Questions to Ask a Prostate Doctor
If your primary care physician has given you a referral to see a prostate doctor, you may be wondering what to expect and what specific questions to ask the specialist during your appointment.
When making a list of things to discuss during your visit, consider including the following questions. This way, you get the most of it and come out of the office equipped to make the wisest decisions about your health care.
Q: I’m Experiencing Incontinence. Is this Normal?
Minor urine leaks in men have various potential causes, among which is transient incontinence. This type of incontinence, as its name implies, is short-lived and goes away when the underlying cause is treated.
However, urine leaks in men can also be brought on by prostate conditions, namely enlarged prostate (benign prostatic hyperplasia/ BPH), especially since the prostate surrounds the urethra and is situated right next to the bladder.
Q: What Are the Treatment Options For BPH?
Your prostate doctor will carry out a physical exam, blood work, and imaging tests to confirm your PCP’s diagnosis and devise an effective treatment plan.
Although BPH is not curable, there are a number of treatment options available to help mitigate your symptoms and lower your risk of developing complications. If your symptoms are minimal, your prostate doctor may not recommend immediate treatment and just closely monitor your condition. Otherwise, your doctor may prescribe medications or recommend surgery, depending on its severity.
Q: Could My Symptoms Also Mean I Have Prostate Cancer?
Prostate cancer usually presents no symptoms. If they do occur, they can overlap those of other conditions like BPH. If you’re also experiencing pain during urination, blood in your urine or semen, painful ejaculation, and difficulty emptying your bladder, your prostate doctor will likely carry out a digital rectal examination (DRE) and prostate-specific antigen (PSA) testing to determine which of the conditions is the culprit.
Q: When Should I Begin Screening for Prostate Cancer?
Men with significant risk factors should get screened annually between the ages of 40 and 55. These risk factors include obesity and having a family history of prostate cancer. For people without risk factors, experts recommend having an annual screening by age 55.
Q: What Can I Do to Improve Prostate Health?
Your prostate doctor may give you the following recommendations to help you improve your prostate health:
- Exercising daily– Half hour of moderate-intensity exercises every day has far-reaching benefits for your prostate health. When combined with healthy diet, regular exercise can help you maintain a healthy weight, which is also crucial for preventing health problems like prostate cancer.
- Smoking cessation– If you’re a smoker looking for a good reason to quit, take note of this: studies show that smoking could boost your odds of developing aggressive prostate cancer (i.e., the type that metastasizes or spreads throughout the body). Cigarette smoke contains diverse carcinogens, which can get excreted in your urine and consequently affect your prostate.
- Making healthy food choices– Loading up on green, leafy vegetables, such as broccoli, spinach, and kale—which are brimming with vitamins and antioxidants—can work wonders on your prostate health.
Additionally, cutting back on your red meat consumption can help you lower your risk for prostate problems. Studies have found that men who ate more red meat have an increased risk for BPH and prostate cancer.
Prostate Doctor in Concord, NC
If you’re looking for a trusted prostate doctor in Concord, North Carolina, visit us here at Carolina Urology Partners. Dr. Richard Natale, our board-certified men’s health expert, is best known for the high-quality care and superior patient outcomes he provides for the entire range of sexual and reproductive health problems—including those that affect the prostate.
Dr. Natale also takes pleasure in educating patients about their diagnoses and empowering them to make the wisest decisions about their health and medical care.
To arrange a consultation with Dr. Natale, give our staff a call at (704) 786-5231, or request your appointment right here on our website.
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