Your prostate is a gland that produces the liquid part of semen. It's about the size of a walnut and lies at the base of your bladder. The front of your prostate surrounds your urethra, the tube that carries urine from your bladder and out through your penis.
All adult men are at risk of having
prostatitis. Most men with prostatitis have no obvious cause for the inflammation but in a few, it is caused by a bacterial infection in the prostate. Bacterial prostatitis can be classed as an acute or chronic infection. The terms 'acute' and 'chronic' refer to how long you have had the infection, not how serious the condition is. An acute infection is typically over quickly whereas a chronic infection can last a long time and come and go.
Most men with bacterial prostatitis have a chronic infection and are usually over 50.
Symptoms of bacterial prostatitis may include:
a fever with shivers
muscle and joint pain
pain on passing urine, on ejaculation or during bowel movement
a frequent or urgent need to pass urine
difficulty in passing urine (urinary retention)
pain in your lower abdomen, lower back and/or the area between your scrotum and anus (perineum), at the tip of your penis, testicles and rectum (back passage)
feeling generally unwell
The symptoms of acute bacterial prostatitis tend to be more severe. They usually come on suddenly and can cause you to become so unwell that there is a high chance you will need to be admitted to hospital.
Symptoms of chronic bacterial prostatitis are less serious and usually last a long time (at least three months). You may find that your symptoms get better and then worse again, and there are periods when you have no symptoms at all.
These symptoms aren't always caused by bacterial prostatitis, but if you have them, see your GP.
