Highlights
- Prostate massage for BPH, also called “prostate milking,” can help relieve discomfort and pain. It can also provide test material for prostate cancer screening.
- Your provider will likely pair prostatic massage with other treatments, as it’s not a first-line treatment.
- Discuss prostate massage in detail with your doctor before using it as a treatment or for other reasons.
Prostate massage for BPH, despite all the jokes you’ve probably heard, is a valid medical treatment. If you’re suffering from benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), or enlarged prostate, here are the facts you need about prostate massage.
How Does The Prostate Work?
Prostate massage for BPH is a technique that can help with symptoms caused by an enlarged prostate. To understand how and why prostatic massage might help and why an enlarged prostate might cause problems, we need to understand how the prostate works and where it’s located.
The prostate is in front of your rectum and below your bladder; your urethra runs through the center of it. Its main job is to generate the fluid that, when combined with sperm from the testicles, creates semen. The prostate makes this fluid at a regular rate, keeping it in reserve for when it’s needed.
When you ejaculate, smooth muscle around and inside the prostate contracts, forcing the fluid into the urethra, where it mixes with sperm and becomes semen.
Why Does an Enlarged Prostate Cause Problems?
BPH, also called an enlarged prostate, is a common medical condition. Around age 25, the prostate begins growing again and never stops throughout your life. Your prostate can also become inflamed due to prostatitis, an infection, or inflammation.
Once the prostate reaches a certain size, its location becomes a problem. Since it surrounds the urethra, a large enough prostate can squeeze the urethra and narrow it. This can cause urinary problems, like trouble getting a stream started, frequent need to urinate, or not being able to go at all, called urinary retention.
The obvious solution is to reduce the size of the prostate. There are a few methods to do this, but doctors will generally start with the lowest-risk ones.
What Is Medical Prostate Massage?
To massage your prostate, your doctor will insert a gloved finger or ultrasonic device into your rectum to stimulate the prostate. It can also be done externally through the perineum.
Your provider will gently stroke the sides of your prostate to ease fluid out of the prostatic ducts into the urethra. You will then expel the fluid with your urine.
Draining fluid from the prostate helps to reduce the size of the prostate, which can bring relief from pain and discomfort. The fluid can also be tested for biomarkers that indicate prostatitis, prostate cancer, or other issues.
Prostate massage isn’t painful; in fact, it can be stimulating. The procedure is also called prostate milking, and many men find it a pleasurable sexual technique. However, we’ll leave that discussion to you and your partner.
Why Would I Get A Prostate Massage For BPH?
There are a few reasons why prostate massage can be a good option for BPH, despite what might be perceived as drawbacks to some men.
They include:
- It’s low-risk. There’s no medication to take and no surgery involved, so there’s little risk of side effects or complications, with one caveat: If you have prostatitis caused by a bacterial infection, there is some risk of spreading the infection or injuring inflamed areas of the body. Talk with your doctor about options.
- Your doctor can do it as part of a standard exam. If you’re regularly being checked for signs of prostate cancer during a digital rectal exam (DRE) and have an enlarged prostate, a doctor can do it as part of the exam.
- It can be done externally if needed. Especially with an enlarged prostate, it may be possible to clear out the ducts without performing a DRE.
Though prostate massage can effectively relieve discomfort to a degree, eventually you may need other treatment. Your doctor may combine it with medication such as finasteride or Cialis, and over time, you may need surgery to reduce the size of your prostate.
Am I Going To Orgasm From Medical Prostatic Massage?
It’s unlikely you’ll have an orgasm from medical prostatic massage. It’s in a clinical environment. Many treatments for BPH and prostatitis can have an impact on your libido, erections, and sex drive, but it’s unlikely you’re going to be in the mood.
That said, while there are no documented numbers that we could find, it happens often enough that it’s a possibility. Part of the issue is that it’s not particularly clear why interacting with the prostate should cause an orgasm at all. Even an experienced doctor might find themselves in an awkward conversation.
If it does, remember that your doctor is a professional who has probably seen it before (and far worse things). If you’re willing, you may want to discuss the chances of this happening before your appointment, or if it makes you uncomfortable, you can just skip the procedure.
If I Ejaculate Regularly, Does That Serve the Same Purpose?
It doesn’t seem much study has been done around the size of the prostate and whether or not regular ejaculation can help keep it smaller. There is some evidence that it can help reduce prostate cancer risk, although researchers don’t understand how and why.
We do know, however, that the prostate is going to continue to grow, no matter what, and at some point you will probably need to take action. So, if you’ve got the ability, feel free. Frequent ejaculation certainly can’t hurt, but don’t assume it’s going to be a cure-all.
Get The Facts About BPH, Prostatitis, and Sexual Health
When it comes to your sexual health and your body, you need to be informed and advocate for yourself. Follow the eDrugstore blog to stay on top of the latest science and treatment for erectile dysfunction, prostatitis, and much more.
Dan is a long-time freelance writer focusing on technology, science, health, and medicine, with a lifelong interest in physics, biology, and medicine. His work has taken a particular focus on scientific studies “beyond the headlines,” reading the study to more closely examine the results.