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SterlingMedicalCenter.org

Prostate Symptoms and Screening Tests Answer Different Questions

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By SterlingMedicalCenter.org Editorial Team

Urinary symptoms and routine screening are two different situations, and a supplement advertisement is a third. Symptoms mean something is already bothering you, so the question is “what is causing this?” and a licensed professional needs to answer it. Screening means looking for prostate cancer in a man who has no symptoms, so the question is “should I be tested at all?” An advertisement cannot answer either question. This article helps you tell the paths apart. It is not a diagnosis tool.

SterlingMedicalCenter.org is an independent health research publication. It is not a medical practice, clinic, or healthcare provider, and nothing here replaces an evaluation. See our Non-Affiliation Notice for details. We checked the sources listed at the end on October 1, 2026.

Which path are you on?

  1. Path 1: You have urinary or pelvic symptoms. Go to the section on symptoms below and contact a licensed professional.
  2. Path 2: You have no symptoms and are wondering about screening. Go to the section on screening below and plan a conversation with a professional before any test.

If you cannot urinate at all, get medical help right away. The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) notes this sometimes happens suddenly after certain cold or allergy medicines.

Path 1: Symptoms ask “what is causing this?”

NIDDK lists three common prostate problems: prostatitis (inflammation), benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH, an enlarged prostate that is not cancer), and prostate cancer. Its symptom list includes urinating often, a sudden need to rush to the bathroom, leaking or dribbling, and a weak stream. BPH can also mean waking often at night to urinate. Bacterial prostatitis may bring fever, chills, or body aches. (NIDDK: Prostate Problems)

The same symptoms can have other causes. NIDDK says some can come from bladder problems or urinary tract infections, as well as from prostatitis or prostate cancer. It also says symptoms do not always match prostate size: a large prostate may cause few symptoms, and a slightly enlarged one may cause more. (NIDDK: Enlarged Prostate (BPH)) That is why guessing from a symptom list does not work.

Contact a licensed professional if you notice any of these (from NIDDK's list):

  • A weak stream, or trouble starting or keeping a stream going
  • Dribbling at the end of urination, or being unable to empty your bladder completely
  • Urinating eight or more times a day, being unable to delay urination, or waking often at night to urinate
  • Blood in your urine, or urine with an unusual color or smell
  • Pain while urinating or after ejaculation
  • Pain in the penis, scrotum, or the area between the scrotum and anus
  • Great discomfort or pain in the belly
  • Fever, chills, or body aches

NIDDK says to tell a health care professional right away if you cannot urinate at all, have blood in your urine, or have painful, frequent, urgent urination along with fever and chills.

What an evaluation can involve. According to NIDDK, a professional uses your medical and family history, a physical exam that may include a digital rectal exam, and tests on urine, blood, and the lower urinary tract. Depending on the situation, that can extend to ultrasound or a biopsy. A PSA blood test may be one of the tests. NIDDK notes that a high PSA may be a sign of prostate cancer, but the test is not perfect, and many men with high PSA levels do not have prostate cancer.

Bring a full medicine list. NIDDK says some medicines can make BPH symptoms worse, including over-the-counter cold and cough medicines, tranquilizers, antidepressants, and diuretics. Tell the professional about everything you take, supplements included. Our symptom and medicine list worksheet can help you organize it.

Path 2: Screening asks “should I be tested at all?”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) describes screening as looking for cancer before it causes symptoms. The main screening test is the PSA blood test. Some doctors may also use a digital rectal exam, but CDC says the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force does not recommend that exam as a screening test because of a lack of evidence of benefit. CDC also notes that screening tests may be covered by health insurance, so check with your plan. (CDC: Screening for Prostate Cancer)

The Task Force recommendation, as CDC summarizes it:

  • Men 55 to 69 should make their own decision about PSA screening, after talking with a doctor about the benefits and risks.
  • Men 70 and older should not be screened routinely.
  • It applies to men who do not have symptoms of prostate cancer and have never been diagnosed with it. Other organizations may recommend something different.

The pages we cite give no age-based recommendation for men under 55. If you are younger and wondering about screening, ask a licensed professional.

A PSA number is not a yes-or-no answer. CDC says PSA levels can be higher in men with prostate cancer, but other things can raise them too, including an enlarged prostate, a prostate infection, certain procedures, and certain medications. Age and race can also affect the result. CDC says your doctor is the best person to interpret your result, and that an abnormal result may lead to a biopsy.

CDC lists possible benefits and risks. A benefit is finding cancers that may be at high risk of spreading, which may lower the chance of death from prostate cancer in some men. One risk is a false positive, an abnormal PSA result when there is no cancer, which often leads to unnecessary tests such as a biopsy and may cause worry. CDC says older men are more likely to have false positives. Screening can also find cancers that would never have caused problems (overdiagnosis), and treating those can cause complications without benefit. (CDC: Should I Get Screened for Prostate Cancer?) These trade-offs are why the guidance centers on a personal decision made with a clinician.

Questions to bring to that conversation:

  • Is my personal risk of prostate cancer higher than average?
  • Do I have other health problems that could affect whether screening would help me or whether I could be treated?
  • What are the possible benefits and harms of a PSA test for me?
  • What happens if the result is high, and what would the next steps be?
  • What medicines, procedures, or conditions of mine could affect the result?

The supplement advertisement is a third question

An advertisement is a sales message. It cannot test your urine, measure your PSA, or examine your prostate, and it cannot tell you whether symptoms come from BPH, an infection, or something else. NIDDK's lists of how professionals diagnose and treat BPH do not include supplements. Its BPH page says researchers have not found eating, diet, or nutrition to cause or prevent BPH, though it notes that changing when and what you drink can help lessen some symptoms.

Three cautions we apply to any prostate product ad. These are editorial judgment, not findings from the sources above:

  • Be wary if it suggests the product can replace a visit, a test, or a prescribed medicine.
  • Be wary if it implies that feeling better means you do not need to be evaluated, or that having no symptoms means you do not need to think about screening.
  • Be wary if it treats a list of symptoms as proof of a particular condition.

As general safety advice, do not stop or change a prescribed medicine because of an advertisement. Ask the prescriber. If you are considering a supplement, write down its name and label details and bring them to your appointment.

What you can do next

  1. Decide which path you are on: symptoms now, or no symptoms and a screening question.
  2. If you have symptoms, contact a licensed professional. If you cannot urinate at all, get medical help right away.
  3. If you have no symptoms, talk with a professional about whether screening makes sense for you. If you are 55 to 69, think first about how you feel about the possible benefits and harms.
  4. List every medicine and supplement you take before the visit.

For earlier coverage on this site, our 2024 overview 10 Simple Steps to Support Prostate Wellness Every Day touches on symptom awareness and regular check-ups. It also makes diet and supplement statements that this article does not rely on. For those topics, use the NIDDK pages cited here.

Limits of this article

  • It cannot tell you what is causing your symptoms or whether you should be screened.
  • It does not recommend any supplement, dose, treatment, or test.
  • NIDDK's general Prostate Problems page was last reviewed in March 2016, and its BPH page in June 2024. Screening guidance can change, so ask your professional what applies to you now.

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