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This sticky will have information on anatomy averages for guys, prostate exam information, and more.

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Table of Contents:

- Post 1: Introduction <--- you are here.
- Post 2: The averages for male anatomy.
- Post 3: Prostate exam information.
- Post 4: Reserved.
- Post 5: Reserved.

Prostate Exam Information

Taken from: http://www.aium.org/patient/aboutExam/prostate.asp

What You Should Know About Your Ultrasound Examination
Your doctor has just requested an examination...of your prostate using an ultrasound. Although you may have heard about ultrasound before, or possibly been examined with ultrasound in the past, you still may have questions about your examination. The American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine (AIUM) - an association of doctors, sonographers and scientists - has provided these questions and answers to explain how ultrasound works.

What Is an Ultrasound?
Ultrasound is like ordinary sound except it has a frequency (or pitch) higher than human beings are able to hear. When sent into your body by an instrument called a transducer, the sound is reflected off your internal organs and the returning echoes are converted by an electronic instrument into images on a monitor, similar to a television screen. These continually changing images can be recorded on videotape or film. Diagnostic ultrasound imaging commonly is called sonography or ultrasonography.

Is Ultrasound Safe?
There are no known harmful effects associated with the medical use of sonography. Widespread clinical use of diagnostic ultrasound for many years has revealed no harmful effects. Studies in humans have revealed no direct link between the use of diagnostic ultrasound and any adverse outcomes. Although the possibility exists that biological effects may be identified in the future, current information indicates that the benefits to patients of the prudent use of diagnostic ultrasound far outweigh the risks, if any, that may be present.

What Is the Prostate?
The prostate gland is part of the male reproductive system. It is about the size and shape of a walnut and weighs about 1 ounce. The prostate is located between the bladder and the rectum. The prostate surrounds the urethra, a tube that carries urine from the bladder out through the p***s. The main function of the prostate gland is to produce fluid for semen.

Why Should I Have an Ultrasound of my Prostate?
Many diseases and conditions involve the prostate gland, including structural abnormalities, infection, hypertrophy (enlargement), and cancer. Ultrasound images are used together with a physical examination and blood tests to identify these diseases or conditions. Specific diagnoses, such as cancer of the prostate, require a biopsy, which means that a tissue sample is obtained from the suspicious area. If a suspicious lesion is identified by ultrasound or by a rectal examination, an ultrasound- guided biopsy may be performed. This is done by advancing a needle into your prostate gland under ultrasound guidance. A small amount of tissue is taken for microscopic examination.

What is Prostate Cancer?
Prostate cancer is a disease that affects the cells of your prostate gland. Normally, cells grow and divide in an orderly way, but when cancer cells grow, they continue to divide when they are not supposed to, forming a tumor. Cancerous prostate tumors can block the flow of urine and, if untreated, can spread to other parts of your body.

How Is the Ultrasound Examination Performed?
Because your prostate gland is located immediately in front of your rectum, the transducer is covered with a condom, lubricated, and placed into your rectum. The sound will be required to travel only a short distance to your prostate, and this results in a high-resolution or good quality picture. The room in which the ultrasound exam is performed is usually darkened so that the images on the monitor can be seen clearly.

Who Performs the Ultrasound Exam?
The exam may be performed by a doctor or a specially trained person called a sonographer. When a sonographer performs the examination, a doctor will interpret the results of the exam. The findings will be reported to the doctor who referred you for the exam.

Is Specific Preparation Required?
For some patients, an enema is used before ultrasound of the prostate. If a biopsy is required, you may be given antibiotics, either in a pill form or through a shot, before and after the biopsy. Be sure to inform your doctor of any drugs you are taking and if you are allergic to any drugs.

Will It Hurt?
If a biopsy is not needed, an ultrasound examination of your prostate is similar in discomfort to a rectal examination performed by your doctor. If a biopsy is performed, additional discomfort, due to the needle insertion, is usually minimal because the rectal wall is relatively insensitive near the prostate. The discomfort of a biopsy is similar to that of a blood test.

How Long Will the Exam Take?
The amount of time will vary depending on the reason for your examination, whether a biopsy is needed, and how your prostate appears on ultrasound. The ultrasound exam or scan usually takes less than 20 minutes to perform but may take up to 45 minutes if a biopsy is needed.

How Will I Feel After the Examination?
As after any rectal examination, you may experience some mucous discharge or bleeding from your rectum, especially if you have hemorrhoids. In the case of biopsy, many patients will have a small amount of blood in the stool, urine, or semen after the procedure.

What are the Risks of This Examination?
If you have hemorrhoids or other rectal lesions, you may have discomfort during the exam. Mild bleeding may result if these conditions exist. If a biopsy is performed, you can have bleeding. This may last for a day to weeks after the biopsy, but is usually minor in nature. There is a small risk of infection from the biopsy. If you develop a fever or if other symptoms of infection occur after the biopsy, you should contact your doctor so that he or she can give you additional antibiotics. If an infection occurs, it is usually minor and can be treated easily if reported right away.

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- http://www.cancer.ca/ccs/internet/standard/0,3182,3172_10175_74550606_langId-en,00.html

- http://www.healthline.com/adamcontent/digital-rectal-exam

- http://www.the-health-pages.com/topics/education/prostate_cancer.html

Reserved.

cause most of my friends still dont

@Crow and Xanadu: You two are still in puberty. So I don't want to hear any arguments telling me you guys are finished with puberty. You might be wondering why I say this? Well, men boys males tend to finish puberty when they are 21 to 25. Yes there are some a bit soon and a little later, but not at the age of 15. Heck even females don't finish puberty that young. They tend to finish puberty around 18-21, and 21 is a little on the high side for them.
@Xanadu and any other males that read this: Many females think that boys and "adult" males that brag about the size of there p***s are immature. You don't hear them going around talking about how big there v****a is, and the ones that do tend to be the ones who have slept with half of a schools male population.

to help guide multiple people:

Puberty (especially for guys) varies between individuals i started shaving when i was 13 also.
Most women (and I) hate it when boys brag about fictitious or factual sizes of their p***s... who cares it is not important to women, that is a myth portrayed through things like pornography.
The guy above me is 100% correct about everything you guys should listen to him

ok sweatdrop