Prostate Exam by Your Doctor
or Self Exam?
Prostate exam performed by a doctor
and even a self exam is a tricky task.
Why do so many men avoid getting this specific exam?
Why do some men dread the very thought of getting a physical?
It has nothing to do with disrobing in front of nurses or even the old turn-and-cough-routine. It's all about the rubber glove!
The reason doctors insert a well-lubed and gloved finger into a man's
rectum during a physical is to detect abnormal growths on the prostate.
It is the gland that helps control the functions associated with
urination and ejaculation.
There is a big problem with the finger exam; doctors can't feel the
whole prostate from that angle of insertion. So it's very possible that
you could have a tumour on your prostate even if your doctor can't feel
one during a manual exam.
Therefore, it is important to have a PSA test (prostate-specific antigen
test), which will help locate whatever abnormality, if any. But then,
it's important to note that an elevated PSA doesn't mean you have
cancer; an elevated level can also be associated with other conditions,
like benign inflammation of the prostate.
Only a biopsy can determine whether it's prostate cancer
or not. It's the change from your baseline value rather than the
absolute number that interests the doctors; the trend can predict early
cancer, which most responds to treatment. Get one at age fifty and every
year after.
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