Patient's question:
I have prostatitis, and I have been experiencing frequent urination. When I urinate in the morning, there is still a white discharge. I also always feel that my scrotum is very damp, and sometimes the perineum is very painful. This condition is quite difficult to treat and not easy to recover from. Moreover, I am worried that this disease might lead to infertility. Does prostatitis cause infertility?Doctor's answer:
Prostatitis can lead to an increase in prostatic fluid secretion, thereby also increasing semen volume, which affects sperm viability and motility. Additionally, elevated enzyme activity in prostatic fluid enhances semen viscosity, shortening the liquefaction time of semen. Prostatitis can also cause an increase in semen pH, leading to the body producing antisperm antibodies that make sperm susceptible to death. The prolonged presence of inflammation results in a significant bacterial load in prostatic fluid, which depletes the nutritional components of seminal plasma and impairs sperm survival. While it is proven that prostatitis can indeed affect fertility, it is not absolute. Furthermore, during the treatment of prostatitis, in addition to symptomatic treatment, the patient's dietary condition and psychological state are also crucial.