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Benign prostatic hypertrophy tends to increase with age. Treatment for an enlarged prostate can have unwanted effects and affect your sex life.
1. Overview of benign prostatic hypertrophy
Benign prostatic hypertrophy, also known as prostatic hyperplasia, is a phenomenon in which the prostate gland grows larger than normal, in a normal person the prostate weight is about 20 grams, when the weight is over 25 grams is diagnosed. diagnose prostate enlargement. The disease tends to increase with age, up to 45-70% of men aged 45-75 have the disease and this rate increases in people over 80 years old.
When the prostate gland is enlarged, it puts pressure on the urethra, causing urination disorders, manifesting with the following two characteristic syndromes:
Urinary tract obstruction syndrome: Expression of incomplete urination, stagnant urine in the bladder, urinating must be strained, urinating intermittently, urine stream is weak or dripping... More serious is causing complete urinary retention, bladder bridge. Irritated syndrome: The patient always feels the urge to urinate, does not urinate completely, is prone to urinary incontinence, the frequency of urination increases especially at night... Prostate cancer is a benign disease, however can cause some complications such as
chronic urinary retention leading to cystitis, urinary tract infection. More severe causes pyelonephritis leading to kidney failure. Affects sexual function Formation of bladder stones due to frequent stagnation of urine.
2. Relationship between prostate and sexual ability
The prostate gland is one of the male sex organs, whose main function is to secrete a fluid that mixes with semen to help protect semen against pathogens and can live in the acidic environment of the vagina. vagina, making it easier for sperm to work and creating favorable conditions for conception.Although prostate enlargement and erectile dysfunction do not appear to be related, some prostate enlargement treatments can cause erectile dysfunction and other effects on sexual performance. . In addition, treating erectile dysfunction can improve symptoms of benign prostatic hypertrophy.
3. Does an enlarged prostate affect sex drive?
5 - 10% of men experience erectile dysfunction after prostate enlargement surgery. About 50-70% of men have retrograde ejaculation after this surgery. Instead of passing through the penis and out during orgasm, semen goes into the bladder. This is not harmful to health but will affect male fertility.
In addition, prostate enlargement causes urination disorders, making the patient always feel tired, uncomfortable and causing a decrease in sex drive.
Treatment of prostate enlargement can cause physiological dysfunction.
Medicines to treat prostate cancer: Some drugs to treat prostate cancer, such as alpha reductase inhibitors, can cause erectile dysfunction, reduce sex drive. In addition, some people using these drugs can reduce sperm count, semen volume and sperm motility. The rate of influence of drugs to treat prostate cancer on fertility is about 3-6% of men using the drug. Transurethral prostatectomy: According to statistics, about 50-75% of patients after surgery have retrograde ejaculation, that is, a part of sperm does not ejaculate into the penis. retrograde into the bladder, this does not affect the patient's ability to have sex but does affect fertility. At Vinmec International General Hospital, there is a package of urological examination and screening to help detect the possibility of urinary diseases early. Especially prostate diseases (benign prostatic hypertrophy, prostate cancer)... thereby helping customers to take preventive measures.
The examination and screening process is performed by a team of leading experts with many years of working experience in the field of urology. Leading modern ultrasound machine system, with flat transducer, high frequency, HD resolution for clear images, accurate lesion detection. Advanced laboratory system of international standards....
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