How Does Prostatitis Affect Your Urination?
Prostatitis is a common condition in male urology. According to the National Institutes of Health, prostatitis may account for 25% of all outpatient visits involving the genital and urinary systems in young and middle-aged men. The typical symptom of prostatitis is abnormal urination so prostatitis can affect the patients’ urinary function.
So, specifically, how does prostatitis affect urination?
Patients with prostatitis usually have abnormal urination, mainly frequent, urgent, and painful urination, and increased nocturia. Normally, adults urinate 4~6 times during the day and 0~2 times at night. A significant increase in the number of urination times is frequent urination. Urgent urination happens when patients cannot control or have a sense of urgency to urinate.
Also, they need to urinate as soon as the urge to urinate comes, and they are not allowed to slack off. Or they desire to urinate again after urination, or the urine will wet their underwear if they do not urinate in time. Painful urination refers to the pain felt in the urethra, bladder, and perineum when patients urinate.
These symptoms appear mainly because prostatitis can stimulate the bladder and prostate gland of the patients due to inflammation, leading to congestion and edema. The congestion and edema cause an increase in volume, compressing or blocking the surrounding urethra, which can cause significant irritation at the bladder outlet area. Thus, abnormal urination occurs. For some older people with prostatitis, prostate congestion and edema can be even more pronounced, adding to the previous difficulty in urination.
Urinary abnormalities can manifest differently for patients in different stages.
For example, patients with acute prostatitis can develop a purulent urethral discharge. When prostatitis and prostate edema are severe, they can lead to poor urination, resulting in thin urine flow, dripping, dysuria, and endless urine. Some patients can even have acute urinary retention. Many patients with severe or acute prostatitis will show urine blood. This is mainly due to capillary congestion rupture, resulting in some blood leaking out along with the urine.
Patients with chronic prostatitis can have symptoms such as frequent, urgent, and painful urination, bifurcation of urination, weak urination, difficulty urination, and increased nocturia. After urination or a bowel movement, milky white prostatic fluid comes out of the outer urethra. The urinary symptoms can be mild or severe and tend to recur.
When patients with inflammation-induced prostatitis have difficulty urinating, they can take the traditional Chinese medicine Diuretic and Anti-inflammatory Pill. It effectively treats prostatitis and other urological conditions such as epididymitis, prostatitis, urinary tract infections, etc. When the inflammation of the prostate is eliminated, abnormal urination will improve.
In addition, patients with prostatitis who have difficulty urinating have the following treatment methods:
1. Medication. Proper medication can be used for obstruction of the urinary tract to relax the smooth muscle of the urethra, allowing a smoother flow of urine, and thereby slowing or reducing the symptoms of urinary difficulty in patients.
2. Indwelling catheter. If the patient’s medication is ineffective and acute urinary retention occurs, a urinary catheter can be temporarily indwelt to relieve the symptoms of difficult urination.
3. Surgery. For some patients with recurrent chronic bacterial prostatitis, surgery can be used. Incision and drainage surgery can be considered if an abscess complicates acute bacterial prostatitis.
The disease can be cured with proper treatment. In addition to medications or surgery, patients can take daily physical means, such as perineal massage and warm water sitz baths. Patients should drink plenty of water and abstain from spicy and stimulating foods, such as onion, garlic, chili, and pepper. They should avoid masturbation and stay away from frequent sex. Avoiding Cold stimulation is equally recommended.
You may also be interested in:
- Previous article：Can You ＂Sit Out＂ Chronic Prostatitis?
- Next article：Does Severe Prostatitis Need to Remove The Prostate?
