Any healthy man can develop prostatitis;no one is safe from it.Even astronauts and athletes with an ideal lifestyle are in the “risk zone”.Knowing the symptoms will help you detect prostatitis in time and start treatment.
Urinary problems
The urethra, the urethra, passes through the prostate.One of whose functions is to control the flow of urine, opening and closing the outlet of the bladder.Therefore, when the prostate becomes irritated or inflamed, problems with urination often begin.
Increased or decreased need
The symptomatic of prostatitis is precisely the increase in the frequency of impulses with a decrease in the amount of urine in one portion.A simple increase in the frequency of impulses with the same portion and volume can be either the norm (I just started drinking more fluid), or a sign of a disease such as diabetes - diabetes mellitus or diabetes without sugar.That is, the total amount of urine per day increases sharply and, as a result, a person runs to the toilet more often.Normally this happens, for example, when eating watermelons.Portions of urine are large or huge.
But when 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, of course, becomes 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.If the irritant temporarily weakens the effect, for example when 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 the urinary stream
A weak stream of urine is an important symptom characteristic of a prostate problem.It is generally caused by two main diseases.Adenoma (hyperplasia) of the prostate and prostatitis.It is easy to distinguish them.As a rule, adenoma appears in older people, and prostatitis, more often in active young men.In all cases, this is a symptom that requires examination of the prostate and not other organs.Exceptions are rare (stones, urethral stenosis).
The dependence of the force of the urine stream on the effect on the gland is specific.Of ejaculation, sexual intercourse or lack thereof.Prolonged walking or sitting.To violate the regime or to follow it.
Unpleasant sensations
Very characteristic is not only an increased frequency of impulses, but also unpleasant sensations during urination.When eating watermelon, for example, you might run to the bathroom every 10-15 minutes, but the feeling is quite pleasant and satisfying.But prostatitis will give you a very unpleasant “compelling” urge to go to the toilet.This brings relief – but for a fairly short duration.At night, the urge appears more often and is often more unpleasant.This can disrupt sleep and is often one of the main complaints.
Urine serving sizes
The size of urine portions decreases.This is due to both the irritant effect of prostate inflammation and the increased sensitivity of the urinary tract to inflammation.Hypersensitivity - gives the impression that a lot of urine has already accumulated in the bladder, "half a bucket" - but in fact there is literally 30-100 ml.
Portion sizes may vary.With more fluid, urinary tract irritation lessens as the urine becomes more dilute.It turns out to be a paradox: a person drinks more fluid, but goes to the toilet less often, due to increasing portions.
Strong and urgent desires
Imperative (strong) needs – more common during an exacerbation or with age.They can force a man to refuse to travel or to move “from toilet to toilet”.In advanced cases, this leads to a man having to wear a diaper.On the one hand, urine flows more weakly, and on the other, when you feel like it, you have to go to the toilet.At all costs.
It is almost impossible to “bear” such a desire
Urine flows
There is always a little urine left after urination.“No matter how much you shake your penis, the last one will be in your panties” - popular wisdom.However, a little corresponds to 1-2-3 drops of urine, no more.Any visible excess of this norm is quite typical for a problem with the urinary tract 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 additional analysis is necessary.Most often, the discharge does not depend on urination, is thicker than urine, can be clear, colored, transparent and cloudy... They require mandatory analysis to identify the cause.This may be a sign of prostatitis and urethritis, or venereal disease.
Pain
Just as a sore throat hurts with a sore throat, the lower abdomen, perineum, groin, lower back or sacrum also hurts with prostatitis.
Where and how does it hurt exactly?
The pain can also “radiate” to the scrotum, the legs, sometimes to the stomach, to the level of the navel and even higher.What is important for us is the nature of this pain, its link with other symptoms and with 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 probability.Thus, constant pain that does not depend on these causes can most often be the manifestation of a “neurological” cause, such as CPPS, chronic pelvic pain syndrome.But the pain appears after ejaculation for several hours or days.or on the contrary, it disappears after ejaculation for hours and days - most likely it is associated with prostatitis.
Duration
Any one.The duration may depend on the severity of the exacerbation and other concomitant diseases.For example, depression will cause constant excruciating pain, even with minor prostatitis.A painless form of prostatitis may mask the disease, perhaps for many years.
In other words, we cannot judge the disease and its severity based on this symptom alone.
What makes things better or worse?
This is the main thing that worries the doctor.
The location, nature or duration of the pain can be very different for the same disease.But the dependence of the disease on ejaculation, sedentary work or walking, overexcitement, cooling or spicy foods - helps us to fairly accurately determine both the diagnosis itself and the direction of treatment and preventive measures that will allow practically recovering from chronic prostatitis.
Pain in the heart, back and other organs
The prostate is a small organ of the pelvis.But its inflammation can affect the entire body.
The first means of influence is drunkenness.As with any serious inflammation, such as the flu, the whole body, or most of it, can be injured.In the same way, the body can suffer from prostatitis, with its exacerbation.
The second mechanism of pain in distant areas (head, heart, hypochondrium, legs) is neurological.Throughout the course of the nerves and the spine, pain can “radiate” to fairly 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, to the legs and almost everywhere.
Erection problems
“Officially”, an erection should not be affected by inflammation of the prostate.It has other mechanisms of development which are not directly linked to this “second heart” of man.However, in practice, the erection is impaired.At least during an exacerbation.There may be several mechanisms - from the direct effect of inflammation of a neighboring organ on the "turning on" of the penis - to an indirect regulatory mechanism, similar to weakening, slowing down the erection during long-term abstinence in adult men (not in adolescents, of course).
Fortunately, this erectile dysfunction is treated very effectively 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 the influence of prostatitis on erection.
Ejaculation disorders
Ejaculation (ejaculation) is the release of sperm, ejaculated from the penis at the end of sexual intercourse.Carried out by the muscles of the pelvic floor and prostate.Most often, the symptom is a weakening of this release, a decrease in the “firing range” and a shortening of sexual intercourse.Sometimes, or temporarily, there may be a prolongation of sexual intercourse, the man cannot “enjoy” under any circumstances.
Sperm ejection force
When a muscle weakens, its work and action weaken.The composition of ejaculate and sperm changes, as well as the force of ejection.
This is important for three reasons.The first is one of the most definite signs of prostate damage.Almost all other manifestations and symptoms can occur in other diseases.But the weakening of the discharge is pathognomonic, specific specifically for prostatitis.
Second reason.Decreased flow is a factor that worsens the condition of the prostate after sexual intercourse, causing POIS (post-orgasm discomfort syndrome).
During treatment, men with POIS report a worsening of their condition following low and ineffective sperm production.And vice versa - they increasingly say that high-quality ejaculation does not give symptoms of PEAS.Not 100%, but very likely.Third, it is probably the main factor that prevents a man with prostatitis from being cured without a medical procedure.As soon as the force of sperm release is normalized, the main mechanism for maintaining male health is activated - “self-cleaning” of the prostate.
Blurred sensations
Instead of an intense orgasm, the man feels something like "peeing in boiling water" or "felt almost nothing."
The strength of the sensations can fluctuate and is also a fairly specific sign of problems with the prostate or a sign that it is starting to improve.
Color, quantity and consistency of ejaculate
One of the important objective parameters related to prostate and prostatitis.Often, semen analysis is done only to determine fertility and chances of conception.However, semen analysis provides a lot of information about the condition of the prostate.Thus, the color of semen and ejaculate is normally milky white, cloudy.The consistency is moderately thick, there should be “stickiness”, the extensibility of a drop of semen in the form of a thread.The smell is specific, without any admixture of the smell of rot, pus, etc.
Any changes in these parameters require urgent examination if there is no diagnosis yet and treatment - 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 semen, often of an inflammatory and purulent nature.
Transparency indicates a decrease in prostate function.And there will almost certainly be few "lecithin grains" in the microscopic analysis, indicating a decrease in function of that particular organ, but not necessarily due to inflammation.
The quantity can be different, it can also fluctuate normally, depending on the rhythm of sexual life.A stable decrease or increase in the amount of spermatozoa causes an alarm.This may be a manifestation of a “blockage” of part of the prostate tubules, or simply a decrease in ejaculate production.
Not 100%, but a fairly characteristic symptom of chronic prostatitis.
Hemospermia
Let's separately consider hemospermia - an admixture of blood in semen.This can be noticeable simply in the eyes, most often in cases of blood vessel damage, calliculitis, cancer and finally trauma.The blood can be either bright scarlet or old, dark, venous.In any case, this requires urgent ejaculate analysis and other examinations.
There is also an admixture of a small amount of blood in the ejaculate - microhemospermia.Often occurs during an exacerbation of prostatitis, accompanied by an increase in the number of leukocytes.Sometimes this option can be perfectly treated by strengthening the body;many urologists, just in case, give a good treatment to a complex vitamin preparation, often accompanied by zinc, selenium, etc.
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 the reason for the appearance of blood in the semen is known.
Decreased libido
A very important symptom.Officially, this should not appear in cases of prostatitis either.In practice, two mechanisms are generally involved.
The first is drunkenness.With any inflammation, from the flu to a sore throat, libido and sexual desire can decrease.The body turns to other tasks.
Second, libido is perhaps influenced by something similar to the Tarkhanov and Belov phenomena.The symptom is not specific, it can also occur, for example, in a depressive context, which can appear with any chronic illness and even without it.But in combination with other manifestations, we consider this decrease to be important and significant.Including to influence the recovery prospects.If this problem is not resolved and the man is left with a reduced libido, it is difficult to talk about curing prostatitis.A decrease will lead to irregular sex life, stagnation of the pelvis and an increased risk of exacerbations.
Other indirect signs
Weakness, lethargy, sweating
Most often, these are simply manifestations of intoxication.Just like for chronic sore throats, bronchitis, etc.Usually, such symptoms do not bother you, but even with a slight exacerbation, a deterioration in 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, these symptoms disappear.The problem is not at all specific to prostatitis.But this makes it possible to assess the strength of the exacerbation, for example.
Headaches and dizziness
Dizziness and migraines may appear either immediately after the act or after a day or two.These are “vegetative” reactions that usually accompany the exacerbation of prostatitis, most often in people with a tendency to vascular reactions.A non-specific symptom, of course.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 treatment.