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Prostatitis: Can sexual activity make it worse?
By Mayo Clinic staffOriginal Article: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/prostatitis/AN01718
- With Mayo Clinic urologist
Erik P. Castle, M.D.
read biographyclose windowBiography of
Erik P. Castle, M.D.
Erik P. Castle, M.D.
Dr. Erik Castle is a board-certified urologist who joined the Mayo Clinic staff in Arizona in 2007.
Dr. Castle is an associate professor of urology at College of Medicine, Mayo Clinic, and a senior associate consultant in the Department of Urology, where he also is assistant residency coordinator.
He was an assistant professor in the Department of Urology at Tulane University in New Orleans from 2004 to 2006 after serving as a clinical instructor/fellow at Mayo Clinic in Arizona for one year.
Dr. Castle's research interests include prostate cancer, bladder cancer and kidney cancer. He is the director of the Desert Mountain Prostate Cancer Research Fund and is the principal investigator of Castle labs housed at the Samuel C. Johnson Medical Research Building at Mayo Clinic in Arizona. His basic science research is focused on novel secondary hormonal therapies of prostate cancer as well as genomics of prostate and bladder cancers.
His surgical expertise includes laparoscopic urology, robot-assisted radical prostatectomy with nerve sparing, robot-assisted radical cystectomy with neobladder, robot-assisted retroperitoneal lymph node dissection, robot-assisted partial nephrectomy and other robotic urologic oncology procedures. He has performed many of these procedures as demonstrations internationally. He is a member of the American Association of Clinical Urologists, the American Urological Association, the Endourological Society, and the Society of Laparoendoscopic Surgeons. He is past president of the international Society of Urologic Robotic Surgery. He is also the director of the international laparoscopic nephrectomy courses throughout Mexico on behalf of the American Urologic Association.
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- Prostatitis: Can sexual activity make it worse?
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Question
Prostatitis: Can sexual activity make it worse?
Should I avoid sex if I have prostatitis? Does sex make the condition worse?
Answer
from Erik P. Castle, M.D.
You don't necessarily have to avoid sex if you have prostatitis — an infection or inflammation of the prostate gland. Typically, sex won't worsen prostatitis, but it won't make it better, either.
While it's OK for most men with prostatitis to have sex, some men have pain during or after orgasm (ejaculation). This can interfere with the enjoyment of sex.
Prostatitis is frequently caused by bacterial infections, but it's usually not caused by something that can be passed on to your partner during sex. In rare cases, prostatitis is caused by a sexually transmitted infection (STI). Don't have sex until you see your doctor if you have any signs of an STI, such as sores on your genitals or abnormal discharge from your penis.
To relieve prostatitis pain, try soaking in a warm bath. Over-the-counter pain relievers, such as aspirin or ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin IB, others), also may help, unless your doctor has told you to avoid these medications. You may need prescription medication to treat the underlying cause of your prostatitis.
Prostatitis — and other conditions with similar symptoms — have a number of possible causes. Some of them can have serious consequences if they aren't treated. If you have pelvic pain, difficult or painful urination, or painful ejaculation, see your doctor.
Next questionRecurrent prostate infection: What are the treatment options?
- Ferri FF. Prostatitis. In: Ferri FF. Ferri's Clinical Advisor 2011: Instant Diagnosis and Treatment. Philadelphia, Pa.: Mosby Elsevier; 2011. http://www.mdconsult.com/books/about.do?eid=4-u1.0-B978-0-323-05610-6..C2009-0-38600-6--TOP&isbn=978-0-323-05610-6&about=true&uniqId=230100505-53. Accessed Sept. 9, 2011.
- Acute and chronic bacterial prostatitis. Meyrier A, et al. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Sept. 9, 2011.
- Ramakrishnan R, et al. Prostatitis: Acute and chronic. Primary Care: Clinics in Office Practice. 2010;37:547.
- Krieger JN. The urogenital tract. In: Bope ET, et al. Conn's Current Therapy. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2011. http://www.mdconsult.com/books/about.do?eid=4-u1.0-B978-1-4377-0986-5..C2009-0-38984-9--TOP&isbn=978-1-4377-0986-5&about=true&uniqId=281125391-17. Accessed Sept. 9, 2011.
- Castle EP (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. Sept. 12, 2011.
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