Prostatitis

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What is prostatitis? — Prostatitis is an infection or inflammation of the prostate gland. The prostate gland is present only in men. Its job is to make some of the fluid that men release during sex. The prostate gland forms a ring around the urethra, the tube that carries urine from the bladder to the end of the penis.

What causes prostatitis? — Prostatitis can be “acute” or “chronic.” Acute prostatitis is usually caused by bacteria. Chronic prostatitis is sometimes caused by a bacteria. But chronic prostatitis can sometimes happen even when there is no bacterial infection.

What are the symptoms of prostatitis? — There are different types of prostatitis, and they each cause different symptoms.

  • Men with acute prostatitis can have:
  • Fever
  • Chills
  • Flu-like symptoms
  • Muscle pain
  • Pain when they urinate
  • Pain in or near the groin or genitals
  • Cloudy urine
  • Men with chronic prostatitis sometimes have no symptoms. When they do have symptoms, they can:
  • Have pain when they urinate
  • Feel like they have to urinate a lot more often than normal
  • Have the sudden need to urinate in a hurry
  • Have pain in or near the groin or genitals
  • Have a low-grade fever

Should I see a doctor or nurse? — See your doctor or nurse if you have:

  • A lot of pain in your groin or genitals
  • Trouble urinating
  • Fever or chills

Is there a test for prostatitis? — Yes, but it is not perfect. Your doctor and nurse can check your urine and the fluid that comes out of your prostate gland for signs of infection. But these tests do not always find the problem.

How is prostatitis treated? — In general, the treatment for prostatitis is antibiotics. The right antibiotics for you will depend on the type of prostatitis you have and the type of bacteria (if any) that show up on your tests. If antibiotics do not help, you might have chronic prostatitis that is not caused by a bacterial infection. In this case, your doctor might give you other medicines to help with your symptoms.

If you have problems urinating, you might also get medicines to help make it easier to urinate.