Prostate Cancer and Fertility: What You Should Know
What are the Symptoms of Prostate Cancer?
There are no early signs or symptoms of the disease. However, once it spreads beyond the prostate gland, you experience some symptoms. To be mindful of your prostate health, be aware of the following prostate symptoms:
- You might feel a frequent need to urinate. This happens more often during the night.
- Some people face trouble starting or stopping their urine flow.
- The urine stream might even be weak or interrupted.
- You might experience pain or a burning sensation when you urinate.
- There may be some blood in your urine or semen if you develop prostate cancer.
- Ejaculation could become painful for you.
- Prostate cancer causes discomfort in the pelvic area.
- You could have ongoing pain in your lower back, hips, or thighs.
What Causes Prostate Cancer?
We do not have one simple answer for what causes prostate cancer. However, we do know that it starts with unusual cell growth within the prostate gland.
Normally, cells in your body grow and divide in a very organised way. However, with prostate cancer, things change. There are changes in your DNA, known as genetic mutations. This disrupts the balance of your cell cycle. These mutations can turn healthy cells into cancerous cells. Such cells have the property to keep multiplying, and they eventually grow out of control. When this continues, they form tumours.
Hormones, like testosterone, also play a part because they affect how your prostate works. Also, ongoing inflammation of the prostate might make you more prone to cancer over time.
Finally, factors from our environment and lifestyle are also thought to contribute. For example, being exposed to certain harmful chemicals.
It is essential that you have a check-up on your cancer. The Gleason score is a system used to grade how aggressive prostate cancer is. It helps doctors understand how likely the tumour is to grow and spread.
What are Some Risk Factors?
There are several factors that can increase the risk of developing prostate cancer. These include:
- Age: As a man gets older (especially after 50), his risk of developing prostate cancer rises.
- Family History: Having a father or brother with prostate cancer increases your risk.
- Ethnicity: It is observed that African-American men have this cancer more frequently. They even get it at a younger age.
- Diet: Consuming excessive amounts of red meat and insufficient amounts of fruits and vegetables can be detrimental.
- Being Overweight: If you are overweight, it may be linked to a more serious type of prostate cancer.
- Smoking: Smoking can make prostate cancer more aggressive. That means it is more likely to spread outside of the prostate gland.
How Prostate Cancer Treatment Can Affect Fertility?
When you undergo treatment for prostate cancer, it can sometimes affect your fertility. Here is a look at how different treatments can impact male fertility:
- Surgery (Prostatectomy): These surgeries either remove a part of the prostate gland or the entire gland. However, it might block or remove the paths that semen uses. This can cause permanent infertility.
- Radiation Therapy: This treatment aims to kill cancer cells, but it has some risk factors. The radiation can harm the reproductive organs close to the prostate. This might lower the quality or amount of sperm you produce.
- Hormone Therapy: The testosterone hormone fuels the growth of prostate cells, including the cancerous ones. Therefore, hormone therapy is done to lower testosterone levels to slow cancer growth. But it also disrupts sperm production and sexual function.
- Chemotherapy: Chemotherapy targets fast-growing cells. However, unfortunately, that includes the cells that produce sperm. This can lead to infertility that might be temporary or even permanent.
- Immune System Effects: Some treatments can weaken your immune system. This can make it difficult for your body to recover. Additionally, it might affect your overall reproductive health.
How to Preserve Your Fertility?
If you have been diagnosed with prostate cancer, try to take care of your fertility. Awareness of the connection between prostate cancer and fertility can help you make informed decisions. Here are some steps that can help:
- Sperm Banking: This is a safe, non-invasive way to preserve sperm for future use. It is done before the treatment begins.
- Testicular Shielding: This method uses a specially designed shield placed over the testicles. It helps protect sperm production during radiation therapy.
- Consult a Specialist: It is smart to speak with a fertility expert early to understand your options.