Symptoms:

Prostatitis may occur together with epididymitis or orchitis, especially if it was caused by an STD. In this case, there will also be symptoms of the other condition.

Symptoms of acute prostatitis include the following:

• Abdominal pain (above the pubic bone)
• Burning with urination
• Chills
• Fever
• Inability to completely empty the bladder (urinary retention)
• Low back pain
• Pain and burning with urination (dysuria)
• Pain with bowel movement
• Pain with ejaculation
• Pain in the area between the genitals and the anus (perineal pain)

Other symptoms that may occur with this condition:

• Blood in the semen
• Blood in the urine
• Decreased force of urinary stream
• Difficulty urinating
• Foul-smelling urine
• Increased urinary frequency or urgency
• Testicle pain

Signs and tests:

During a physical examination, your health care provider may find the following signs:

• Discharge from the urethra
• Enlarged or tender lymph nodes in the groin
• Swollen or tender scrotum
• Warm, soft, swollen, or tender prostate

Triple-void urine specimens may be collected for urinalysis and urine culture. Specimins will be taken:

1. Initial stream
2. Mid-stream
3. After a prostate massage by the health care provider

Note: Your health care provider may choose not to perform a prostate massage if the prostate is obviously swollen and tender. Massage may spread the infection and cause bacteremia or sepsis. These are potentially life-threatening infections in which bacteria are in the bloodstream, rather than in just one part of the body.

Urinalysis and examination of discharge from the prostate may show increased white blood cells (WBCs) and bacteria.

Acute prostatitis may also affect the results of the following tests:

• Complete blood count (CBC)
• Prostate-specific antigen (PSA)
• Semen analysis