Questions to Ask Your Doctor About Prostate Conditions

Different kinds of doctors and other health care professionals manage prostate health. They can help you find the best care, answer your questions, and address your concerns.

These health care professionals include:

• Family doctors and internists.
• Physician assistants (PAs) and nurse practitioners (NPs).
• Urologists, who are experts in diseases of the urinary tract system and the male reproductive system.
• Urologic oncologists, who are experts in treating cancers of the urinary system and the male reproductive system.
• Radiation oncologists, who use radiation therapy to treat cancer.
• Medical oncologists, who treat cancer with medications such as hormone treatments and chemotherapy.
• Pathologists, who identify diseases by studying cells and tissues under a microscope.

View these professionals as your partners — expert advisers and helpers in your health care. Talking openly with your doctors can help you learn more about your prostate changes and the tests to expect.

It is a good idea to get a copy of your pathology report from your doctor and carry it with you as you talk with your health care providers.

Reaching a decision about treatment of your prostate condition is a complex process. Many men find it helpful to talk with their doctors, family, friends and other men who have faced similar decisions.

Checklist of questions to ask your doctor:

• What type of prostate problem do I have?
• Is more testing needed and what will it tell me?
• If I decide on watchful waiting, what changes in my symptoms should I look for and how often should I be tested?
• What type of treatment do you recommend for my prostate problem?
• For men like me, has this treatment worked?
• How soon would I need to start treatment and how long would it last?
• Do I need medicine and how long would I need to take it before seeing improvement in my symptoms?
• What are the side effects of the medicine?
• Are there other medicines that could interfere with this medication?
• If I need surgery, what are the benefits and risks?
• Would I have any side effects from surgery that could affect my quality of life?
• Are these side effects temporary or permanent?
• How long is recovery time after surgery?
• Will I be able to fully return to normal?
• How will this affect my sex life?
• How often should I visit the doctor to monitor my condition?

By National Institutes of Health

The National Institutes of Health, a part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, is the nation's medical research agency — making important discoveries that improve health and save lives. NIH is the largest single source of financing for medical research in the world, seeking new ways to cure disease, alleviate suffering and prevent illness. By providing the evidence base for health decisions by individuals and their clinicians, NIH is empowering Americans to embrace healthy living through informed decision-making. NIH is made up of 27 institutes and centers, each with a specific research agenda, focusing on stages of life, like aging or child health, or particular diseases or body systems.