Make Your Man More Virile - 100 Basic Questions on Men's Sexual and Reproductive Health

Author: Wang He / Country: Mainland China
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-05-01
Features:
39. How to Determine if Your Prostate is Healthy
In the early stages of prostatitis or the initial phase of subclinical prostatitis, the human body often shows no obvious discomfort or symptoms. Therefore, the detection and diagnosis of early-stage prostatitis primarily rely on hospital examinations of the prostate. Generally, if adult males experience one or more of the following abnormal phenomena that cannot be explained by other causes, they should undergo prostatic cytology or and/or etiological tests.
- Significantly yellow urine: Normal urine is slightly yellow or pale yellow and clear. However, temporary or occasional yellowish or cloudy urine may also occur due to insufficient water intake, excessive sweating, prolonged urinary retention, certain foods, or medications.
- Urethral itching or pain: Urethral itching can occur in the anterior, posterior, or entire urethra. It is often relieved after taking medications like ciprofloxacin but may recur shortly after discontinuation.
- Split urine stream: Under normal physiological conditions, male urine flows as a single, continuous stream through the urethral meatus. If the urine splits into two streams during excretion, it is considered a split urine stream. The primary cause is an incomplete opening of the urethral meatus, often due to urethral malformation or the formation of dry secretions (such as prostatic fluid or seminal fluid) at the meatus. Under normal physiological conditions, a split urine stream may also occur due to sexual arousal or ejaculation, but this is usually occasional. However, split urine stream caused by prostatitis tends to occur frequently, even with every urination, sometimes leading to fear of urination due to concerns about wetting the pants or polluting the environment.
- Incomplete urination and dribbling: Normal males can confidently retract their penis after urination, but prostatitis may cause a sensation of incomplete urination without further discharge or a feeling of incomplete urination followed by a small amount of urine leakage after retracting the penis. Some individuals with subclinical prostatitis may also experience a tightening sensation at the base of the penis, affecting urination.
- Nocturia: Nocturia refers to the interruption of sleep and urination due to the urge to urinate after falling asleep at night. Under normal physiological conditions, unless caused by excessive fluid intake before bed, diuretic foods or medications, insomnia, or cold weather, nocturia does not typically occur. Nocturia caused by physiological factors is often sporadic, has clear triggers, and involves a larger urine volume. In prostatitis, nocturia is frequent, has no clear triggers, and involves smaller urine volumes each time.
- Leaking white fluid: Leaking white fluid refers to the discharge of clear or cloudy white or grayish sticky fluid from the urethral meatus after urination or defecation. The clear or white sticky fluid is prostatic fluid, which increases in secretion due to inflammation.
- Frequent nocturnal emissions: Nocturnal emissions are a normal physiological phenomenon in adult males, marking an important sign of sexual development and maturation. Normal adult males typically experience 1–2 nocturnal emissions per month, but they may occur more frequently under sexual stimulation. In prostatitis, nocturnal emissions may occur multiple times or even frequently without sexual stimulation, sometimes leading to fear of sleep due to concerns about emissions.
- Premature ejaculation: Premature ejaculation refers to uncontrollable ejaculation under minimal stimulation or before achieving sexual satisfaction or climax. In subclinical prostatitis, premature ejaculation is often irregular, typically occurring occasionally in the early stages. As prostatitis worsens, the frequency of premature ejaculation may increase.
- Changes in sexual function: Changes in sexual function are a common early symptom in individuals with subclinical prostatitis. This can manifest as either hypersexuality or hyposexuality.
- Moisture in the perineal area: Particularly in the scrotal skin, moisture in the perineal area is a common early symptom of subclinical prostatitis. This moisture often causes itching or eczema-like lesions in the perineum and scrotum, which may lead to skin breakdown and neurodermatitis due to scratching.
- Perineal fullness or discomfort: Perineal fullness or discomfort is often a sensation of heaviness or unease between the scrotum and anus. It is usually relieved after ejaculation, urination, defecation, hot baths, or rest.
- Lower back or sacral discomfort or pain: Lower back or sacral discomfort or pain is a common early symptom in individuals with subclinical prostatitis but typically lacks obvious trigger points. This discomfort is often unilateral but may also be bilateral.
- Vaginitis in the wife after intercourse: Since pathogens infecting the prostate can enter the wife's vagina with semen, they often cause sexual intercourse-related vaginitis in the wife.
P83-85