The prostate gland is one of the main organs of the male genitourinary system. To determine what condition it is in and whether it works correctly, a laboratory study of prostate secretion is performed. How is this analysis done and what is its feature? The reader will receive all answers to questions of interest right now.
Prostate Juice
What is it - the secret of the prostate, what does this term mean? This is a biological fluid that appears when the prostate is working. The secretion of the gland makes up most of the male seed. The main purpose of prostate juice is to ensure the normal fertilizing ability of sperm. If the chemical composition of the secret does not meet normal indicators, a man can be diagnosed with infertility.
Prostate juice is one third of the total ejaculated sperm. Due to its presence in the seminal fluid, sperm cells are able to actively move. Satisfactory fertilizing abilities of male germ cells are preserved only with a healthy composition of the secretion. Sperm can lose their activity against the background of the inflammatory process in the prostate gland, so conception does not occur.
The composition of the biological fluid
To get an objective assessment of the health status of the reproductive system in men, he will have to pass an analysis of the secretion of the prostate. How this study is done, we will consider in one of the following sections, but for now we will pay attention to the chemical composition of the juice of the prostate gland.
Water makes up almost 95% of its volume. The rest is the salts of various trace elements. Most of all the secret contains:
- calcium
- sodium;
- potassium;
- citrates;
- phosphates;
- bicarbonates;
- protein enzymes.
Also in the prostate fluid are leukocytes, lecithin grains, lipoids, amyloids. Their quantitative load is a direct indicator of sperm functionality. Particular attention in the study of prostate secretion is given to the identification of crystals of lecithin and cholesterol. If male infertility is suspected, the gland juice is studied for acidity and zinc ionization.
What the analysis says
To conduct a study of prostate juice, 1.5-2 ml of biological fluid will be required - this is quite enough to study the substance under a microscope in a specialized laboratory. Many men underestimate the importance of such an examination because they do not know what the secret of the prostate shows. Unlike ultrasound and other research methods, passing this analysis has the main advantage: it allows you to diagnose pathologies of the genitourinary system at an early stage, that is, long before the first symptoms of the disease and changes in the structure of the organ.
To make an accurate diagnosis, you can not do without laboratory diagnostics, involving the study of the composition of the secretion of the prostate. The results of the study are confirmation of such various pathologies of the prostate gland, including prostatitis, gland hyperplasia, malignant tumors, and infectious diseases of the genitourinary system.
In addition, the analysis can answer the question about the causes of male infertility. The thing is that infertility can occur in different forms, which depends on the number of sperm, their motility, structure. As already noted, the motor activity of male germ cells depends on the composition of the prostate juice. If there are abnormalities in the composition of this biological fluid, the sperm is unable to move in the direction of the egg. If the gamete moves randomly, it simply will not have time to get to the target and die.
Who is recommended to take an analysis of prostate juice
The analysis is prescribed to patients who discover the symptoms of diseases of the genitourinary system:
- pain and pain during urination - the inflammatory process in the urethra often affects the prostate gland;
- pain in the groin and in the perineum;
- frequent urination at night;
- weak intensity of the stream during urination;
- secretion of pus, mucus with a prostate secretion;
- frequent episodes of infectious and inflammatory diseases;
- weakening of erectile dysfunction;
- decreased libido;
- inability to fertilize.
A study may be prescribed during treatment in order to monitor the dynamics of recovery.
Why do Bakseeding
The secret of the prostate is used in a microscopic examination to conduct differential diagnosis to clarify the disease. If a bacterial infection is suspected, a tank test must be given. sowing prostate secretion. How do such a study? Unlike conventional analysis, this type of diagnosis requires more time to obtain results. Tank sowing prostate secretion allows you to determine the type of infectious pathogen and determine the degree of its sensitivity to antibacterial drugs.
How to prepare for the biofluid collection procedure
Before conducting a laboratory study, the patient will need special training in which there is nothing complicated. All requirements are easily fulfilled, suggest only minor restrictions in the usual way of life:
- 12 hours before taking the secret of the prostate (how to do this, we will consider further) you can not eat food. This manipulation is prescribed in the morning, so this condition usually does not cause difficulties.
- In the morning before the procedure, it is important to empty the intestines and make a cleansing enema.
- Before doing a microscopy of the secretion of the prostate, the man is sent to the restroom to empty the bladder. This is necessary so that the drops of urine do not mix with the juice of the prostate when it is taken.
- A few days before the analysis, it is necessary to refrain from sexual intercourse, and this is not only about sexual intercourse, but also surrogate methods of self-satisfaction.
- On the eve of the examination, it is recommended to stop drinking alcohol, going to the sauna, baths, and taking a hot bath.
Material intake through prostate massage
Some patients require sedation and the help of a psychologist, since they consider prostate stimulation an unacceptable manipulation. The reason for the categorical attitude to this medical procedure is often the gender stereotypes and homophobic attitudes that exist in society. Nevertheless, prostate massage is an indispensable and integral part of the diagnosis of the genitourinary system in men.
The prostate is located next to the rectum, so close that it can be felt through the wall of the intestine. How to make a secretion of the prostate? Its secretion occurs spontaneously during ejaculation. The fluid that is needed for the study is excreted through the urethra. Thus, in order to obtain material for research, the doctor makes the prostate massage rectally, that is, stimulates the organ through the rectum. This manipulation is performed by urologists.
Procedure Algorithm
You must adhere to a certain order in order to get the secret of the prostate. How do this analysis? The procedure is as follows:
- The patient needs to free his lower body from clothing.
- Then the man fits on his right side, bends his knees and brings them to his stomach. The second option is a knee-elbow pose, if for some reason it is impossible to take the previous position of the body.
- The urologist, wearing sterile gloves, immerses the index finger into the rectum by 3.5-4 cm and stimulates the prostate with light stroking movements. Massage of the prostate gland usually takes 2-3 minutes.
- To get a secret that accumulates in the gland during stimulation, the doctor presses on the interlobar sulcus.
- Prostate juice begins to be secreted from the urethra. The fluid is collected on glass for further microscopy of prostate secretion.
How is the analysis done if the biomaterial is allocated in an amount insufficient for the study? In this case, the man is offered to urinate in a laboratory test tube. The secret of the prostate will be present in it along with urine. This is not an ideal option for taking the secret of the prostate, because it does not guarantee accurate results of the analysis, but in the absence of an alternative is the only way to examine.
About contraindications
Prostate massage for taking biological fluid normally does not cause pain, discomfort. The manipulation itself is completely safe, moreover, it is prescribed to men for therapeutic purposes in case of stagnant processes in the pelvic organs.
And yet there are some limitations to the analysis of prostate secretion. Prostate massage is prohibited if a man:
- increased body temperature - when it exceeds 38 ° C, the composition of the juice changes;
- there are chronic inflammatory diseases - it is not recommended to conduct a study at the stage of exacerbation, since the analysis will confirm the fact of inflammation in the body, but will not allow an accurate diagnosis;
- a crack in the anus, an increase in hemorrhoidal nodes - in this case, penetration of a finger through the anus will bring strong pain;
- tuberculosis of the prostate.
If it is impossible to obtain prostate juice, urologists limit themselves to the results of bacterial inoculation of seminal fluid, ultrasound and other types of diagnostics.
Some men mistakenly believe that proctologists are involved in the extraction of prostate juice. In fact this is not true. It is possible that if necessary, pass an analysis of prostate juice, the participation of this doctor will be required, but the doctor does not participate in the procedure itself. What does a proctologist do when they take prostate secretion? The role of this narrow-profile specialist is to prepare the patient for manipulation. Thus, the proctologist treats the patient for diseases of the rectum and eliminates contraindications for this diagnostic procedure.
What indicators matter
The laboratory conducts several types of research before issuing an opinion on the secretion of the prostate. The interpretation of the analysis of prostate juice consists of several stages:
- visual, during which the volume of the liquid is measured, its color, degree of density and level of acidity are determined;
- microscopic - the cellular structure of the material is studied, the number of red blood cells, white blood cells, macrophages, the presence of epithelial cells, etc .;
- bacteriological culture in order to detect pathogenic microflora, which can cause inflammation.
Another type of research that biomaterial is subjected to in the laboratory is the study of the nature of crystallization of prostate secretion. Normally, it should contain a lot of salts, but during crystallization, sodium chloride can take a different form, which depends on the characteristics of the liquid. Ideally, the pattern has similarities with a fern leaf, have a complex, but ordered pattern. In pathology, the arrangement of crystals is chaotic.
Norm or deviation?
We already know how to prepare for the secretion of the prostate, how the analysis is done and what contraindications it has. Next, attention should be paid to a detailed interpretation of the finished survey results. To establish a diagnosis, specialists adhere to generally accepted parameters. Any deviation from the norm indicates a violation in the work of the genitourinary system, the presence of an inflammatory or infectious process.
The first thing that attention is paid to when studying male biomaterial is its volume. For a microscopic analysis, a couple of drops is enough, but normally, the secret should be 1.5-2 ml. A decrease in prostate secretion during ejaculation may indicate the development of prostatitis, and an increase in blood stasis in the small pelvis.
The juice of the prostate gland in a healthy man has a whitish hue. With various diseases of the genitourinary system, the color of the liquid becomes pronounced white or yellowish, and with malignant tumors it may have a reddish tint due to blood impurities. An inflammatory process and a change in the composition of the secretion are indicated by a smell not characteristic of spermine.
In addition to these characteristics, other indicators established during the laboratory study are also important:
- The density should be within 1.022. Even a slight deviation indicates a disease.
- The normal pH is 7.0 units, with a tolerance of 0.3 units. With low acidity, a conclusion is made about chronic inflammation, with high acidity - about prostatitis.
- Red blood cells in the secret of the male gland should be absent. The presence of single cells in the field of view is also considered a norm. If there are a lot more red blood cells, prostatitis or oncology is suspected.
- White blood cells and epithelial cells - no more than two in the field of vision are allowed. The ducts of the gland are covered with epithelial cells, an increase in the number of which may indicate pathology. A simultaneous increase in the number of leukocytes and epithelial cells indicates the presence of atypical cells. White blood cells normally should be no more than 10 in the field of view at a 280-fold increase.
These are the main criteria, deviation from which indicates the need for a more detailed examination of the prostate. In addition to them, there are additional indicators. For example, there should be no macrophages in the secretion of the prostate. Otherwise, it is an inflammatory process. The so-called giant cells, which should be absent in the composition of the prostate juice in a healthy man, testify to stagnant processes.
Amyloid bodies can indicate benign prostatic hypertrophy, stagnation of blood, sperm or adenoma. Normally, they are contained in a small amount. Lecithin grains, on the contrary, become much smaller if a man develops prostatitis. A healthy secret contains about 10 million units in 1 ml of liquid. Sometimes fungi and bacteria are found in the test material, and the content of a small number of non-pathogenic microorganisms is considered a normal variant. The most common pathogenic microbes that provoke the development of the inflammatory process in the prostate are staphylococcus, Klebsiella, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia.
What to do if a deviation from the norm is detected?
The diagnosis is not established, guided solely by the results of the analysis of the secretion of the prostate. In addition, they can be distorted due to a concurrent illness or too viscous biofluid. To confirm the results, after some time, the analysis is repeated. Moreover, between examinations, the patient is recommended to do prostate massage on their own.
At the same time, most urologists are confident that even with negative answers, the likelihood of an inflammatory process cannot be 100% excluded. The thing is that with a hidden course of the disease, the secretion of the prostate gland becomes more viscous and clogs the ducts, which can be released using a course of stimulation of the prostate.
In addition, it is important to take into account that increased indicators of leukocytes, red blood cells, macrophages and other cells sometimes indicate not inflammation of the prostate, but the presence of pathology from the urethra. That is why, simultaneously with the study of prostate juice, patients are prescribed laboratory tests of urine.