Does The Thought Of A Prostate Biopsy Examination Frighten You?

If you are a man you are extremely likely to suffer from one prostate problem or another at some point in your life. If you are under 50 {this|then this} is likely to be prostatitis (an inflammation or infection of the prostate gland) and, if you are over 50 then it is also fairly likely to be and enlarged prostate. Also, a fairly large number of men over the age of 50 will also develop prostate cancer.

A significant difficulty with these problems of the prostate gland is that they frequently have the same symptoms and you can, for example, be experiencing difficulties with urination as a result of both infection of the prostate and an enlarged prostate. In many cases these difficulties will not be accompanied by any symptoms at all at first and the danger danger here is that you could be developing prostate cancer without even being aware of it.

If you are suffering from any sort of prostate problem therefore, you should consult your doctor. Equally, if you are over the age of 50 you ought to ask your doctor for regular checks for prostate problems, even if you are not presently suffering from any symptoms of a prostate problem.

Two of the most often seen tests for prostate problems are the digital rectal examination, which is a physical exam of the prostate gland carried out by your doctor to look for indications of abnormalities, and the prostate specific antigen, or PSA, blood test that looks for a protein in the blood which is a marker for prostate cancer. However, when all is said and done, the only certain method of testing for prostate cancer is to have a prostate biopsy exam.

The commonest form of prostate biopsy uses a transrectal ultrasound probe that guides the doctor to the prostate gland and then uses a hollow needle to collect a number of samples of tissue from different areas of the prostate gland for examination under the microscope. A less common, but still frequently used type of biopsy, is the insertion of a biopsy needle between the scrotum and anus and into the prostate gland to again take the necessary samples. In either case the tissue samples will show both the presence and spread of any cancer, as well as just how aggressive the cancer is.

A prostate biopsy examination is not a particularly pleasant procedure leading to a brief and uncomfortable sensation as each sample is collected, but it is happily quite short (taking approximately fifteen minutes) and is frequently carried out in the doctor's office using a local anesthetic. In the days following your biopsy you are likely to be sore and will also be conscious of a little blood in your urine and perhaps some mild bleeding from the rectum. It is also common to experience small quantities of blood in your semen and this can be experienced for several weeks.