What does the Prostate actually do?

Factual Questions
41

some people don’t appreciate humour do they?! :wally

42

Im still waiting for medical science to find a link between HPV 16 or 18 & prostate cancer. It seems all too simple, really. They cause cervical cancer in women, why not something like this for men?

43

Jesus! This information is probably available in a thousand different places on the Web. Why are you clogging up GQ with it. Use your search enginge, fercrisakes!

44

You’re 100% correct, Galen, but note that this thread started up in November. Traffic was a good 30-40% lower then, and the urgency was a lot lower.

I’m inclined to go easy on the OP for that reason. Besides, we can’t get mad at all the questions that might be answered with a search. We’d go out of business!

45

I’ve just discovered this interesting thread, interesting for me since I have BPH. And I am not old. I am only age 63!:slight_smile: It was discovered after I became sick about two years ago, and a routine urine exam showed my PSA was 11! Consequently, I had a biopsy. Let me tell you, that is painful. You may not dislike sticking a finger there, and may even enjoy sticking your own (since it massages the prostate and stimulates pleasure-giving nerves), but you definitely will dislike the biopsy. (B)SIX(/B)needles! I repeat SIX needles (three on each side). A sonogram disclosed the BPH. Doctor offered medicine but I initially refused because I thought I’d give saw palmetto a try. I read some good things about saw palmetto vis a vis BPH.

Oh, BTW, the elevated PSA was caused by prostatitis (an inflammation of the prostate), which I had at the same time I had a flu.

Saw palmetto didn’t work for me. I see the doc every six months and get a uroflow, which measures the force of my stream. So I finally have been taking the medicine, which is an alpha blocker, Flowmax. I also continue to take saw palmetto since it affects a different system (conversion of testosterone to DHT) and it doesn’t hurt any. No side effects.

Irritation of the prostate, such as the digital rectal exam, and recent sex may elevate the PSA, but only slightly. If you get an 11, something’s wrong. It wasn’t the BPH that caused the increase, but the infection.