or urethritis, with any irritation of the urinary tract, including inflammation.This symptom can be fairly constant or fluctuate.When the irritant temporarily weakens the effect, for example when inflammation subsides.In chronic prostatitis, this does not indicate recovery, but rather an improvement in the condition.This is important in a diagnostic sense
Weakening of the urine stream
A weak stream of urine is an important symptom of a prostate problem.Usually it is caused by two main diseases.Adenoma (hyperplasia) of the prostate and prostatitis.It's easy to distinguish them.Adenomas usually occur in older people, while prostatitis occurs more often in young, active men.In any case, it is a symptom that requires an examination of the prostate and not other organs.Exceptions are rare (stones, urethral stricture).
What is specific is the dependence of the strength of the urine stream on the effect on the gland.Through ejaculation, sexual intercourse or the lack thereof.By walking or sitting for long periods of time.From violating or following the diet.
Unpleasant sensations
Not only a frequent urge to urinate, but also unpleasant sensations when urinating are very characteristic.For example, eating watermelon may make you run to the toilet every 10-15 minutes, but the feeling is more likely to be pleasant and satisfying.But prostatitis gives you a very unpleasant, “compelling” urge to go to the bathroom.This brings relief – but only for a relatively short time.The urge occurs more frequently at night and is often more unpleasant.This can affect sleep and is often a major complaint.
Urine portion sizes
The size of urine portions decreases.This is due to both the irritating effect of prostate inflammation and the increased sensitivity of the urinary tract during inflammation.Hypersensitivity – gives the feeling that a lot of urine has already accumulated in the bladder, “half a bucket” – but in fact it is literally 30-100 ml.
Portion sizes may vary.With more fluid, urinary tract irritation decreases because the urine becomes more dilute.It turns out a paradox: a person drinks more fluids, but goes to the toilet less often due to increasing portions.
Sharp and urgent urge
Imperative (sharp) urge – more common during exacerbation or with age.They can force a man to refuse rides or go his own way “from toilet to toilet”.In advanced cases, this results in a man having to wear a diaper.On the one hand, the urine flows weaker, but on the other hand, if you have a strong urge to go to the toilet.At any price.
It is almost impossible to “endure” such an urge.
Urine drips
There is always some urine left after urination.“No matter how hard you shake your penis, the last one will be in your panties” - a popular saying.However, a little is 1-2-3 drops of urine, no more.Any visible excess of this norm is certainly typical of a urinary tract problem in men, but is not always characteristic of prostatitis.
This also includes a completely different symptom – discharge from the urethra.Sometimes they are difficult to distinguish and additional analysis is required.More often, the discharge does not depend on urination, is thicker than urine, can be light, colored, transparent and cloudy... They require a mandatory analysis to determine the cause.It can be a sign of both prostatitis and urethritis or a sexually transmitted disease.
pain
Just as a sore throat hurts with a sore throat, the lower abdomen, perineum, groin, lower back or sacrum also hurt with prostatitis.
Where and how exactly does it hurt?
The pain can also “radiate” to the scrotum, legs, sometimes to the abdomen, to the level of the navel and even higher.What is important to us is the type of pain, its connection to other symptoms and external causes.
When and why do they appear?
A connection with lifestyle, sedentary work, ejaculation or abstinence allows you to either practically exclude prostatitis or suspect it with a high degree of probability.Therefore, constant pain that does not depend on these causes can more often be a manifestation of a “neurological” cause, such as:B. CPPS, chronic pelvic pain syndrome.But the pain that occurs after ejaculation lasts for several hours or days.or on the contrary, it disappears after hours and days after ejaculation – it is most likely associated with prostatitis.
Length of time
Any.The duration may depend on the severity of the exacerbation and other comorbidities.For example, depression leads to constant excruciating pain even with mild prostatitis.A painless form of prostatitis may mask the disease for many years.
This means that you cannot judge the disease and its severity based on this symptom alone.
What makes it better or worse?
This is the doctor's main concern.
The location, type and duration of pain can vary greatly in the same disease.But the dependence of the condition on ejaculation, on sedentary work or walking, on overexcitation, on cooling or spicy food helps us quite accurately determine both the diagnosis itself and the direction of treatment and preventive measures that allow practical recovery from chronic prostatitis.
Pain in the heart, back and other organs
The prostate is a small organ in the pelvis.But the inflammation can affect the entire body.
The first possibility of influence is poisoning.As with any serious inflammation, such as the flu, the whole body or a large part of it may hurt.Likewise, with prostatitis, the body may ache with its exacerbation.
The second mechanism of pain in distant areas (head, heart, hypochondrium, legs) is neurological in nature.Pain can “radiate” to distant parts of the body along the nerves and spine and even form “secondary” foci of inflammation.For example in the lumbosacral area.And from there the pain can “radiate” into the thoracic and cervical spine, into the legs and almost everywhere.
Erection problems
“Officially” an erection should not be affected by prostate inflammation.She has other development mechanisms that are not directly related to this “second heart” of a man.In practice, however, the erection is impaired.At least during an exacerbation.There may be several mechanisms - from the direct effect of inflammation of a nearby organ on the "turning on" of the penis - to an indirect, regulatory mechanism, similar to a weakening and slowing of erection with prolonged abstinence in adult men (not, of course, in adolescents).
Fortunately, this erectile dysfunction can be treated very well and reliably.Unless there is a psychological factor involved.A man with mild prostatitis will experience a slight deterioration in erectile function.He begins to worry about listening to the penis - and the neurosis completely destroys his erection at the root.This is the third and most serious mechanism of the influence of prostatitis on erection.
Ejaculation disorders
Ejaculation (ejaculation) means the release of sperm, ejaculate from the penis at the end of sexual intercourse.Performed by the muscles of the pelvic floor and prostate.More commonly, the symptom is a weakening of this release, a reduction in the “shot range,” and a shortening of intercourse.Sometimes or temporarily there may be a prolongation of intercourse, the man cannot “cum” in any way.
Sperm ejection power
When a muscle becomes weaker, its work and effectiveness diminish.The composition of ejaculate and sperm changes and the ejection force also changes.
This is important for three reasons.The first is one of the clearest signs of prostate damage.Almost all other manifestations and symptoms can also occur in other diseases.But the weakening of discharge is pathognomonic, specific to prostatitis.
Second reason.Decreased production is a factor that worsens the condition of the prostate after sex, leading to POIS (post-orgasm malaise syndrome).
During treatment, men with POIS report worsening of their condition due to weak, ineffective sperm production.And conversely, it is increasingly claimed that high-quality ejaculation did not cause POIS symptoms.Not 100%, but very likely.Thirdly, this is probably the main factor that prevents a man with prostatitis from being cured without medical intervention.As soon as the power of sperm release normalizes, the main mechanism for maintaining male health is activated - the “self-cleaning” of the prostate.
Blurred sensations
Instead of a vivid orgasm, the man feels something like “peed in boiling water” or “felt almost nothing.”
The strength of the sensations can fluctuate and also serves as a fairly accurate sign of problems in the prostate or a sign that improvement is beginning.
Color, quantity and consistency of the ejaculate
One of the important objective parameters related to the prostate and prostatitis.Often a sperm analysis is performed only to determine fertility and the chances of conception.However, semen analysis provides a lot of information about the condition of the prostate.Therefore, the color of sperm and ejaculate is usually milky white and cloudy.The consistency is medium thick, there must be a “stickiness”, the stretchiness of a drop of semen in the form of a thread.The smell is specific, without admixture of the smell of rot, pus, etc.
Any change in these parameters requires urgent examination if there is no diagnosis yet, and treatment - for example, if there is already a diagnosis of prostatitis.
The color (bright white, yellowish and greenish) indicates the presence of an impurity in the sperm, often of an inflammatory, purulent nature.
Transparency indicates reduced prostate function.And in microscopic analysis, only a few “lecithin grains” will almost certainly be seen, indicating a deterioration in the function of that particular organ, although not necessarily due to inflammation.
The amount can vary, it can also fluctuate normally depending on the rhythm of sexual life.A stable decrease or increase in the amount of sperm triggers an alarm.Perhaps this is a manifestation of a “blockage” of part of the prostate tubules or simply a reduction in ejaculate production.
Not 100%, but quite a characteristic symptom of chronic prostatitis.
Hematospermia
Let's consider separately hemospermia - an admixture of blood in sperm.It can be simply visible in the eye, more commonly due to damage to blood vessels, due to calculitis, due to cancer and finally due to trauma.The blood can be either bright scarlet, or old, dark, venous.In any case, an ejaculate analysis and further examinations are urgently required.
There is also an admixture of a small amount of blood in the ejaculate - microhemospermia.Often occurs with an exacerbation of prostatitis, along with an increase in the number of leukocytes.Sometimes this option can be perfectly treated by strengthening the body;Many urologists administer a complex vitamin preparation, often together with zinc, selenium, etc., just in case everything goes well.
This is comparable to bleeding gums.Loose, inflamed gums often bleed.And after the inflammation is eliminated and the gums are strengthened, the blood admixture naturally disappears.There is no need to be afraid of this symptom if the cause of the appearance of blood in semen is known.
Decreased libido
A very important symptom.Officially, it should not occur with prostatitis either.In practice, two mechanisms are usually involved.
The first is intoxication.With any inflammation, from the flu to a sore throat, libido and desire for sex can decrease.The body has other tasks in mind.
Secondly, libido may be influenced by something similar to Tarkhanov and Belov's phenomena.The symptom is non-specific; for example, it can also occur with a depressive background, which can occur with any chronic illness or even without it.But in combination with other manifestations, we consider this decline to be important and significant.Including influencing recovery prospects.If this problem is not solved and the man has a reduced libido, it is difficult to talk about a cure for prostatitis.A decrease leads to irregular sex life, stagnation in the pelvis and an increased risk of exacerbations.
Other indirect signs
Weakness, lethargy, sweating
In most cases these are simply signs of poisoning.Just like with chronic sore throats, bronchitis and so on.Normally, such symptoms do not bother you, but even a slight exacerbation leads to a deterioration in the general condition;There is a fairly clear connection between the level of inflammation and the degree of sweating, weakness and apathy.As the condition improves, these symptoms disappear.The problem is by no means specific to prostatitis.But it helps, for example, to assess the severity of the exacerbation.
Headache and dizziness
Dizziness and migraines can occur either immediately after the crime or after a day or two.They are “vegetative” reactions that are usually accompanied by an exacerbation of prostatitis, more often in people with a tendency to vascular reactions.Of course a non-specific symptom.Perhaps for dozens if not hundreds of other diseases.But we will definitely take it into account.And of course we can remove it during the course of treatment.