Does prostate health affect sexual function?

The answer is not necessarily. It cannot be said that it has no impact at all, nor can it be said that some problems with the prostate must be related to sexual function. It depends on the type and severity of the problem, and it is even related to the individual's psychological state.

A while ago, I treated a 27-year-old young man who worked in Internet operations. He worked overtime for a month and drank heavily. He suddenly suffered from acute bacterial prostatitis. When he came to the doctor, his waist hurt so much that he couldn't straighten up. He wanted to run to the toilet in 10 minutes. He said that during that time, he didn't even think about holding hands with his girlfriend. The slightest sexual impulse would cause pain in his perineum, let alone a normal erection. Later, I took antibiotics for 10 days as prescribed, and forced myself to stand up and walk for 5 minutes every hour I sat down, and stayed up less late at night and less exposure to spicy food. After the inflammation was completely gone, I quickly returned to my previous state without any sequelae.

In fact, the prostate is located at the outlet of the bladder, next to the nerves and blood vessels that control erection. It is equivalent to installing a sensor faucet next to the door. Only if the problem with the faucet itself is too big, and the water overflows and soaks into the nearby circuit, will it affect the normal operation of sexual function. There is no absolute unified conclusion on this issue in the academic community. Some studies believe that long-term and repeated chronic prostatitis, the continuous stimulation of inflammatory factors may reduce the elasticity of the pelvic floor blood vessels. A small number of patients with a course of several years and relatively severe symptoms may have problems with rapid ejaculation or insufficient erection hardness. ； However, more clinical data shows that more than 90% of chronic prostatitis patients with mild symptoms will not have organic sexual dysfunction at all. Many people feel that they "can't do it anymore". In fact, they were frightened by false popular science through random searches on the Internet. Too much psychological pressure actually induced functional problems. The essence is psychogenic and has nothing to do with the prostate itself.

Previously, a 62-year-old man came to check for prostate hyperplasia. He sighed as soon as he entered the door and said that he had heard the old man say that prostate hyperplasia is "a sign of men's failure." After the check, the degree of prostate hyperplasia was very mild, but he urinated once more than before, which did not affect his normal life at all. After I explained to him the relationship between the two, the old man left happily. After a follow-up examination six months later, he said there was nothing wrong, and the relationship with his wife was very good. Of course, not all situations are so optimistic. If the hyperplasia is particularly severe and blocks urination, it is difficult to urinate, or even urinary retention occurs for a long time. It may indeed compress the nearby nerves and blood vessels, which will really affect sexual function. Surgery such as total prostate resection may also damage the surrounding erectile nerves. However, nerve-sparing surgeries have long been available. As long as the tumor is not particularly invaded and good rehabilitation training is done after the operation, most people can recover slowly.

To put it bluntly, you don’t need to be too anxious about prostate problems. Sitting less, holding back your urine, and drinking less alcohol are better than any prevention. If you find a small problem, don’t label yourself as having “poor sexual function” first. See a urologist in a regular hospital first. Many times, the problems that scare people are much more serious than the problems with the prostate itself.