# How?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how/358012>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [May 24, 2006, 8:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how/358012 "2006-05-24T08:10:05Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![beebee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47774/32.png) [@beebee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beebee)\
**Post date:** [May 24, 2006, 8:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how/358012/1 "2006-05-24T08:10:05Z")

</div>

i tried to post his yeaterday. i’m sorry if another shows up from “the twilight zone”, but this is just wierd.

i was getting a rx filled yesterday, and noticed that behind the counter, there were several " self prostate exam " kits.

i am speechless. a condition that i am not known for.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Mr.Wiseguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Mr.Wiseguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Wiseguy)\
**Post date:** [May 24, 2006, 8:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how/358012/2 "2006-05-24T08:24:21Z")

</div>

Apparently, not everyone can do it on their own:

[link](http://www.gettingit.com/article/517)

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Anastasaeon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/73ab20/32.png) [@Anastasaeon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anastasaeon)\
**Post date:** [May 24, 2006, 8:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how/358012/3 "2006-05-24T08:31:31Z")

</div>

Erm… I can’t be certain, since I’m a woman, but I can’t imagine what would be in those kits except maybe instructions. As far as I know (and please, men, step up and correct me if I am in error):

Probably easiest to reach, since the finger must be palm-up to feel it, is for the man to squat down, reach between his legs from the front side, insert and give it a feel. A healthy prostate should feel somewhat firm and squishy, anything that feels hard requires a doctor’s attention.

Keep in mind, though, I am just recalling this from high school sex ed class (a class that I was paying extra special fascinated attention to, as some will not be surprised to know).

Things may have changed enormously since then, though it was only 1995 when I learned that, medical science has made leaps and bounds since even then. Maybe there’s some sort of tool in there? (_No_ pun intended.)

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Hirundo82](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/919ad9/32.png) [@Hirundo82](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hirundo82)\
**Post date:** [May 24, 2006, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how/358012/4 "2006-05-24T20:56:22Z")

</div>

I expect it is actually a home test kit for prostate-specific antigen, which is elevated in prostate cancer and some benign prostatic problems. As has been noted, a digital prostate exam doesn’t really require much in the way of a kit.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\
**Post date:** [May 24, 2006, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how/358012/5 "2006-05-24T21:27:45Z")

</div>

Reminds me of the funniest entry in the oft-cited “Hall of Misplaced Quotation Marks”: a sign for a business offered:

> [@](#):
>
> Free “Prostate Exams” given here

:eek:

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Hal\_Briston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9a28c/32.png) [@Hal\_Briston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hal_Briston)\
**Post date:** [May 25, 2006, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how/358012/6 "2006-05-25T04:05:14Z")

</div>

Admit it – you only gave this that name for sequential thread title purposes, didn’t 'cha?