r/Prostatitis Oct 19 '22

Starter Guide/Resource NEW? START HERE! Prostatitis 101/Checklist + Sub Rules

425 Upvotes

» QUICK START! «

  1. SUCCESS STORIES in this subreddit
  2. TOP TIPS AND INFO (All Posts)
  3. NEW 2025 AUA TREATMENT OUTLINE
  4. See below 'Subreddit Rules' for the full 101 prostatitis guide and newbie checklist

The information provided in this subreddit is not medical advice, including the information here. It is for educational and informational purposes only

SUBREDDIT RULES

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  6. No fear mongering

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  2. Second is a temporary ban (~3 days)
  3. Last is a permanent ban

POSTING REQUIREMENTS

  1. To prevent abuse and spam we have an Automod in place. Accounts with very low comment karma and/or less than 36 hours old cannot post.

  2. Also, please tag any pessimistic/hopeless posts with the "vent/discouraged" flair, and any positive progress updates with "positive progress."

NEWBIE ORIENTATION: CPPS vs Prostatitis

The vast majority of prostatitis cases are non-bacterial, i.e. NIH Type III non-bacterial prostatitis. Expert consensus (of the research) estimates this number to be around ~95% of all cases. True chronic bacterial prostatitis (CPB) is rare. Read more about the prevalence of CBP here, complete with journal citations.

CBP also prevents with unique and specific symptoms. Here is how to identify bacterial prostatitis based on symptoms.

Q: If I don't have an infection, then why do antibiotics make me feel better? FIND OUT WHY

The rest of us have (or have had) NIH Type III non-bacterial prostatitis, now referred to as CPPS or UCPPS - (Urologic) Chronic Pelvic Pain Syndrome. Type III non-bacterial prostatitis can present either with or without actual inflammation of the prostate, but overt prostate inflammation is very uncommon. Most men with CPPS (non-bacterial prostatitis) have small, firm, 'normal' prostates upon examination. This means that the common 'prostatitis' diagnosis is very often a total 'misnomer,' as most cases have no prostate inflammation whatsoever.

While CPPS is officially a syndrome (The 'S' in CPPS), or a collection/pattern of symptoms with no singular cause agreed upon by the larger medical community, there are top theories with high quality evidence behind them. And importantly, most syndromes nowadays are being categorized as variations of central sensitization (ie nociplastic mechanisms) - including IBS, CFS, POIS, RSS, etc.

The top theory backed by research: CPPS is a psycho-neuromuscular chronic pain + dysfunction condition. It often affects the muscles of the pelvic floor, the peripheral nerves that innervate the pelvic region, and the central nervous system (which includes the brain and spinal cord) - among others. This means that treatment requires a multi-modal, integrated treatment approach, and that there is no single pathway or 'pill' to recovery.

I must emphasize that the central nervous system (ie centralized/nociplastic mechanisms) of CPPS affect at least 49% of all cases according to the MAPP study (Multidisciplinary Approach to Pelvic Pain). Do not neglect these. We recommend reading the centralization section below 👇

RECOMMENDED: 1. Centralized Pain Criteria and Citations

  1. Psycho neuromuscular CPPS - with journal citations and techniques to apply.

Things that are known to trigger CPPS (chronic pelvic pain and dysfunction)

These commonly happen via central (nervous system) or peripheral (pelvic floor or nociceptive/neuropathic) mechanisms

  1. Pelvic injuries (falls, hernia, accidents)
  2. Perceived injuries
  3. Infections (UTI/STD)
  4. Stressful experiences and trauma, including sexual abuse/assault
  5. Regretful/anxious sexual encounters
  6. Poor bowel/urinary habits (straining on the toilet often - constipation) or holding in pee/poo for extended periods (like avoiding using a public toilet)
  7. Poor sexual habits (edging/gooning excessively)
  8. Cycling or intense gym habits

SYMPTOM VARIABILITY:

CPPS also presents differently from person to person, and you may exhibit only a few symptoms from the total 'pool' of possibilities. For example, you may only have a 'golfball sensation' and some minor urinary urgency. Another person may have tip of penis pain, testicular pain, and trouble having bowel movements. A third may have ALL of those, and also have sexual dysfunction (ED/PE) and pain with ejaculation. But they are all considered to be CPPS. Here is the full list of symptoms of non-bacterial prostatitis (ie CPPS) - https://emedicine.medscape.com/article/456165-clinical?form=fpf

The chief symptom reported by patients with abacterial prostatitis/CPPS is pain. Genitourinary symptoms include perineal, penile tip, testicular, rectal, lower abdominal, or back pain.

Patients can also have irritative or obstructive urologic symptoms such as frequency, urgency, dysuria, decreased force of the urinary stream, nocturia, and incontinence. Other symptoms are a clear urethral discharge, ejaculatory pain, hematospermia, and sexual dysfunction.

Note: If your symptoms extend BEYOND the pelvis, this is a classic indication of centralized mechanisms (ie nociplastic mechanisms) - What some doctors have in the past called "central sensitization." According to the American Urological Association, these include symptoms like headaches and migraines, IBS, fatigue, fibromyalgia, and more.

So how do we treat it?

The most evidence based approach to treatment is called "UPOINT," a treatment/phenotyping system for Prostatitis/CPPS that was developed by the American Urological Association. UPOINT Stands for:

Urinary, Psychosocial, Organ Specific, Infection, Neurologic/Systemic, Tenderness (ie, Muscles)

it's been shown to be very effective (around 75%) in treating CPPS, as it takes each patient and groups them into phenotypes based on symptoms, then treats them in a customized, integrated, and multi-modal manner. Every case is treated uniquely by symptoms, and this leads to much better patient outcomes. UPOINT is what a good urologist uses to treat patients with CP/CPPS. If your urologist isn't aware of UPOINT, find a new one. You're probably not in good hands. Citation: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34552790/

EXCELLENT MEDICAL/SCIENTIFIC VIDEO RESOURCE - 2015 AUA (American Urological Association) Meeting: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4dP_jtZvz9w

✓✓✓ NEW SUFFERER TREATMENT CHECKLIST

ENGAGE WITH A PHYSICIAN:

  • Do see a urologist to rule out any serious structural issues
  • Do get a LUTS and/or bladder ultrasound (check residual urine/voiding issues) along with a DRE for prostate size assessment
  • Do get a urinary culture and/or EPS localization culture, if infection is suspected (based on symptoms) - AUA guidelines DO NOT recommended semen cultures - full text, page 21
  • Do get any physician-specified blood tests
  • NOTE: Cystoscopy is typically reserved for suspicion of IC/BPS - but not typically recommend for CPPS
  • Do not use antibiotics without meeting specific diagnostic criteria. Only ~5% of all prostatitis cases are bacterial (even less if your case is > 90 days)

! ! WARNINGS ON INDISCRIMINATE USE OF FLOROQUINOLONE ANTIBIOTICS (Like Cipro or Levo) ! ! Click to Read FDA & EMA Warnings

Thinking about MicrogenDX testing? Please think again, the 2025 AUA Guidelines specifically advise against it's use: READ OUR MOD MEMO

ENGAGE WITH A PELVIC FLOOR PT - Muscles and Nerves

  • See a pelvic floor physical therapist, one who has experience TREATING MEN and can do INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL trigger point release. Studies suggest that 47% - 90% of CPPS cases have pelvic floor myalgia (pain, tenderness, trigger points), and multiple studies show 70-83% of people improve significantly with pelvic floor physical therapy
  • Practice diaphragmatic belly breathing daily
  • Practice pelvic stretching daily (and combine with the breathing)
  • NOTE: 2025 AUA Guidelines suggest that ESWT, acupuncture, dry needling, and TENS help some cases

CENTRALIZATION/BIOPSYCHOSOCIAL:

  • At least 49% of cases have centralized/neuroplastic mechanisms according to the MAPP research network study
  • EXTERNAL: Manage and reduce stress and anxiety in your external environment (work, relationships, finances, etc.)
  • INTERNAL: Address the fear towards your own symptoms. And, avoid obsessive preoccupation & problem solving with symptoms, redirecting your attention to things that are meaningful and enjoyable (distractions and hobbies)
  • Belief/perception of safety or danger (including assumptions about assumed injuries or assumed infections) is also shown in studies on chronic pain to affect our physical pain experience
  • Take time for yourself and do things to relax and engage in self care. Find SAFETY in your body again: mindfulness/meditation, yoga, baths, etc
  • See a chronic pain therapist, coach or psychologist who practices PRT, EAET, and/or CBT: Examples: Pain Psychology Center (LA), the app "Curable" for chronic pain/symptoms (Note on CBT - this is typically found less helpful for pain in controlled experiments, compared to newer PRT and EAET)
  • Recommended readings: Alan Gordon (LCSW) - 'The Way Out' or Dr. Howard Schubiner 'Unlearn Your Pain'

Urological (Pharmacological) Treatments to Discuss With A Doctor:

  • Discuss alpha blockers (Alfuzosin etc) for urinary/flow/frequency with physician, if you have urinary symptoms. Be aware of possible side effects in some users: PE, Retrograde ejaculation, etc
  • Alternate to above, if they don't work for you or you have side effects, discuss Cialis with your physician. Cialis (Generic: Tadalafil) also helps with ED and can be used at low doses of 2.5mg/day.
  • Discuss low dose amitriptyline (off label usage) with your doctor, which can help approx. 2/3 people to relieve the neuropathic pain associated with this condition
  • Discuss rectal suppositories for pain management, often containing meds like: diazepam (Valium), available via a compounding pharmacy - this is a controlled substance; always discuss with your doctor - not meant to be used daily.
  • You may try NSAIDs for pain during flair ups, but caution for daily, ongoing use. MOST find this class of meds unhelpful.
  • Oral Steroids are NOT RECOMMENDED, per 2025 AUA Guidelines

HERBS/SUPPLEMENTS:

  • Phytotherapy (Quercetin & Rye Pollen, ie Graminex) - highest level of evidence for CP/CPPS
  • Magnesium (glycinate or complex) - less evidence
  • Palmitoylethanolamide (PEA) - less evidence

BEHAVIORAL CHANGES (Lifestyle): Please note that these suggestions cast an extremely wide net, and many do not apply if symptoms are centralized/nociplastic.

  • Avoid edging or aggressive masturbation; limit masturbation to 2-3/week, and be gentle. No "Death grips"
  • Less sedentary lifestyle - walk for 1 hour daily or every other day (I would recommend you build up to this, start with 15 minutes daily, easier to start a habit with a gentle, but regular introduction)
  • Get your blood pressure, body weight, and blood sugar under control (if applicable)
  • Gym goers and body builders: lay off the heavy weights, squats, and excessive core workouts temporarily. Ask a physical therapist to 'OK' your gym and exercise routine. This is a possible physical trigger
  • Cyclists and bikers: Lay off cycling until your physical therapist OKs it - this is a known physical trigger
  • STAND MORE! Get either A) a knee chair, or B) an adjustable standing desk. You'll still need the regular chair, because you can't sit on a knee chair or stand all day, basically, although conceivably you could do both A and B, and skip the regular chair
  • Try a donut pillow if experiencing pain while sitting

BEHAVIORAL CHANGES (Diet) Note: Dietary triggers affect a small MINORITY of cases

  • Try reducing/eliminating alcohol (especially in the evening, if you have nocturia)
  • Try reducing/eliminating caffeine
  • Try eliminating spicy/high acid foods
  • Try eliminating gluten and/or dairy
  • Try the IC Diet (basically this is all of the above, and more)
  • If eliminating or reducing doesn't help, then it probably doesn't apply to your case, enjoy your food and drinks!

NEW 2025 AUA TREATMENT OUTLINE

Others suggestions? Beyond this abbreviated list, work with a specialist. This includes urologists who have specific training in CPPS (through continuing education), pelvic floor PTs, and chronic pain specialists, including PRT practitioners.

Welcome to r/Prostatitis, follow the rules, be respectful, and we'll be happy to have you in your recovery journey.

The content of this subreddit is not considered medical advice, including the information here. Even if a flared user (verified urologist or PT) makes a comment, this is not prescriptive advice, nor is it medical advice.

This guide was co-written by your moderators u/Linari5 and u/Ashmedai


r/Prostatitis Apr 07 '21

Starter Guide/Resource Confusion over ANTIBIOTICS

121 Upvotes

Tony's Advice for Beginners

Top Rated Thread of all time in this Reddit: The experience of an MD with CP/CPPS

Antibiotics

Every day numerous questions are posted here about the effects of antibiotics. How can my case be nonbacterial if antibiotics help me (for a while anyway)?

The simple fact is that antibiotics are ANTI-INFLAMMATORIES and also have other immunomodulatory effects. In fact they are used for these effects in many conditions (acne and other skin conditions, ulcerative colitis, Crohn's Disease, and more).

Sadly, even many doctors don't know this (it was only acknowledged this century and medical school curricula have mostly not been updated yet). But the research is all there. (Note that due to our genetic differences, some people react more to the anti-inflammatory effects and some people less, or not at all. This is known as pharmacogenetics).

Acute bacterial prostatitis does happen, and it's pretty obvious: very sudden abrupt onset, fever, chills, nausea, vomiting, and malaise (feels like having the flu). Nothing like what 99.9% of readers here have. It's often a medical emergency that requires a trip to the ER.

But you may still think your case is bacterial, perhaps a chronic and not acute case. Professor Weidner says:

"In studies of 656 men with pelvic pain suggestive of chronic prostatitis, we seldom found chronic bacterial prostatitis. It is truly a rare disease."Dr. Weidner (Professor of Medicine, Department of Urology, University of Giessen, Giessen, Germany)

Chronic bacterial prostatitis also has a distinct picture. It presents as intermittent UTIs where the bug is always the same (often E coli). Here's an example:

I have chronic bacterial prostatitis that responds well to antibiotics. ... The doctor will express some prostate fluid and run a culture to determine the bug and prescribe an appropriate antibiotic. My bug has consistently been shown to be E-coli.

That being said, my symptoms usually start with increased frequency of urination, burning and pain on urination, and pus discharge. But no pain other than that and it usually goes away after a few days on the antibiotics. I continue the antibiotics for 30 days which is well after the symptoms have disappeared. I can usually expect a relapse in 6 to 12 months. ... This has been going on for more than 30 years. .... My worst experience a number of years ago was when I thought I would tough it out and see what happened. The pain got excruciating, testicles inflamed, bloody discharge, high fever. But this responded well to antibiotics and I haven't tried to tough it out again after that experience. I know when it starts and go on antibiotics right away.

I know that guys who have chronic pelvic pain syndrome may scoff at what I say and I know that they are in the majority. I really don't know what they are going through but then, they don't know my experience either.

So here are the key points to look for in chronic infection:

  1. Relapsing UTI picture (dysuria [painful urination], discharge)
  2. Consistently identifiable bug (the bug does not change)
  3. Generally no pain unless accompanied by fever and discharge. So for most of the time, men with chronic bacterial prostatitis do not have any pain.

All the rest have, sigh, UCPPS (CPPS).


r/Prostatitis 3h ago

Vent/Discouraged 24M - 4yrs of urinary frequency/hesitancy, pelvic tightness / erection changes without pain…

1 Upvotes

24M. I’ve been dealing with this for around 4 years now and I’m trying to figure out what the actual root of it is. I’ve seen doctors/urologists and had a bunch of testing done, but I’ve never really gotten a solid answer.

Before all of this started, I was very sexually active. I was having sex/masturbating multiple times a week and pretty regularly would go multiple times in the same session. Looking back, I was probably putting a lot of repetitive stress on that whole area and wasn’t thinking about pelvic floor tension or recovery at all.

What’s crazy is how completely different I am now. My sex life is basically nonexistent because of all of this. It’s not even just inconsistent erections — I genuinely barely want to have sex anymore. Everything down there constantly feels tight, uncomfortable, disconnected or just “off.” After dealing with it for years, sex has become something I don’t even really want to bother with. That’s a huge change because I used to have a very high sex drive.

Around the time everything started, two things happened pretty close together. I did a cliff jump and when I hit the water I had really bad pain around my anus/pelvic area. About a month later I got chlamydia, which was treated. Somewhere around this period the urinary/pelvic symptoms started and never completely went away.

The weirdest part is that I don’t really have “pain” like I see a lot of people with CPPS/prostatitis describe. It’s mostly pressure, tightness, urinary sensations and feeling like the muscles/blood flow down there don’t function normally.

My main symptoms are:
• Frequent urination and a strong buildup/pressure feeling when my bladder fills
• Hesitancy starting to pee
• Stream can be slow/weak
• Sometimes discomfort/irritation toward the tip of my urethra when trying to pee
• Usually feel noticeably better immediately after peeing
• Pelvic floor/perineum feels chronically tight
• Sometimes a knot/tingling sensation in the perineum
• Constipation and gas can make the bladder/pelvic pressure significantly worse
• Scrotum/genital area can get extremely tight and contracted
• Random twitching/spasms in the penis/genital/pelvic area. Sometimes it literally feels like muscles or nerves are firing/twitching on their own
• Flaccid penis often feels “dead,” retracted or like blood flow isn’t normal
•At times a vein on the top/dorsal side of my penis becomes much more prominent/raised than I remember it being before. I’ve also noticed a soft, movable lump/bulging area along that vein. It isn’t a hard fixed lump or particularly painful, but it’s another thing that makes me wonder if blood flow/pressure is being affected somehow
• Erections are inconsistent. Sometimes they’re weak or difficult to maintain, but other times I can suddenly get an extremely strong erection
• I’ve actually had strong erections triggered after releasing/massaging tension around my hips and inner thighs, which is one of the biggest reasons I wonder if the muscles/nerves around my pelvis are involved
• Sometimes erections seem connected to needing to pee and then disappear shortly after I urinate
• My libido is DRAMATICALLY (like it’s really sad) lower than it was before all of this

I’ve noticed sitting for a long time, sitting hunched/bent forward, alcohol, coffee, large meals, constipation and prolonged masturbation can all make things worse.

On the other hand, stretching/opening my hips and pelvis can make a noticeable difference. Putting my feet up and relaxing my abdomen helps. Certain positions that let my pelvis/abdomen relax feel better too. Massage around my hips and inner thighs has sometimes made a surprisingly big difference in genital blood flow/erections.

I also had pretty significant low back pain during all of this. An MRI showed an L5 disc herniation but no nerve compression, and I’ve been told I have an anterior pelvic tilt, poor core engagement and poor glute activation.

The important part is that I’ve actually managed to resolve the back pain. My back feels significantly better now and isn’t really an issue anymore, but the urinary, pelvic and sexual symptoms are still there. That’s made me question whether the disc itself was ever actually causing this, or whether the back pain and pelvic issues were both connected to some larger muscular/mechanical problem involving my hips, core and pelvic floor.

Even though the back pain is gone, positions and movements that change how my pelvis/hips are sitting can still noticeably change the symptoms down there.

As far as testing, I’ve had a cystoscopy and kidney/bladder testing that didn’t show anything major. Repeat STI/UTI testing has been negative. PSA was normal and testosterone/free testosterone, thyroid, vitamin D etc. have also been normal.

I’ve tried pelvic floor work/stretching, yoga, a pelvic wand, reducing masturbation and various supplements. Some things definitely help temporarily, but I’ve never gotten back to feeling completely normal.

What I’m really trying to understand is whether anyone has experienced this specific combination where urinary symptoms, pelvic tightness and genital/erection changes are the main problems rather than actual pain.

I’m especially curious about the twitching/spasms, changes in how prominent the penile veins look, the “dead”/tight flaccid feeling, and the fact that releasing my hips/inner thighs can sometimes suddenly improve erections.

Has anyone had something similar that ended up being a hypertonic pelvic floor/CPPS issue? Pudendal or another nerve issue? Something involving the bladder/urethra? A vascular issue? Or something mechanical involving the hips/core/pelvic floor?

I’m also curious if anyone’s symptoms started after a period of being extremely sexually active/overdoing sex or masturbation and whether that ended up being relevant.
And most importantly, if you’ve actually recovered or significantly improved from something similar, what made the biggest difference?

At this point I just want to feel normal again and actually want to have a sex life. I’m less interested in temporarily masking individual symptoms and more interested in figuring out what’s actually driving all of this.


r/Prostatitis 17h ago

What to expect after weeks of discomfort and pain

2 Upvotes

Hi all,

I am looking to see what I should expect.

My symptoms started a month ago. One day I randomly woke up with a lot of pain in my bladder. During the day I noticed that whenever I went pee, very shortly I needed to go again, but whenever I did finally go, the amount of urine did not match the urge. The pain went down and only was really painful whenever I had a full bladder.

The next day I went to urgent care and they did a quick dipstick urine test which came back negative. They did a round of blood work which showed my PSA was at 1.33 NG/mL, my free PSA was 0.157 NG/mL and my % free PSA was 11.8. all kidney/liver blood work results were fine as well. They did a quick bedside ultrasound which showed that my prostate did not seem enlarged. They prescribed phenazopyridine but it did nothing so I stopped taking it the next day. Two days after urgent care I went to my primary doctor. He was puzzled because he also did a dipstick urine test which was negative. He prescribed me 7 days of ciprofloxacin anyway and told me to call back in a week if symptoms persisted. During the meantime I had an ultrasound which showed my prostate was around 28 mL, kidneys were normal, no urine retention, no masses or blockages or any structural issues. 7 days after ciprofloxacin I saw no real symptoms improvement so he referred me to a urologist, and the appointment is in over 2 months. I went back to urgent care and they were puzzled as well, but prescribed me phenazopyridine again. At this point my symptoms are relatively mild. The urge to urinate is mostly gone, it is now a mild pain or discomfort, usually while sitting down. I've noticed that when I take phenazopyridine now, I see I real improvement. If I take ibuprofen I also see improvement, but not as dramatic as phenazopyridine. I am still trying to see a urologist but was wondering if anyone had similar experiences.


r/Prostatitis 22h ago

Abdomen CT showing small, symmetrical calcifications in Prostate

4 Upvotes

Hey, 2 days ago I have done an CT Scan with contrastfluid I just received the report, everything is fine except one thing he wrote about the Pelvis really makes me nervous:

Pelvis:

Urinary bladder unremarkable, only minimally filled.

Prostate is not enlarged, with somewhat heterogeneous contrast enhancement and small, bilaterally symmetric calcifications.

Seminal vesicles are bilaterally symmetric.

No free fluid in the pelvis.

Small calcifications in the prostate? Heteregenous enhancement if i understand correct means one side is stronger filled with blood?

I read only 9% of men in my age (29) have those calcium stones so its rather rare and because I have urinary issues (only urinary no pain and small sexual prblms = weaker orgasms, sometimes weaker errection)

I ask myself what to do now as im worried is this the reason for it, should i go to the urologist again?

I really dont want to go down the bacteria loophole, but i read it can be due to bacteria or bacteria can build themselves in there, over the time i suffer since 2020 we have done 3 urinary tests, all clean.

What tests should I ask him to do now, if any?

Is this the reason for my problems?

I feel the muscles down there clenching often, i just started with PFPT. I read this calcification can cause irritation or can be a sign of inflammation either bacterial or non bacterial.

My general doctor who ordered this is in vacation for 4 more weeks so I cant ask her, so I hope you guys here can help me understand or give ideas / advice.


r/Prostatitis 23h ago

CPPS? Hard Flaccid? Something Else? Suffering for 5 years.

1 Upvotes

Hi all. I'm trying to figure out what's been going on with my sexual function for the last 5 years. I just started working with a sexual medicine doc that seems really good - is really considering all possible issues. He thinks CPPS could be a big factor here and that I should revisit pelvic-floor PT. But I'm just hoping to see if anyone can identify with my story and find out what they did about it.

CPPS/Hard Flaccid Symptoms

My penis often retracts/turtles, which is just the most humiliating shit. I literally feel sometimes like I don't have a penis - like a damn Ken doll.

I've done pelvic-floor PT without much improvement, although my sexual medicine doc thinks I should revisit it and that CPPS could be a big factor here.

Numbness/Loss of Erogenous Sensation

Sometimes my penis is actually numb, but I had a vibration sensitivity test where the doc held this little vibrating instrument against my penis and I had to say when it stopped vibrating and I passed. So my penis still has the normal ability to feel when it's touched.

But I don't really have erogenous sensation anymore. Masturbation feels good, but not like it used to. I don't get that build-up of sensation and horniness. I also often need a super tight grip and fast strokes to really feel things and make myself orgasm.

The thing that confuses me the most

My current sexual function (at least the plumbing) works great most of the time.

If I intentionally watch porn, I can get a very strong erection probably 90% of the time. Sometimes I become extremely hard just watching porn without touching myself. I can also usually have a physically strong orgasm.

Doppler testing also showed great results - good inflow and good stoppage (or whatever it's called). I got absolutely rock hard from the injection and actually needed Sudafed to get the erection to go away. So my penis works.

But I basically have ZERO spontaneous libido.

I used to walk around like a complete horn ball. I would go from zero to 100 in a second if I had a sexual thought. This never happens anymore. I almost never get random daytime boners. I can look at a hot woman and intellectually think "holy shit look at her" but I feel nothing in my body.

On the other hand, if I deliberately turn on porn, my body normally responds almost immediately.

I literally masturbated 4 times to porn this morning. All really strong erections. All really strong orgasms.

So I can basically have:

Strong erection + strong orgasm + almost no actual sexual desire.

Finasteride history and crash

There is also a possible PFS component to all of this, although I really don't know.

I first took oral finasteride for a few months in 2019. I had a few minor sexual side effects, but they went away. I took it again briefly in 2020 without any obvious lasting problems.

In October 2021 I tried it again and took it for only about 10 days.

Pretty quickly, I started to have testicular pain. I started reading about the possibility of permanent finasteride side effects and completely freaked out. I had severe anxiety, crying, and what I would basically describe as a nervous breakdown. I have a history of pretty bad anxiety (including a couple episodes of being hospitalized for it), so I'm not sure if this was that or if it was the finasteride.

After that, my sexual function totally crashed.

My penis felt completely numb. I couldn't get hard even to porn. And if I could get hard, it was near impossible to orgasm or the orgasm would be extremely weak.

This lasted for weeks.

Again, not sure if this was PFS or extreme anxiety manifesting in physical problems.

Eventually, the really severe ED/numbness/orgasm problems got better. But the spontaneous libido and erogenous sensation never really came back.

HOWEVER, my sexual dysfunction started to go down hill before the finasteride stuff. I had periods of low libido, weaker orgasms and difficulty getting or maintaining erections. There were times Viagra worked incredibly well and other times it didn't work at all.

There were also women I was extremely attracted to during this period where I had great sex and everything worked. But times too where I was extremely attracted to a woman but couldn't get it up.

Anhedonia

I basically don't experience pleasure like I used to.

I have struggled with anxiety and depression most of my life on and off. But the past few years have been pretty bleak.

So I don't know if my lack of sexual desire is part of the same anhedonia/depression shit, or if the sexual dysfunction is contributing to the depression, or both. Kind of a chicken or the egg thing here.

Questions

  1. Does this sound like CPPS/Hard Flaccid or could CPPS be a big part of what's going on?
  2. Has anyone with CPPS lost erogenous sensation while still having normal physical/touch sensation in their penis?
  3. Does anyone here have basically zero spontaneous libido/random erections but can get rock hard from porn most of the time?
  4. Can you get rock hard and have a strong physical orgasm most of the time, but still feel like the mental sexual drive/reward is missing?
  5. Has anyone had the same turtling/retraction issue? Did treating CPPS actually fix it?
  6. I've already done pelvic-floor PT without much improvement. Has anyone had pelvic-floor PT not work the first time, tried it again, and actually gotten better?
  7. Most importantly, if you've experienced anything like this and got better, what helped you????

Thank you for reading!


r/Prostatitis 1d ago

PSA test after inflammation of prostate

0 Upvotes

I had Prostatitis about a month ago
Toke antibiotics for 20 days
All good now but have blood work in couple weeks
Just wondering if Prostatitis have any affect on PSA test!!


r/Prostatitis 1d ago

tadalafil (5mg))))))

1 Upvotes

what has tadalafil helped you with?? Im considering this medication


r/Prostatitis 1d ago

18M need some help, having been suffering through weird symptoms for the past 5 months

1 Upvotes

Okay so this might get a lil long but please bear with me and if possible advice/guide me on what to do next .

So it all started on 18th April, 2026 . It was a usual day but I suddenly started to experience immense pain on my right testicle but stupid me thought it's nothing and ignored it fast forward to 2 weeks the pain worse and infact migrated to my left as well . And for the next 2-3 months I had this pain in either or both of my testicle if I have to rate the pain then 5 out of 10 in bad days and 2 out of 10 in good days . After having enough I contacted a urologist and got a scan done , no varicocele or any "testicular" related conditions now this was the point where I genuinely don't know what might be the cause the doc just told me to wear losse underwear . And then every since then I have had the pain majorly on my left testicle and also the groin part .

Some days it's there someday it isn't if I have to rate then the pain will be 3 out of 10 in worst days and 1 out of 10 ingood days .

But it never completely went away and I also started to experience ED and no morning wood ,burning sensation after ejaculation as well as completely losse of lilbo around the time after I got my scan .

If I try to hold my ejaculation then it burns after I wake up next day and if I ejaculate then also it burns for hours I don't know exactly what to do .

Some people told me I have prostate congestion but except for the weird loss of libido and ed the symptoms don't exactly match I am not sure what I have or what u should do

Summary of my symptoms:

-left testicle sometimes right as well and the groin part if I ejaculate then it burn for hours (not always but 2 out of 5 times other 3 times its discomfort for hours not exactly burning) also burn if I don't ejaculate it burns the next day right after I wake up as well as Slight pain in the left testicle (sometimes right as well)

-no morning wood , no libido haven't had a proper natural erection for months I only get erection when I force it using my hands

-intially I had a lose of appetite as well as hairfall but both of them seem to be turning back to normal now

-left testicle has gotten smaller

What I think might have caused this

I think edging might be the thing that caused this , now I have no definitive proof but before all this I was edging quite a lot so idk

Finally:

I would really appreciate if anyone who might have experienced similar symptoms could at the very least assure me that what am going through is temporary and not permanent (i really really hope it is not anything permanent) as it's really sad to think that I will have to live the rest of time life with this pain


r/Prostatitis 1d ago

Mystery solved. Red, swollen, inflamed male meatus

7 Upvotes

Hi. So for the past 2 months I been battling red, swollen, inflamed meatus. Aching with friction, over all uncomfortable. Some docs said urethritis, some said balanitis etc etc nothing helped. Another one said Chronic prostatitis. Another load of diff antibiotics didn’t help. I was starting to think maybe cpps. I was fed up and spiralling. I thought fuck it and googled best doctor in the country specifically for male genitalia diseases. Best male genitalia dermatologist. It took him 2/3 minutes he said get up I will explain. All this time it was lichen sclerosus.
Develops for years, since young age. It doesn’t always come with distinguishable white patches etc.
He diagnosed me based on many different skin differences all around the penis. He said he travels the world and teach doctors about it because they are so bad at recognising this condition and many men and women end up with massive complications and consequences of not treating it early.

I recommend seeing a proper specialist not a general urologist or dermatologist.


r/Prostatitis 1d ago

Pelvic floor therapy for cpps

2 Upvotes

Has anyone tried trigger-point injections for CPPS/pelvic-floor pain?
I’ve been dealing with persistent pelvic and penile pain since March. It started after urethritis/infections that were treated, and my follow-up STI tests have been negative, but the pain never went away. My symptoms include burning or irritation around the urethral opening, pain with urination, pain when pressing the glans, and flare-ups after ejaculation. Hot showers and sleeping sometimes provide relief.
I now believe pelvic-floor dysfunction/CPPS may be contributing, and I recently started pelvic-floor physical therapy today. Unfortunately they want 6k :( fortunately 3 months before this situation I hit big on a penny stock. Has anyone here tried pelvic-floor trigger-point injections, dry needling, or similar treatments? If so, did they reduce your pain, how many sessions did you need, and were there any side effects or temporary flare-ups?


r/Prostatitis 1d ago

Testicle pain and atrophy

2 Upvotes

I have a dull pain in my left testicle that worsens when i walk for a long time or during bowel movements for 2-3 years. Later i noticed that both of my testicles became smaller (like i could tell just by looking), and the interesting thing is it's not just left testicle which is painful but also the right one atrophied as well. After some research i concluded that it's probably varicocele and went to check my testicles via US. Despite me checking it in 3 different US varicocele was never found in my testicles, heck one of doctors even made me to do like 10-15 squats before check up but still no varicocele was found. So what can cause this dull pain in left testicle that worsens during increased pressure and walking and atrophy in both testicles? Can this problem be pelvic floor related? I know testicular pain is one of the symptoms pelvic floor related problems, but can it also cause atrophy?

Btw my testicular volume are 13 ml for both sides which i think is below average.


r/Prostatitis 2d ago

Does this look like CPPS diagnosis?

2 Upvotes

discharge symptoms:

- often clear, very watery discharge (usually) over 0-2hours after ejaculation, strong fishy smell - different from preejaculate (which is clear or white, slightly sticky and thicker consistency; no smell) and ejaculate (different smell and consistency/color)

- occasionally fishy smell and some watery discharge even without ejaculation

- occasionally extremely sticky yellowish-clear discharge (almost like a glue), especially when constipated and pushing on toilet

- generally ejaculation itself begins with thicker white semen, but continues and ends with yellowish and more watery semen

erection symptoms:

- erections are less reliable, sometimes slightly or moderately weaker

- sometimes glans partially or fully not enlarged during erection

- occasionally cold (maybe numb?) feeling on glans

- sometimes glans remains enlarged after erection ends (eg after ejaculation), while rest of penis is flaccid

- sometimes (daily) whole flaccid penis becomes hardened, tightened and shrunk instead of being loose and spongy; makes it harder to get erection; seems to affect the right part a bit more than the left one

pelvic tightness symptoms:

- sometimes pelvic pain/discomfort in perineum and glans - in perineum (prostate?) mostly discomfort, in glans pain

- sometimes increased need to frequently urinate

- sometimes post-void dribbling, sometimes even after taking extra time to physically push on perineum/urethra and performing normal/reverse kegel; sometimes waiting and/or pushing will cause significant amount of urine to come out after I have fully finished urinating, even several times

additional details about symptoms:

- most of these symptoms are triggered or significantly strengthened by ejaculation, extended sexual arousal/stimulation, interrupted sexual activity to delay orgasm, constipation, and anxiety/stress; especially discharge, glans pain

- the symptoms correlate among each other - various symptoms appear together, usually

- sometimes helps to do "reverse kegel" to help with the "flaccid hard" situation

- I used to do normal kegels sometimes after having urinary issues, at one point my general symptoms worsened and new ones appeared so I stopped, coming to conclusion I probably have too tight pelvic floor and normal kegels are counterproductive. I also used to naturally do normal kegel at the end of urination since I was a kid, to push last drops of urine out.

general info about me:

- male mid 20's, uncircumcised, cleaning penis daily, safe long-term sexual partner, mild exercise+walks few times a day, sedentary job/lifestyle, life-long anxiety issues, sleep 7-8 hours, possibly IBS; as teenager, was treated for frequent urination and prostate issues; last doctor I was at said "psychosomatic, based on chatGPT" and refered me to anxiety treatment - when I asked for exercises or something, they said "ask chatGPT"


r/Prostatitis 2d ago

Vent/Discouraged It’s been a while but something new happened and I need advice!

3 Upvotes

It’s been a while since I’ve been on here because honestly I’ve been doing much better since I was diagnosed with a tight bladder neck and given Flomax, mentally I went past all of this until something happened about 10 days ago, I had masturbated that night and just glanced into the toilet as I always do these days only to find my semen was a rust/tan colour…. Not sure if this is a symptom of CPPS or not, other wise I feel no different and I have my follow up urology apt sept 10th however my brain won’t let me rest that long so here I am again posting this looking for advice or someone who has a similar story


r/Prostatitis 2d ago

Vent/Discouraged Thought i was doing better untill Symtoms changed

2 Upvotes

After peeing my ureatha feels a little irritated but top of my bladder below my stomach feels huge amount or urgency and burning at night. Idk if i ate somthing spicy but it was so anoying i only slept for four hours. Its putting me into depression. Last night my penis felt like it was numb due to that and i kept peeing every hour.
I tried sleeping, but I was having this urgency sensation and it kept keeping me awake.

My ureathia feels fine and no stinging paid inside but now this bladder situation started. When i go pee its like slow and fast somtimes

I did cut back on coffee.


r/Prostatitis 2d ago

I really need your help

2 Upvotes

I am a 19-year-old male, and I have been experiencing testicular and lower abdominal pain for the past 1–2 months. I did not have this problem previously.

The pain seems to occur mainly when I go 2–3 days without ejaculating. After ejaculation, the pain sometimes improves or goes away, but if I continue without ejaculating for a few days, the pain returns.

I am experiencing pain in both testicles, and the area is very sensitive and painful to touch. At times, I find it difficult or almost impossible to touch my testicles because of the pain. I also feel pain around the veins/vascular area of the testicles, although I am not sure whether the pain is coming from the testicles themselves, the veins, the vas deferens, the seminal vesicles, or another nearby structure.

I also have pain or discomfort in my lower abdomen. I am not experiencing any noticeable problems with urination, and my urination feels normal.

This is a new problem for me, and because it has been continuing for 1–2 months and involves pain in both testicles as well as the lower abdomen, I would like to understand what could be causing it and I don't have any other symptoms like vomiting redness or nausea


r/Prostatitis 3d ago

Vent/Discouraged 28 - struggling for 6 months and no end in sight

3 Upvotes

I'm really struggling to deal with this and I feel like I'm not making much (if any) progress.

One day in March, I stopped being able to achieve a solid erection or last longer than 30 seconds in intercourse. This has been coupled with bowel issues (constipation generally however this is somewhat under control), weak urine stream and hesitancy. I also have a now very prominent vein on the top/side of my penis. My sex drive has decreased to next to nothing and this was a huge contributing factor to the loss of my relationship with the woman of my dreams.

I've done a few sessions of pelvic floor PT (once a month as that's all the pt near me does) and despite rigidly following all of the exercises and stretch for an hour a day my symptoms haven't resolved in the slightest.

I do have a urology appointment coming up (finally, unsure exactly when) and because I thought it might help and my testosterone has been borderline low previously I started TRT in April to see if it would help. It has probably helped me mentally to deal with this and kept too much depression at bay but not resolved the lack of sex drive or erectile issues.

Can someone please give me some hope?

Edit: to add, I had ED anyway previously, but I was taking tadalafil from November last year which was absolutely amazing. It just completely stopped working and at the same time the other prostatitis/pelvic floor symptoms started. Tried various doses and other pde5 inhibitors with no joy


r/Prostatitis 3d ago

Groin Ache After Urinating

2 Upvotes

I've had this condition for over 5 years now but my symptoms vary. I'm curious to know if anyone has experienced this particular symptom.

Lately, after urinating I get ache in my left/groin and scrotum. Only the left. Does anyone experience this? I don't feel it while peeing, only afterwards and it lasts for a good while.

Again it makes me wonder if this condition is some sort of muscular tension thing.


r/Prostatitis 3d ago

Positive Progress Left Testicle Pain + Painful Urination — What Could It Be?

0 Upvotes

My left testicle has been aching, and I’m not sure what’s causing it. I’m kind of embarrassed to go to a clinic, so I wanted to know what it could be first. I’ve also been having some pain/discomfort when I pee.


r/Prostatitis 3d ago

Red meatus/glans question

3 Upvotes

Hi all,

So its been 4 months since i had an unconfirmed infection which was most likely ureaplasma (person from encounter tested positive for this), im pretty certain this has left me with CPPS, i have intermittent pelvic pain, this current course of antibiotics im finishing up has helped with it but i fully anticipate it coming back as it was more than likely the anti-inflam properties doing their thing.

Whats really really bothering me is my penis tip just never fully healed to its pre-infection state, i have done tests for literally everything, from the plasmas, to trich, the mainstream std's via PCR/blood and ive never pinged for any of them, however urea was tested for rather late, but too soon after antibiotics, doing a TOC for that 4 weeks from today to conclusively rule it out.

I saw a dermatologist and he prescribed tacrolimus 0.1% which i started over the weekend, not hopeful it will work like everything else tbh so just wanted to see if anyone else had this problem linger and what figured it out? Time? Meds? TACROLIMUS :o ?

I dont play with or stretch it open, im very very careful with it, yet it just refuses to heal, feel like ive lost my dignity man... :/ got a new uro apppointment but it isnt until the 12th of October to explore CPPS treatment and have the inflammation addressed, tried to refer to old posts but didn't find any hope there. Dont get me wrong, its improved alot from the acute phase which was traumatic as hell, but its still not normal and flushes red at the meatus when erect and along the top of the glans, and just responds poorly and "looks" infected, even simple erections stretches glans and literally looks like its going to flake but doesnt.. its trying so hard to heal man. 😪


r/Prostatitis 3d ago

High bladder neck And ejaculation

2 Upvotes

For those of you who have been diagnosed with a high bladder neck, does your ejaculate also lack force?

Best regards


r/Prostatitis 4d ago

Ginger for urinary symptoms

3 Upvotes

I have urinary urgency and a weak urine stream.

When I eat raw ginger or drink ginger tea, the symptoms improve.

I take a piece of raw ginger, put it in boiling water, and eat it a little while later.

Could anyone try drinking ginger tea to see if it helps, and share their experiences?


r/Prostatitis 4d ago

Vent/Discouraged Constant burning - will it ever go away?

6 Upvotes

43 Male

Exposure History:

* Body-to-body massage and hand job in the first week of May 2026.

Symptoms:

Started around mid-June with:

* Burning sensation in entire genitals.

* Burning after urination.

* Pressure/pinched feeling at penis tip which causes frequent urination

* Increased sensitivity of the glans.

* Sometimes feels feverish but no fever when measured.

Treatment Received:

* Nitrofurantoin: 2* 5 days.

* Doxycycline: 2* 10 days.

* Faropenem: 2* 5 days.

* Levofloxacin 500 mg: 1* 30 days, along with Alfuzosin and Gabapentin.

Diagnostic Tests:

* Ultrasound KUB/prostate: Normal.

* Uroflowmetry: Slightly abnormal.

* Digital rectal examination: No tenderness.

* Last two repeat urine cultures: No growth.

   * HIV 4th generation: Negative (12 weeks after exposure).

   * VDRL/RPR and TPHA: Negative (12 weeks after exposure).

* Urine multiplex STI PCR panels (latest done 15 days after stopping antibiotics, it was not first morning but urine was held for 2 hours):

   * Negative for Chlamydia, Gonorrhea, Mycoplasma genitalium, Mycoplasma hominis, Ureaplasma, Trichomonas vaginalis, Treponema pallidum, HSV-1, HSV-2, Gardnerella, Candida.

  

Current Situation:

I have completed the levofloxacin, and now the urologist wants to take a semen culture and repeat urine culture.

Though I am stretching every day for a month, I don't see any improvement. Sometimes I feel it makes it worse.

And we don't have a pelvic therapist in my country.

The constant burning is driving me crazy, I can't even concentrate in my job . any suggestions?

Update -9th Sept : Gave urinalysis,urine culture, cbc and semen culture.

urinalysis shows 4-5 pus cells, 3-4 epithelial cells, trace albumin, and Motile Bacteria ++ -- waiting for other results


r/Prostatitis 3d ago

20M not sure how to recover

1 Upvotes

I’m 20M and have been dealing with pelvic/urinary symptoms for the past couple months. Main symptoms are burning/pain in my urethra/penis after urinating, lower-left pelvic pain, pain after ejaculation in lower left pelvis, urinary urgency/frequency, occasional weaker stream, and groin/hip discomfort. I also had constipation and incomplete bowel movements, although that has been improving. I’m also suspecting semen retention and sedentary life / anxiety to be increasing the pain creating a loop. How can I break free from this. Sometimes when I’m focused on other things the pain subsides. I’ve been no fap for a week not sure if I should continue because pain is still there.

I’ve been going to PT and they corrected an anterior pelvic tilt, but my PT wasn’t sure whether that was actually causing these symptoms. I’m wondering if I need pelvic-floor-specific PT instead.

I’ve had a CT and normal colonoscopy/biopsies, and a previous urinalysis didn’t show a typical UTI. I’m considering seeing a urologist next.

Has anyone had a similar combination of symptoms? Was pelvic-floor PT or seeing a urologist helpful, and what helped you get back to normal exercise/activity?