Different Types of Prostate Cancer Treatments

Prostate cancer is a disease where the cells in the prostate gland divide more rapidly than normal. There are several treatment methods used to treat this type of cancer. Some prostate cancer treatments include watchful waiting, surgery, hormone therapy, radiation, and chemotherapy. The use and combination of these prostate cancer treatments depend on the advancement of the disease as well as the age and health of the patient.

Prostate cancer commonly progresses slowly, so if a patient is young and otherwise healthy, a doctor may prescribe watchful waiting. During this treatment, no procedures to stop the cancer are given to the patient. Rather, the patient will have to visit to the doctor often to determine the progress of the disease. This option can be used if the patient does not want to deal with the side effects connected with the other prostate cancer treatments. A doctor may also recommend this remedy if the patient has a long life expectancy with the disease.

If the prostate cancer is severe and advanced, surgery may be an option. Radical prostatectomy is a surgery in which the entire prostate, the surrounding tissues, and seminal vesicles are removed. Other types of surgeries remove parts of the tissue or the lymph nodes. Some of these surgeries can be used to investigate how far the cancer has spread as well. The surgeries may also have severe side-effects, including impotence and leaking urine and fecal matter.

Some male sex hormones can contribute to prostate cancer growth. Both healthy and cancerous cells use these hormones to grow. For this reason, steroids therapy is one of the types of prostate cancer treatments that can be used to help slow the progression of cancer. Certain chemicals and some hormones, such as estrogen, can be used to prevent cell growth. There also are special procedures to stop cell growth as well, but it is important to note that these treatments aim to stop all cell growth, healthy and cancerous. Unfortunately, this can lead to severe side-effects as well, such as impotence.

Radiation therapy uses the cancerous cells’ rapid growth and division against them. When cells are exposed to radiation, it can cause damage to cells. Should the cells divide while they are damaged, they will die. Healthy cells will usually repair that damage before they divide, but cancerous cells do not. Thus, the radiation can kill off cancer cells while leaving healthy cells to divide normally.

It is important that radiation used in radiation therapy be aimed carefully, however. Even healthy cells will not be able to repair damage if exposed to too much radiation. The two types of radiation therapy commonly used in prostate cancer treatments are external therapy and internal therapy. External therapy is commonly done five days a week and consists of doses of radiation aimed at the area of the cancer from an external source. With internal therapy, the treatment can be inserted into the body using packets of radiation called seeds that emit radiation over a period of time.

Chemotherapy also is a cancer treatment that uses chemicals to kill cells that divide quickly. Chemotherapy can be a systemic treatment that is injected into the bloodstream or ingested through the mouth to kill cells that divide rapidly all over the body. The therapy can also be regional, or injected into the spinal column, so the drug affects a specific area. The risk with using chemotherapy is that it also kills other cells that divide quickly, such as those in hair follicles and cells in the gastrointestinal tract. This explains why some patients lose their hair or get sick after undergoing such therapy.

What Is Male Infertility?

Approximately 10% of all couples will face infertility problems while trying to conceive, with male infertility being the cause of almost half of those cases. A couple is considered to be infertile after they have tried unsuccessfully for a year or more to get pregnant. A diagnosis of male infertility can be devastating, but there are several treatments and options available for couple to help them to conceive.

There are dozens of reasons a man may be experiencing infertility. Hormone disorders, a sexually transmitted disease (STD), infections, and trauma to the reproductive organs are among the most common causes for male infertility. Sexual dysfunction, an obstruction, medications, testicular cancer, or other medical conditions, such as sickle cell anemia, can also lead to fertility problems.

When a couple is facing infertility problems, a fertility specialist will check for male infertility first. Male infertility is easier to test for and diagnose; infertility in women is usually more complicated. The first thing s doctor will do is to ask the patient about his medical and sexual history, and then the doctor will perform a physical exam. If everything is normal, the doctor will then schedule the male for semen analysis, which will check the man's sperm for several different properties. The most obvious thing to check for is the number of normal, moving sperm, referred to as concentration, morphology and motility. Some medical conditions can cause a man to produce irregular or deformed sperm that are not capable of fertilizing an egg.

Sperm analysis will also check for the concentration of the semen. If the sperm is physically normal, infertility may be caused by the man's seminal fluid being too thick or thin, preventing the sperm from reaching the egg. The volume of ejaculate will be measured as well. Another medical test for male infertility requires doctors to use a hamster egg to test if the sperm is able to penetrate the walls of a female's egg.

Male infertility is usually treated in one of three ways. The first way is through drug therapy. There are many medications that can boost sperm count, and fight infections that can compromise the health of the sperm. Some conditions, such as obstructions, can be solved through surgery.

The final way is through assisted reproduction. Sperm can be gathered from the man using one of several techniques. The sperm may then be treated, through a wash or a centrifuge, reducing the number of abnormal sperm. After this, the sperm will be combined with an egg through in vitro fertilization (IVF) or intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). IVF involves combining healthy sperm and several eggs together in a Petri dish, and letting the sperm naturally fertilize the egg. In ICSI, the sperm is inserted into the egg with a needle. This method is usually used when a man's sperm is immobile and unable to fertilize an egg on its own.

There are many treatment options available for men who suffer from infertility. Couples who have been actively trying to conceive for over a year should schedule an appointment with their doctor to discuss the possibility of a fertility problem. Couples who are over the age of 30 should see their doctor after six months of unsuccessful attempts, because most women begin to lose their chance of getting pregnant in their mid-to-late thirties. An early diagnosis gives the couple a better chance of starting a family before the woman begins menopause.

Testosterone Cream

Testosterone is an important hormone in both male and female bodies. Having too little testosterone can lead to a decreased sex drive, diabetes, and may contribute to obesity. One way to treat low testosterone levels is topical testosterone cream, which can raise the level of testosterone in a person, and reduce any symptoms associated with having low testosterone.

Testosterone cream is usually applied once every 24 hours and is often rubbed into the shoulders, upper arms, or stomach area. Testosterone cream works by direct absorption through the skin. Once the cream enters the blood stream, the individual's testosterone levels are boosted for several hours. The cream enters the bloodstream rapidly, and is effective almost immediately.

Millions of men and women experience low levels of testosterone. Some of the main causes of low testosterone are diabetes, obesity, and hypertension. Doctors are also aware that testosterone levels naturally start to decrease in men after the age of 50.

There are several symptoms that men with low testosterone suffer from, including depression and hair loss, but the most disturbing symptom for most men are those that interfere with a man's sexual health. A lack of testosterone most often affects the sexual organs in a negative way, which may lead to impotence or a decrease in sex drive. Some of the more serious problems that low testosterone levels can cause include an increased risk of cancer, higher storage of body fat, and chronic fatigue.

Unfortunately, no medication is without side effects, and testosterone cream has a few downsides. Individuals may experience headaches, hypertension, stomach problems, and irritation around the area where the testosterone cream is applied. These side effects may make testosterone cream a poor choice for some men.

Some individuals prefer a more natural method to increasing their testosterone. A change in diet is the most natural way to achieve higher levels. There are particular foods that can help the body boost testosterone levels, such as oysters, eggs, broccoli, garlic, and beef.

Women should not use testosterone creams formulated for men, since this can lead to a number of undesirable side effects, including acne, extreme mood changes, a deepening of the voice, excessive body hair, and an enlargement of the clitoris. In some parts of the world there are testosterone creams formulated specifically for women, which typically have a lower dosage of testosterone than men's creams. There are no approved testosterone creams for women in the US, but doctors can instruct a pharmacist to make testosterone medications for a patient. Both men and women should consult their doctor before applying a testosterone cream to make sure that the medication will best suit their medical needs.

Acrosome. What Is It?

The acrosome is a specialized organelle found on sperm cells. It wraps around the head of the sperm and contains enzymes designed to help the sperm penetrate the egg by breaking down the proteins in the egg's cell wall. In a process known as the acrosome reaction, the sperm cell fuses with the egg, releases the enzymes, and enters the egg to complete fertilization. This structure is of particular interest to fertility specialists, as problems with the acrosome reaction can cause fertility issues.

Viewed in cross-section, the acrosome looks like a thin cap covering the anterior section of the sperm. It forms during maturation of the sperm in the testes. As sperm approach the egg head first, they must fuse with the egg so the structure can break open, releasing the enzymes it contains. The enzymes soften the hard shell of the egg, making it possible for the sperm to penetrate by wriggling against the cell wall and slipping through the softened section.

Organisms that reproduce sexually rely on the acrosome to help their sperm enter the egg. Each sperm is slightly different, and success depends on the speed with which it reaches the egg, as well as the ability to successfully penetrate it. Once a sperm has managed to get beyond the shell of the egg, the tail drops off, as the sperm cell no longer needs to be motile. The fertilized egg can begin the process of multiplying and dividing, creating an embryo that will develop into a new organism with time.

In men with fertility issues, one test doctors may recommend is an assessment of the ability of the sperm to penetrate an egg. A sperm sample can be taken and exposed to chemicals that trigger the acrosome reaction in a specimen dish. If the sperm cell does not react as expected, this may explain why the man is having difficulty impregnating his partner. A doctor can discuss the options for the couple if they wish to continue trying to get pregnant.

It may be possible to get pregnant with the use of in vitro fertilization, where a care provider can assist the sperm with penetrating the egg and a viable fertilized embryo can later be implanted in the woman or a surrogate in a medical procedure. Couples may also consider the use of donor sperm that has been screened for viability in order to achieve a pregnancy.