Any healthy man can develop prostatitis;no one is immune to it.Even astronauts and athletes with an ideal lifestyle are in the “risk zone”.Knowing the symptoms will help you spot prostatitis early and start treatment.
Urinary disorders
The urethra, the urethra, passes through the prostate.One of its functions is to control the flow of urine, opening and closing the outlet from the bladder.Therefore, when the prostate is irritated or inflamed, problems with urination often begin.
Increase or decrease in stimulus
Symptomatic of prostatitis is precisely the increase in the frequency of stimuli with a decrease in the amount of urine in one portion.Only an increase in the frequency of pulses with the same portion and volume can be 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 significantly and therefore a person runs to the toilet more often.This normally happens, for example, when eating watermelons.The portions of urine are large or enormous.
But when the same amount of urine comes out in one day, but is distributed over 10-30 trips to the toilet, the size of each portion, of course, becomes many 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 may be fairly constant or it may fluctuate.If the irritant temporarily weakens the effect, for example when the inflammation subsides.In the case of chronic prostatitis this does not indicate a cure, but an improvement in the condition.This is important in a diagnostic sense
Weakening of urine flow
A weak flow of urine is an important symptom characteristic of a prostate problem.It is usually caused by two main diseases.Adenoma (hyperplasia) of the prostate gland and prostatitis.It is easy to distinguish them.Adenoma, as a rule, appears in older people, and prostatitis, more often in young active men.In any case, it is a symptom that requires examination of the prostate and not other organs.Exceptions are rare (stones, urethral stricture).
The dependence of the strength of the urine stream on the effect on the gland is specific.From ejaculation, sexual intercourse, or the lack thereof.From walking or sitting for a long time.From violating the diet or following it.
Unpleasant sensations
Very characteristic is not only the increased frequency of impulses, but also unpleasant sensations during urination.When you eat watermelon, for example, you may run to the bathroom every 10-15 minutes, but the sensation is quite pleasant and satisfying.But prostatitis will give you a very unpleasant and “imperative” urge to go to the toilet.This brings relief, but for a fairly short period.At night, the urge appears more often and is often more unpleasant.This can interfere with sleep and is often a major complaint.
Urine portion sizes
The size of urine portions decreases.This is due both to the irritating effect of inflammation of the prostate and to the increased sensitivity of the urinary tract in case of inflammation.Hypersensitivity - gives the feeling that a lot of urine has already accumulated in the bladder, "half a bucket" - but in reality there is literally 30-100 ml of it.
Portion sizes may vary.With more fluids, urinary tract irritation decreases as the urine becomes more dilute.It turns out a paradox: a person drinks more fluids, but goes to the toilet less often, due to the increase in portions.
Sharp and urgent impulses
Imperative impulses (acute): More common during exacerbation or with age.They can force a man to refuse trips or make his way “from bathroom to bathroom.”In advanced cases, this leads the man to the need to wear a diaper.On the one hand, urine flows weaker and on the other, when you feel like it, you have to go to the toilet.At any cost.
It is almost impossible to “endure” such a need
Dripping of urine
After urination, some urine always remains.“No matter how much you shake your penis, the last one will be in your panties” - folk wisdom.However, a small amount corresponds to 1-2-3 drops of urine, no more.Any visible excess of this norm is quite typical for a urinary tract problem in a man, 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 further analysis is required.More often, secretions do not depend on urination, are thicker than urine, can be clear, colored, transparent and cloudy... They require mandatory analysis to identify the cause.It can be a sign of both prostatitis and urethritis or a venereal disease.
Pain
Just as a sore throat hurts with sore throat, the lower abdomen, perineum, groin, lower back or sacrum also hurts with prostatitis.
Where and how exactly does it hurt?
The pain can also "radiate" to the scrotum, legs, sometimes to the abdomen, up to the level of the navel and even higher.What is important for us is the nature of these pains, their connection with other symptoms and with external causes.
When and why they appear
A connection with lifestyle, sedentary work, ejaculation or abstinence allows you to practically exclude prostatitis or suspect it with a high probability.Therefore, constant pain that does not depend on these causes can more often be a manifestation of a "neurological" cause, such as CPPS, chronic pelvic pain syndrome.But the pain that appears after ejaculation lasts for several hours or days.or, on the contrary, it disappears after ejaculation for hours and days: it is very likely that it is associated with prostatitis.
Duration
Anyone.The duration may depend on the severity of the flare-up and other concomitant diseases.For example, depression will cause constant excruciating pain even with minor prostatitis.A painless form of prostatitis can mask the disease, even for many years.
That is, one cannot judge the disease and its severity only by this symptom.
What makes it better or worse?
This is the main thing that worries the doctor.
The location, nature or duration of pain can be very different for the same disease.But the dependence of the condition on ejaculation, sedentary work or walking, overexcitation, cooling or spicy food - quite accurately helps us determine both the diagnosis itself and the direction of treatment and preventive measures that will make it possible to practically heal from chronic prostatitis.
Pain in the heart, back and other organs
The prostate is a small organ in the pelvis.But its inflammation can affect the entire body.
The first way of influence is intoxication.As with any serious inflammation, such as the flu, the whole body or a large part of it can cause pain.Likewise, the body can hurt with prostatitis, with its exacerbation.
The second mechanism of pain in distant areas (head, heart, hypochondrium, legs) is neurological.Along the path of the nerves and spine, pain can "radiate" to quite distant areas of the body and even form "secondary" foci of inflammation.For example, in the lumbosacral region.And from there the pain can “radiate,” radiating to the thoracic and cervical spine, the legs and almost everywhere else.
Erection problems
“Officially” erection should not be affected by inflammation of the prostate.It has other mechanisms of development that are not directly related to this "second heart" of a man.However, in practice, 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 "ignition" of the penis - to an indirect, regulatory mechanism, similar to the weakening and slowing of erection during long-term abstinence in adult men (not in adolescents, of course).
Fortunately, this erectile dysfunction is treated very well and reliably.Unless a psychological factor is added.A man with mild prostatitis experiences a slight decrease in erectile function.He begins to worry, listen to the penis - and neurosis completely destroys his erection at the root.This is the third and most serious mechanism of influence of prostatitis on erection.
Ejaculation disorders
Ejaculation (ejaculation) is the release of sperm, ejaculated from the penis at the end of sexual intercourse.Performed by the pelvic floor and prostate muscles.More often the symptom is a weakening of this release, a decrease in “range” and a reduction in sexual intercourse.Sometimes, or temporarily, a prolongation of sexual intercourse may occur, the man cannot "cum" in any way.
Sperm expulsion force
When a muscle weakens, its work and action are weakened.The composition of the ejaculate and sperm changes and the force of expulsion also changes.
This is important for three reasons.The former is one of the most accurate signs of prostate damage.Almost all other manifestations and symptoms can occur in other diseases.But the weakening of secretions is pathognomonic, specific to prostatitis.
Second reason.The decrease in production is a factor that worsens the condition of the prostate after sexual intercourse, causing POIS (post-orgasm malaise syndrome).
During treatment, men with POIS report a worsening of their condition due to weak and ineffective sperm production.And vice versa: they say more and more often that high-quality ejaculation did not give symptoms of POIS.Not 100%, but very likely.Third, this is probably the main factor that prevents a man suffering from prostatitis from healing without medical procedures.As soon as the sperm release force is normalized, the main mechanism for maintaining male health is activated - self-cleaning of the prostate gland.
Blurred sensations
Instead of a vivid orgasm, the man feels something like “peeing in boiling water” or “feeling almost nothing.”
The strength of sensations can vary and also serves as a fairly accurate sign of prostate problems or as a sign that improvement is starting.
Color, quantity and consistency of ejaculate
One of the important objective parameters concerns the prostate and prostatitis.Often, semen analysis is performed only to determine fertility and chances of conception.However, semen analysis provides a lot of information about the state of the prostate.So, the color of sperm and ejaculate is normally milky white, cloudy.The consistency is medium-dense, there must be “viscosity”, the extensibility of a drop of sperm in the form of a thread.The smell is specific, without any admixture of the smell of rot, pus and so on.
Any changes in these parameters require urgent examination if there is no diagnosis and treatment yet, for example when a diagnosis of prostatitis is already available.
The color (bright white, yellowish and greenish) indicates the presence of an impurity in the sperm, often of an inflammatory and purulent nature.
Transparency indicates reduced prostate function.And almost certainly on microscopic analysis there will be few "lecithin grains", which indicates a decrease in the function of this particular organ, although not necessarily due to inflammation.
The quantity can be different, it can even vary normally, depending on the rhythm of sexual life.A stable decrease or increase in the amount of sperm causes alarm.Perhaps this is a manifestation of "blockage" of a part of the prostatic tubules or simply a decrease in the production of ejaculate.
Not 100%, but a fairly characteristic symptom of chronic prostatitis.
Hemospermia
Let us consider separately hematospermia, an admixture of blood in the sperm.It can be evident simply with the eye, more often with blood vessel damage, with calliculitis, with cancer and finally with trauma.Blood can be bright scarlet or old, dark, venous.In any case, this requires urgent analysis of ejaculate and other tests.
There is also a small amount of blood in the ejaculate: microhemospermia.Often occurs during exacerbation of prostatitis, along with an increase in the number of leukocytes.Sometimes this option can be treated perfectly by fortifying the body;many urologists, just in case, administer a complex vitamin preparation in a good course, often together with zinc, selenium and so on.
This is analogous to bleeding gums.Loose and inflamed gums bleed very often.And after the inflammation is eliminated and the gums are strengthened, the blood mixture, of course, disappears.There is no need to be afraid of this symptom if you know the reason for the appearance of blood in the semen.
Decreased libido
A very important symptom.Officially, it shouldn't appear even with prostatitis.In practice, two mechanisms are usually involved.
The first is intoxication.With any inflammation, from the flu to a sore throat, libido and sex drive can decrease.The body focuses on other tasks.
Secondly, perhaps libido is influenced by something similar to the Tarkhanov and Belov phenomena.The symptom is not specific, it can occur, for example, with a depressive background, which can manifest itself with any chronic disease and even without it.But in combination with other manifestations, we consider this decrease important and significant.Also to influence the recovery prospects.If this problem is not solved and the man remains with a reduced libido, it is difficult to talk about curing prostatitis.A decrease will lead to an irregular sex life, stagnation in the pelvis and an increased risk of flare-ups.
Other indirect signs
Weakness, lethargy, sweating
In most cases these are simply manifestations of intoxication.Just like with chronic sore throat, bronchitis and so on.Usually such symptoms do not bother you, but even with a slight exacerbation, a deterioration of the general condition appears;there is a fairly clear proportionality between the strength of the inflammation and the degree of sweating, weakness and apathy.As the condition improves, such symptoms disappear.The problem is not specific to prostatitis at all.But it helps, for example, to evaluate the strength of the flare-up.
Headache and dizziness
Dizziness and migraines may appear immediately after the act or after a day or two.They are “vegetative” reactions that usually accompany the exacerbation of prostatitis, more often in people with a tendency to vascular reactions.A nonspecific symptom, obviously.Perhaps for dozens, if not hundreds of other diseases.But we will certainly take it into account.And of course we can remove it during the course of treatment.