Symptoms of prostate cancer explained as study reveals how often men should ejaculate per month to prevent it
Four in ten Americans will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime - so looking after our health to help prevent some forms of the disease is essential.
Maintaining a balanced diet, exercising and protecting our skin from UV rays are some pretty common steps we can take.
But a study has now revealed that for men, ejaculating regularly could be effective in preventing prostate cancer.
The prostate is a small, walnut-sized gland located just below the bladder, in front of the rectum. It's part of the male reproductive system, responsible for producing semen.
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While the thought of cancer is worrying, the American Cancer Society says that only 1 in 44 men will die of prostate cancer, while the 3.3 million men who'd received a diagnosis at some point are still alive today.
A Harvard University study found that ejaculating once every day can reduce your chances of developing the disease, with one study stating having 21 orgasms a month reduces the risk by a whopping 20 per cent.
Some 31,925 men were studied, who filled out three questionnaires about ejaculation frequency between 1992 and 2010.
The survey, published in European Urology in 2016, stated: "We evaluated whether ejaculation frequency throughout adulthood is related to prostate cancer risk in a large US-based study.
"We found that men reporting higher compared to lower ejaculatory frequency in adulthood were less likely to be subsequently diagnosed with prostate cancer.
"These findings provide additional evidence of a beneficial role of more frequent ejaculation throughout adult life in the aetiology of PCa [prostate cancer], particularly for low-risk disease."
What are the symptoms of prostate cancer?
Mayo Clinic explains that early-stage prostate cancer doesn't usually cause symptoms. Fortunately, the cancer is slow-growing and often diagnosed at early stages, meaning it often hasn't spread to anywhere else in the body.
However, any early signs of prostate cancer are most likely to impact your toilet routine.
Symptoms include needing to urinate more often, waking up in the night to urinate and blood in the urine, which could turn it include pink, red or cola-colored.
Other issues when trying to start peeing could also arise, while blood in the semen is another potential indicator.
If the prostate cancer has spread to other areas of the body, then it could cause other symptoms, including back and bone pain, fatigue, losing weight without trying and weakness in the arms or legs.
People could also experience the accidental leaking of urine and erectile dysfunction.
If you have any of the above symptoms or are worried about your health, then contact your doctor as soon as possible.
Topics: Health, Cancer, Sex and Relationships
Ellie Kemp