Patient education: Bacterial prostatitis (The Basics)

What is prostatitis? — Prostatitis is an inflammation of the prostate gland. The prostate gland is part of the male anatomy. Its job is to make some of the semen, the fluid that is released during sex. The prostate gland forms a ring around the urethra, the tube that carries urine from the bladder to the end of the penis (figure 1).

What is bacterial prostatitis? — Prostatitis is sometimes related to a bacterial infection. When this happens, it is called bacterial prostatitis. There are 2 types of bacterial prostatitis:

●Acute bacterial prostatitis is when symptoms start suddenly

●Chronic bacterial prostatitis is when symptoms last longer than 3 months, or come and go over time

What are the symptoms of bacterial prostatitis? — Acute and chronic bacterial prostatitis can cause slightly different symptoms.

Symptoms of acute prostatitis can include:

●Fever

●Chills

●Flu-like symptoms, such as feeling very tired

●Muscle pain

●Pain when you urinate

●Pain in or near the groin or genitals

●Cloudy urine

Chronic prostatitis sometimes causes no symptoms. When it does, the symptoms can include:

●Pain when you urinate

●Feeling like you have to urinate much more often than normal

●Having the sudden need to urinate in a hurry

●Pain in or near the groin or genitals

●Low-grade fever

Should I see a doctor or nurse? — See your doctor or nurse if you have:

●A lot of pain in your groin or genitals

●Trouble urinating

●Fever or chills

Will I need tests? — Yes. Your doctor or nurse can test your urine for bacteria. Your doctor might also do a rectal exam, which involves putting a finger in your anus to feel your prostate.

If you have had symptoms of prostatitis for a long time, your doctor might recommend seeing a urologist. A urologist is a doctor who specializes in urinary problems. They can do more tests to figure out why you might be getting repeat infections.

How is bacterial prostatitis treated? — Bacterial prostatitis is treated with antibiotics. The right antibiotics for you will depend on the type of bacteria that show up on your tests. Most people with bacterial prostatitis take antibiotic pills for several weeks. Some people with acute bacterial prostatitis are first treated in the hospital with antibiotics through an IV. (An IV is a thin tube that goes into a vein.) If your symptoms come back after treatment, you might need another course of antibiotics.

If antibiotics do not improve your symptoms, you might have chronic prostatitis that is not caused by a bacterial infection. In this case, your doctor might do more tests, or give you other medicines to help with your symptoms.

If you have problems urinating, you might also get medicines to help make it easier to urinate.

More on this topic

Patient education: Chronic prostatitis and chronic pelvic pain syndrome (The Basics)
Patient education: Benign prostatic hyperplasia (enlarged prostate) (The Basics)

Patient education: Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) (Beyond the Basics)