Many men are struck with misery over the thought of taking a prostate exam, but they have to deal with the fact that it is essential in evaluating a man’s health. The American Cancer Society states that it is advisable for men over 50 to go through a prostate exam once a year. In other place such as Europe, once in four years is enough, but it is recommended that each available prostate exam be taken, including the traditional digital rectal examination (DRE), the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test, and the transrectal ultrasound (TRUS).

The digital rectal examination (DRE) is the more traditional prostate exam. It is quick and simple, but it is also embarrassing for men to have a doctor insert a finger into their rectum. During this exam, the doctor feels for abnormalities on the rear surface of the prostate. If the patient has been experiencing prostate symptoms, the gland would probably be enlarged. This prostate exam will confirm it.

An enlarged prostate may indicate several diseases, not excluding cancer. It is not common for cancer to cause prostate symptoms in the early stages. Usually, the tumor has to be a certain size for the gland to start squeezing the urethra, thereby causing urinary difficulties.

The adult male is advised to take a prostate exam. Older men may be more prone to prostate diseases, but younger men also get them. Despite the absence of prostate symptoms, it is always worthwhile to check the health of the prostate.

While women have been used to internal examinations, their reproductive organs being internal, men are just the opposite and this is why the digital rectal examination does not come naturally to them. They have to keep in mind though that it is best to relax and take deep breaths while going through one to avoid tension that would contract muscles.

The PSA test is a prostate exam that involves screening the blood for PSA, a substance made by cells in the prostate. This is usually found in the semen, but a small percentage is also found in the blood. The ordinary PSA level is under 4 nanograms per milliliter of blood. If what is found in the test is more than that, it could mean cancer.

The transrectal ultrasound is able to produce an image of the prostate by emitting sound waves that penetrate the prostate and create echo patterns that can be turned into something viewable on the computer screen. This is not a common prostate exam for detecting disorders, but a device that aids in precision during biopsies.

Each prostate exam may be limited in what it can detect and this is the reason why all three mentioned above are recommended to be taken at one go. The others supply information that the other one cannot. Prostate symptoms need not be detected for disease to be present. Men need to be reasonable about tests to work towards a healthy prostate.

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