If you have a medical condition affecting your prostate, such as prostate cancer, your doctor may recommend surgery to treat or cure your symptoms. During surgery, your surgeon may access your prostate through incisions within your abdomen or perineum. A surgical device called a resectoscope can also allow your surgeon to access prostate tissue through the urethra. Discuss the potential after affects of prostate surgery with your doctor prior to having this procedure performed.
Urinary Incontinence
One of the most common after effects following prostate surgery is urinary incontinence. Urinary incontinence is a condition in which you are unable to control the excretion of urine. Four different types of urinary incontinence can occur after prostate surgery: stress incontinence, overflow incontinence, urge incontinence or continuous incontinence. Stress incontinence is a condition that causes leakage of urine when a patient laughs, sneezes or coughs, explains the American Cancer Society. Difficulty emptying the bladder or only producing a dribbling stream of urine is caused by overflow incontinence. Urge incontinence results in frequent, sudden urges to urinate. Complete loss of urine control is called continuous incontinence and rarely occurs after prostate surgery. There are a number of techniques, medications and products available to help you deal with urinary incontinence symptoms.
Retrograde Ejaculation
Following prostate surgery, you can develop a condition called retrograde ejaculation. Men who experience retrograde ejaculation are able to become erect and orgasm but are unable ejaculate. The ejaculate flows backwards up into the bladder, allowing it to be passed out of the body through the urine. Such symptoms can cause infertility in men.
Impotence
Prostate surgery can cause impotence to occur in some men. Impotence (erectile dysfunction) is a medical condition characterized by the inability to produce an erection sufficient for sexual intercourse, explains the Better Health Channel, a medical information website established by the Australian government. Symptoms of impotence can subside within one to two years following prostate surgery, though some patients will regain normal sexual function sooner. Depending upon the type of prostate surgery performed, impotence can be permanent.
Sterility
If the seminal vesicles are cut during prostate surgery, you will not be able to produce sperm after surgery. This causes permanent sterility and prevents you from being able to naturally impregnate a woman. If you plan to have biological children, speak with your doctor about how you can save your sperm prior to undergoing this type of surgery.
Lymphedema
Though rare, lymphedema can occur in certain men following removal of the lymph nodes that surround the prostate. Lymphedema can cause fluid retention within the genital region or lower extremities, which can cause painful swelling to develop in some men.
Decreased Penis Length
After undergoing prostate surgery, you can notice a decrease in the length of your penis. Such symptoms are typically minor and should be discussed with your doctor prior to surgery.
