# Is Prostate Self-Examination Feasible? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 7, 2004, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-prostate-self-examination-feasible/238751 "2004-04-07T15:08:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Surreal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eada6e/32.png) [@Surreal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Surreal)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2004, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-prostate-self-examination-feasible/238751/1 "2004-04-07T15:08:28Z")
It is routinely recommended that women periodically examine their breasts, and that men periodically examine their testicles. This advice does not preclude getting a mammogram or visiting a doctor, but is meant to supplement routine medical care and to promote early detection of possible cancers. Using the same logic, wouldn’t it also be possible for a man to examine his own prostate, as a precautionary measure? Assuming that it is possible to reach your prostate, how would one go about examining it?? Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Moto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de0a6/32.png) [@Mr.Moto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Moto)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2004, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-prostate-self-examination-feasible/238751/2 "2004-04-07T15:27:38Z")
First off, the angles are all wrong. Also, most people don’t know what they’re looking for. Testicular lunps, by comparison, are easy to notice. ---
**Author:** ![plnnr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@plnnr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/plnnr)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2004, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-prostate-self-examination-feasible/238751/3 "2004-04-07T15:32:37Z")
There are so many smart-ass answers - the mind boggles. Sure, as long as you knew what you were feeling for and knew what was “normal” vs “hmm…that doesn’t feel right.” Of course, watching the Dr’s expression as you explain why you’re there to see him would be worth the price of admission. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2004, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-prostate-self-examination-feasible/238751/4 "2004-04-07T15:32:39Z")
Only if you’re Mr. Fantastic. " My God Reed! What _are_ you doing?!" ---
**Author:** ![Bromley](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4da419/32.png) [@Bromley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bromley)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2004, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-prostate-self-examination-feasible/238751/5 "2004-04-07T15:35:39Z")
Where do you get your questions from? 🙂 This [site](http://www.cancernetwork.com/) would indicate that there’s no common self-test, as they don’t list it in their patient guides. You’re of course looking for an answer along the lines of, “Take the index finger, insert up anus, feel prostate for irregularites.” I doubt that that would work due to it being a bit of a stretch, working in confined spaces and the gland not being all that large. IANAD and YMMV 🙂 . It seems that you can get a self test kit, but [The Prostate Cancer Charity](http://www.prostate-cancer.org.uk/news/fullstory.asp?id=1325)UK based) advises that you visit your GP if concerned rather than self testing. I’m sorry to report that, from that article, it seems unlikely that a self test kit is some kind of super-sensitive finglongerer, but rather a blood test. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2004, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-prostate-self-examination-feasible/238751/6 "2004-04-07T15:43:50Z")
I had one two weeks ago. The doctor said to me, “Time for another prostate exam.” I said, 'Well it’s no big deal for you I guess." He asked, “Why, because I’m poker and you’re pokee?” I laughed. ---
**Author:** ![KP](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/a9adbd/32.png) [@KP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KP)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2004, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-prostate-self-examination-feasible/238751/7 "2004-04-07T16:19:53Z")
I don’t know why Mr. Moto feels the angles are all wrong. The physicial part would actually be quite easy. You wouldn’t reach from behind (as many people use toilet paper); reaching between your legs, in a sitting position would give an ideal alignment that is at least as convenient, if not more, than my hand position when I examine a patient’s prostate from behind. He is quite right that a layman is unlikely to know what changes are significance, but frankly, that’s not brain surgery (fill in your own joke). The patient will know the feel of their own prostate better than I would, and might be able to detect a change sooner, if only because they can conveniently check more often. The biggest problem would be memory. After a few dozen prostates, a doctor gets a good idea of the various forms of normal, and can describe the rubberiness and internal texture accurately in a few words that will draw a clear picture in their mind a year later when they re-read their notes for the next exam. A layman might forget exactly what it felt like last time, especially if they do it infrequently, but I suspect that after a dozen or so conscientious self-exams, they could develop a pretty good memory of what _their_ normal felt like. IF your doctor teaches s/he may have a rubber model that replicates the texture of various important findings. If not, s/he can usually get one from a drug rep. The things you look for are not hard to detect. The substance of a normal prostate is uniform and feels a lot like the eraser on the end of a pencil. With increasing age it tends to get a bit firmer, but not really hard. Sometimes the duct can be felt. If you know your own prostate well, it wouldn’t be difficult to learn to detect new fluctuent areas of liquid, firmer masses or grainy hard particles within this fairly uniform body, especially if they are fairly near the surface. You might even have an advantage in self-exam due to internal sensation: you would know exactly the sensation in your prostate feels when _you_ palpate it, and might notice tenderness or other changes earlier and more reliably than you’d notice the less familiar sensations of having your prostate palpated every year or more, perhaps by different doctors. It would be important to check all parts of the prostate, all the way out to the outer edges (which might not be obvious to a layman), a sloppy exam could lead to false reassurance. It’s also important to be completely honest with yourself, and make sure to follow up any unusual findings promptly with a physician. I wouldn’t rely on my off-the-cuff description above (I’m already thinking of ways I could improve it.) However, I do believe that it would be possible to construct a useful prostate self-exam training program for laymen. In fact, I’m halfway considering doing it. Of course, there would have to be many studies to validate its benefits, if any. Maybe I’ll search the literature later today. I would absolutely not advise _replacing_ a physician exam with self exam. In fact, I am not advising _anything_ in this post. It is strictly for information purposes. I do believe, however, that regular careful prostate self-exam (don’t injure yourself!) might be a helpful adjunct, if the patient were properly instructed. Again: don’t skip the physician exam, and see a physician if you find _anything_ unusual. Some significant findings can be subtle, especially deep within the tissue. ---
**Author:** ![Philster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/13edae/32.png) [@Philster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philster)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2004, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-prostate-self-examination-feasible/238751/8 "2004-04-07T16:36:49Z")
I would say that the biggest threat is cancer, and that a PSA test is going to show signs of trouble much better than a self test. In breasts, finding a lump is a big deal, and failry do-able. But those at risk for prostrate cancer have the PSA test, and it says a lot about your prostrate health. ---
**Author:** ![Philster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/13edae/32.png) [@Philster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philster)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2004, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-prostate-self-examination-feasible/238751/9 "2004-04-07T16:39:19Z")
_prostate_ I know! …Get tested every damn year. Dad had it.