Prostatitis

Prostatitis is swelling and irritation of the prostate, a gland found below the bladder in people assigned male at birth. It’s the most common urinary tract condition in men under age 50, although it can also occur in older adults. Inflammation of the prostate can cause pelvic pain and other symptoms, but you can manage this condition with treatment.

Penn Medicine’s specialists in male urology care are experts in prostate conditions and other disorders that affect men’s urination and sexual health. We work collaboratively with our general urology team, offering leading treatments across Pennsylvania and New Jersey locations. Through our specialized prostatitis care, we can effectively treat and relieve your symptoms.

If you have nonbacterial prostatitis, you may not have any symptoms other than swelling of your prostate. Other types of prostatitis can cause:

• Frequent urination
• A burning feeling when urinating
• A urine stream that starts and stops
• Pain in your lower back, lower stomach, scrotum, or area between your penis and anus (perineum)
• Painful intercourse or ejaculation
• Erectile dysfunction
• Blood in your urine or semen
• Flu-like symptoms, like fever, chills, and body aches (in acute bacterial prostatitis)

The cause depends on what type of prostatitis you have. Doctors don’t know exactly why CPPS occurs, but certain conditions may contribute to developing it, including autoimmune diseases, nerve problems, and damage to pelvic floor muscles. Stress may also be a factor in CPPS. The cause of nonbacterial prostatitis is also unknown. Because there are no symptoms, it’s usually found during an exam for another medical condition.

Acute bacterial prostatitis and chronic bacterial prostatitis are both caused by an infection of your prostate. This can happen if you’ve had a urinary tract infection, especially if the infection comes back after going away or is hard to treat. You’re also more likely to develop a bacterial form of prostatitis if you have urinary retention, a urinary blockage, a bladder infection, bladder stones, prostate stones, or sexually transmitted infections (STIs), or if you use a catheter.

Because nonbacterial prostatitis doesn’t cause symptoms, it doesn’t need treatment. CPPS symptoms can improve with a combination of medications, stress management, and physical therapy. If you have a bacterial form of prostatitis, you’ll need antibiotics. Chronic bacterial prostatitis may need to be treated with antibiotics for several weeks or months. An acute form of the disease sometimes requires getting antibiotics through an IV (intravenous line) at the hospital.

It’s not always possible to prevent prostatitis, but if you have a UTI, getting treated early may stop an infection from spreading to your prostate. Also, using a condom during sexual activity lowers your chances of getting an STI, which can increase your risk of prostatitis.

At Penn Medicine, you can trust our experienced providers to pinpoint what’s causing your symptoms and develop a treatment plan that works for you.