Your doctor will take a medical history and perform an examination. You may be asked to complete a questionnaire that quantifies the degree of symptoms you experience. It will help your doctor if you take this test online and print off the results to take with you to your GP. The examination may include checking your abdomen and pelvic area for tenderness and a digital rectal examination (DRE) of your prostate.
During a DRE, your doctor will manually examine your prostate gland by gently inserting a lubricated, gloved finger into your rectum. If your prostate seems enlarged and tender to the touch, you may have prostatitis. Depending on the results of a blood test called prostate specific antigen (PSA) and the assessment of your prostate by the DRE, your doctor may refer you to a specialist (urologist) for a trans-rectal ultrasound scan (known as TRUS), which involves a lubricated probe being placed into your rectum. Ultrasound waves are then used to obtain a picture of your prostate.
Additionally, your doctor may ask for urine and semen (usually obtained through the doctor massaging your prostate) samples to examine for bacteria and white blood cells and help establish a diagnosis of prostatitis. They are also likely to recommend a blood test to assess kidney function and measure a protein in the blood called Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA). In addition, your doctor may also want, when examining you, to rule out the possibility of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) or prostate cancer.
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