Doctor answers the question Does prostatitis cause infertility?

The prostate gland is an important male sex gland. When facing prostatitis, men often wonder if prostatitis causes infertility. Let's find the answer with SignsSymptomsList through the article below.

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• What is prostatitis?
• Can prostatitis cause infertility?
• When will prostatitis cause infertility?
• Changes in semen during prostatitis
• Prevent prostatitis

What is prostatitis?

Inflammation is the body's biological response to an abnormal invasion. This response will attempt to eliminate the invading agent to protect the body. When a certain part of the body is inflamed, there will be signs such as: pain, redness, swelling, ...

Prostatitis is a condition in which a man's prostate gland becomes swollen and painful. This condition usually occurs in middle-aged people. Prostatitis is neither a sexually transmitted disease nor a cancer. Before knowing if prostatitis causes infertility , let's find out the causes and signs of the disease.

Reason

The most common cause of prostatitis is an infection. Bacteria enter from the urine through the prostate gland. The cause may also be due to the patient's nerve damage in the pelvic region.

Symptom

The symptoms of this condition are often not obvious. Some of the symptoms noted are as follows:

• Pain, burning, burning when urinating.
• Difficulty initiating urination.
• Urine contains blood.
• Weak and interrupted urine flow.
• Pain between the scrotum and rectum.
• Fever, chills.
• Urinating more than usual, nocturia, frequent urination.

Patients often confuse the signs of prostatitis with other urinary tract infections and the common cold.

Bacteria are the main cause of prostatitis

Can prostatitis cause infertility?

To answer the question “Does prostatitis cause infertility?” Let's learn about the prostate first. The prostate gland is about the size of a walnut and is located just below the bladder. The function of the prostate gland is:

• Secretion of fluid, this substance will mix with semen to help create a protective environment for sperm.
• Prostate fluid secreted right after ejaculation helps sperm motility better.
• Certain smooth muscles in the prostate also help push sperm out during ejaculation.

Thus, when the prostate is inflamed, it will affect the sperm and ejaculation process of men. At the same time, prostatitis also affects the erection process, causing the patient to reduce sexual desire. This will affect sexual function and can lead to impotence and infertility if left untreated.

Acute prostatitis is likely to respond to treatment with antibiotics, so it will not affect male reproductive function much. However, chronic prostatitis is more difficult to diagnose and treat.

Sperm will be affected when the prostate is inflamed

When will prostatitis cause infertility?

According to medical experts, not all cases of chronic prostatitis cause infertility. Infertility occurs only when there is evidence that sperm is mixed with white blood cells.

When white blood cells are found in the prostate fluid, it means that the quality of the sperm has been seriously affected. Some theories suggest that sperm quality is impaired due to oxidation of molecules produced by white blood cells when they are fighting inflammation in the body.

Another hypothesis is proposed to explain the case of chronic bacterial prostatitis. It is the presence of bacteria for too long that will form scar tissue. This scar tissue prevents sperm from entering the semen.

Changes in semen during prostatitis

After finding out whether prostatitis causes infertility , we also need to understand some changes in semen that also affect the reproductive process in men with prostatitis.

Changes in semen pH

Inflammation lowers the pH of semen. Sperm need to be protected in a high pH environment. This will greatly affect the development of sperm.

Change the composition of semen

When the inflammatory process occurs, some adverse components such as bacteria, inflammatory cells, etc. will be mixed into the semen. These agents will utilize most of the nutrients of the semen.

Semen viscosity increases

When you have prostatitis, the secretion will decrease. This makes semen viscosity increase, it will be difficult for sperm to function when in too thick a medium.

Prostatitis affects the development and protection of sperm. This is a risk of infertility if men are not treated promptly.

Changes in semen pH will affect male reproductive function

Prevent prostatitis

Prostatitis is considered a risk factor for male infertility. Therefore, to avoid the consequences of prostatitis, men need to avoid the following tips in the first place:

• Quit the habit of holding urine.
• Moderate sexual activity
• Limit alcoholic beverages.
• Avoid spicy, hot foods.
• Do not sit in one place for too long.
• Use protection when cycling or riding a horse.
• Keep the genital area clean.

Above is the answer of SignsSymptomsList to the question "Does prostatitis cause infertility?". Prostatitis can cause infertility, so it's important to pay attention to the early signs of prostatitis. This will help the treatment process be effective and avoid complications later.