Collection of the Prostate Fluid

Dear Ask The Doctor: Dear Doc, I'm 37 yo male and my GP believes I have non-bacterial prostatitis. He has given me refferal to urologist and said they will need to collect my prostate fluid. I was embaressed to ask more details on the procedure and now I'm reluctant to go for it as I'm afraid it might be complicated and painful. Would you please explain me how this is performed? Many thanks! Rob

Dear Robert: Since your GP suspects that you may have prostatitis, the only way to determine the cause is to collect the prostate fluid for biochemical and microscopical analysis. The urologist may first perform a digital rectal examination to determine the different parts of the prostate and see for any evidence of abnormal hardening and calcification. If he finds some abnormality, then he may want to analyse the prostatic fluid. This involves the doctor squeezing the prostate to try to force out the prostatic fluid into the urethra. This process may be slightly discomforting in the presence of inflammation of the prostate. Also your doctor may collect a sample of the cells from the urethra to determine if there is presence of infection and plan treatment options accordingly. I hope that I have answered your query, take care.