Study of the secretion of the prostate

The study of the secretion of the prostate is an important item in the program of examination of the sexual health of men. The secret itself is a liquid substance of a slightly whitish color. It is released during intercourse, passing through the lumen of the urethra. The juice is mixed together with the product of the production of seminal vesicles and cooper glands. Together, this forms a complete seminal fluid.

Spermatozoa later join it. After the activation of ejaculation occurs, ready-made sperm begins to stand out. A third of semen consists of just the secret of the prostate.

The production of juice is controlled by the glandular part of the gland, which anatomically is a hollow tube. They open into the urethra due to the active activity of smooth muscles in this part of the body.

Why the secret of the prostate is important for a man

A huge part of sexual problems is just closely related to the fact that the norm of the composition of the presented secret is unattainable for some sick men. Juice is a kind of protective cushion for active spermatozoa, which have already managed to leave the boundaries of the male body. Thanks to him, the spermatozoa pass through the urethra safe and sound.

From a chemical point of view, the whitish liquid is aimed at creating a neutral environment in the urethra. In a normal situation, spermatozoa would quickly die, because the natural environment of the urethra is an acidic environment.

Another important functional duty of juice is the ability to make sperm liquid. Otherwise, it would be difficult to transport it to the exit, and it turns out to significantly speed up its passage through the urethra.

The composition of the product of the gland is an ideal nutrient medium for spermatozoa, which have plenty of biological substances. Additionally, he acts as a kind of defender of antimicrobial activity. This means that the male genital organs will be less likely to be attacked by various infectious agents.

From the above, it follows that any, even minor deviations in the composition, threaten with serious consequences for the ability of a man to reproduce healthy offspring without problems. With the help of analysis, it will be possible to reveal the real value of the allocated secret.

Biochemical composition

The normal biochemical composition of juice is an invariable table of components. Most of it is water, which accounts for approximately 95% of the total volume. Everything else is distributed among themselves in unequal parts:

• lemon acid;
• enzymes;
• prostaglandins;
• fructose;
• maltose;
• spermine;
• immunoglobulins, which are also called protein structures.

Among the enzymes, not only phosphatase is distinguished, but also fibrinolysin, as well as fibrokinase, hyalorunidase.

Separately, salts are considered, which are represented here by two groups: alkali and non-alkali metals. The first include potassium with sodium, and the second – calcium with zinc. But norm indicators are also required to include in minimum quantities:

• phosphates;
• chlorides;
• Citrate;
• bicarbonates.

Only a detailed microscopic examination will allow the doctor to confirm his suspicions regarding the illness of his ward. In this he will be helped by the inclusions prescribed in the conclusion of the laboratory assistant, which are divided into a duet of categories:

• cellular;
• non-cellular.

The first provides for the content of leukocytes and cells of the desquamated epithelium. And the second one relies on the parameters of lecithin grains, cholesterol crystals and amyloid bodies.

Diagnosis of the inflammatory process

Deciphering the data obtained from the analysis helps to diagnose inflammation in the tissues of the prostate gland. Moreover, it is possible to fix deviations even at the initial stage of the development of the disease, if additionally operate with auxiliary clinical examinations. An integrated approach is the key to a high-quality assessment of the functional state of the gland along with its produced fluid.

Most often, a study is prescribed if the attending urologist suspects chronic prostatitis in his ward. If the guess is confirmed, then it will even be possible to establish the causative agent of the infectious process. The laboratory will even work to determine the sensitivity to different groups of antibacterial drugs of the detected infection.

Such a careful approach guarantees more effective alternative treatment, which reduces the period of therapy, and also avoids long-term selection of drugs with severe side effects.

Most clinics still use light microscopy technology to conduct such testing. The principle involves the study of a colored preparation, which was previously applied to a glass slide.

But innovative methods have gone further, choosing microbiological solutions for the test. We are talking about sowing, which is the application of biological fluid to a nutrient medium in a Petri dish.

At the same time, ideal conditions are created in the laboratory for the reproduction of pathogens.

With the help of such a medical trick, it is possible to establish the sensitivity of the infection to a certain group of antibiotics. In medical terminology, this is called the preparation of an antibiogram. It is this point that plays an almost decisive role for productive treatment.

The only drawback of the method is the rather long duration, but the accuracy of the information will pay off the wait.

Another examination option is the polymerase chain reaction. The procedure is a new generation variation that simplifies testing for pathogens. Juice is analyzed using special equipment, pleasing with the most accurate results.

How to collect material

Whether the biological material was taken correctly will directly depend on how reliable the analysis will be. You will have to come to terms with the fact that manipulation is not the most pleasant, but you will have to act in accordance with the developed medical protocol.

The way the fence is made in different hospitals does not differ in the algorithm of actions, if the medical institution adheres to the rules. But only a specialist should do everything.

The preparatory phase is not difficult – you just need to go to the toilet to empty your bladder. The preparation will become a little more complicated if the victim is still struggling with an extensive inflammatory process. This applies to involuntary discharge from the urethra. In such a scenario, it is necessary to additionally flush the urethra with saline. We are talking about sodium chloride.

Next, the urologist should perform a massage of the prostate gland, having carried out antiseptic hands in advance and wearing latex gloves. He will have to insert his index finger into the anus of the victim. After the doctor begins to apply pressure on the lobes of the gland, the process of isolating biological material from the urethral opening will start.

The resulting liquid is collected in a test tube, which must be completely sterile. But sometimes this is not enough, and the application of juice on a glass slide is also required.

In case of serious deviations with congenital or acquired pathologies, massaging the prostate does not give the desired result – the liquid simply does not come out through the opening of the urethra. By default, it is considered that it entered the bladder. Then the patient will be asked to empty the bladder into a special sterile container.

The collected urine is passed through a medical centrifuge to collect the required amount of the test material. But doctors warn that a roundabout way will provide a less reliable picture of what is happening.

It is worth delaying massage when the patient has contraindications to it. Most often, this affects the inflammation of the genital organs at the acute stage of the course, or oncological neoplasms.

Indicators of the norm

The attending physician deciphers the laboratory conclusion. It relies in making a diagnosis on the morphophysiological qualities of the secretion of the prostate gland, using the medical norm as a basis.

It includes the following indicators:

1. The amount of material should vary from 0,5 to 2 ml. If the amount turned out to be less, which is caused by obstructed secretion of juice, then this signals inflammation.
2. The color should be similar to the tone of milk diluted with water. But the white color with a yellow tint, or even complete transparency hints at prostatitis.
3. The normal density is 1,022 units. There should not be any deviations from the indicated figure, and if they do take place, then they speak of a developing pathology.
4. The reaction of the medium remains neutral. In rare cases, a minimal deviation towards the alkaline indicator is allowed. But oxidation is the first sign of the inflammatory process. Indirect evidence will tell that the fertilizing qualities of sperm are gradually fading away.
5. Lecithin grains under microscopic examination should completely cover the entire field of view. The standard is over 10 million units of lipid bodies per milliliter of juice. If the number is far from the typical level, then this signals inflammation. Sometimes the grains are not visible at all, which indicates the extreme stage of the disease. Such circumstantial evidence often speaks of impaired sperm fertility.

Separately, leukocytes are assessed, for which specialists involve special devices. An ideal count, or close to it, should show about three hundred cells per 1 µl of biological material. But if the analysis is studied through a standard microscope, which has a volume increase factor of up to 280, then the indicator should be equal to up to 10 leukocytes. So many elements should come into view at a time. But if we twist the magnification factor to almost the maximum in the laboratories of clinics of 400 units, then the number should drop to five cells in one field of view.

If the laboratory assistant cannot determine a single leukocyte at all, then this does not yet indicate deviations in the patient’s state of health. But the increase in the approved standards by 1 µl is the first wake-up call.

The absolute absence of red blood cells looks quite normal, but if a few units still fall into the field of vision, then this is also not a cause for concern. But exceeding a single level is sometimes a weighty argument in favor of additional testing for oncological markers. The emergence of a malignant tumor, which quickly metastasizes to the tissues of the gland, without surgical treatment threatens to damage neighboring internal organs.

Sometimes an abundance of red blood cells indicates another, but no less dangerous disease – a pronounced change in the prostate, which is caused by severe forms of prostatitis.

The cells of the desquamated epithelium of the excretory ducts deserve close attention. If there were no more than a couple of them in the field of view, then everything is in order. But an increase in the direction of a dozen indicates that an inflammatory mechanism of the descamatous type has started in the body. This means the activation of pathological desquamation of the epithelial lining.

In a healthy man, giant cells are not traced in the analyzes. But if the patient is sick, then they may appear in him, which notifies the inflammation of the chronic course. The same will happen if a person has congestion.

The situation is slightly different with Boettcher crystals. This is the name of the inclusions that are formed during the solidification and subsequent drying of the mixed biological product of various secrets of the male reproductive system. There is no clear framework for the normal state, so the crystals are not of significant diagnostic value.

This means that although it is possible to determine the average number of inclusions, there will be little sense from the information received, since inflammations pass both with them and without them.

Close attention should be paid to the possible presence of pathogenic microorganisms such as:

• trichomonas;
• gonococci.

In general, they should not be in the results, but since they have shown themselves, this is practically direct evidence of prostatitis.

Also, the mycelium of the fungus should not make itself felt if everything is fine with male sexual health. As soon as it is sown, this automatically means a fungal infection of the gland tissues, or a lesion of a mixed format, which usually takes longer to heal.

Be sure to include a mark on conditionally pathogenic microflora in the results. The standard is a single number of cocci, as well as varieties of certain rods that are part of the human body. But exceeding the maximum permissible parameters indicates that the process of inflammation of a non-specific nature has started in the body.

If necessary, the doctor may request an additional examination of the secretion, which involves checking for the presence of a fern symptom. To do this, the laboratory assistant adds a microscopic dose of physiological sodium chloride solution to the patient’s juice collected on a slide.

The measure aims to confirm some possible deviations. But for this, you first need to dry the preparation, and then examine it using a light microscope. If the composition of the secret has any atypical physical or chemical deviations, then the sodium chloride molecules precipitate. Together with this, they form a pattern that to some resembles the prints of a fern leaf.

When to Suspect Disease

There are several varieties of prostatitis, which differ in the severity of the course of the disease, the primary source of the lesion, as well as the distinctive features of the secret.

Recognizing the acute bacterial variant of the disease will allow the ability to correctly decipher the information received from the results of clinical analysis. First of all, the problem is indicated by the brown-yellow and completely cloudy color of the secretion of the prostate gland. Also, the laboratory assistant will note that the smell of the biological material turned out to be sweetish, and the acidity reaction provided a completely acidic pH.

Suspicion will be added by the level of leukocytes, which reaches ½ in the field of view of the diagnostician. But the epithelial elements reach the mark from 1/3 to ¼ in the field of view. Bettcher crystals are present, while lecithin grains are found singly.

The final aspect in favor of a disappointing diagnosis is Trousseau-Lallemand bodies, which are nothing more than casts of prostate juice.

The clinical picture looks a little different in chronic prostatitis of a bacterial format. Here, too, it retains a brownish-yellow color, only a reddish color with turbidity is mixed with it.

Identical to the acute stage, the picture can be traced by smell, acidity and leukocytes. But erythrocytes become from 20 to 35 units in the field of view. The level of epithelial cells is ½, but they are supplemented by macrophages, which can be counted more than a dozen.

Separately, situations of a chronic disease of a non-bacterial type are considered, where the range of indications varies more significantly. But, even after deciphering your own result, you still need to show it to your doctor. This will be needed for further preparation of a course of treatment and rehabilitation therapy.