Urological chronic pelvic pain syndrome (UCPPS), more commonly known as chronic non-bacterial prostatitis, is one of the more prevalent and difficult sexual diseases to diagnose and manage.
This pelvic pain condition must not be confused with the other types of prostatitis, particularly the chronic and acute forms of bacterial prostatitis.
The medical nomenclature that describes this medical condition is continually evolving.
UCPPS is the general medical term that is commonly used in scientific researches to refer to the syndromes that are linked with chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CP/CPPS) and interstitial cystitis/painful bladder syndrome (IC/PBS).
About 90% to 95% of the reported cases of prostatitis in male patients fall under the category of CP/CPPS.
Men who suffer from this type of prostatitis experience intense pain in the pelvic area and these symptoms can last beyond 3 months.
The major symptom of UCPPS is the perineal pain or chronic pain in the pelvis area.
The pelvic pain that is associated with chronic non-bacterial prostatitis is not attributable to urinary tract infection.
The pain in the pelvis area my wane and intensify in short episodes and the degree of pain can range from a mild condition to severe and debilitating pain.
In severe cases, the pain experienced can extend to the rectum and the back making sitting uncomfortable.
Other symptoms that may be present include burning and throbbing penile pain, athralgia, dysuria, myalgia, lethargy and pain in the abdominal area.
However, increased urgency and frequency of urination may indicate the presence of complicating case of interstitial cystitis or inflammation of the bladder and not of the prostate.
Chronic pelvic pain syndrome or chronic prostatitis may present intense pain during ejaculation.
This chronic pain is mainly due to the contraction of the prostate gland during semen emission.
This is the classic symptom of this syndrome.
There are also instances where the person diagnosed with chronic prostatitis experience lower libido, erectile problems and ultimately sexual dysfunction.
A scientific study was recently conducted primarily to measure the effects of chronic non-bacterial prostatitis on the sexual performance of men.
The study established the relative measure of sexual function by assessing the degree of pain during ejaculation, decrease in libido, difficulty in ejaculation and erectile dysfunction.
The scientific study also evaluated the influence of trigger point release of the pelvic muscle as it relates with relaxation training.
A total of 146 males participated in the scientific experiment on the impact of chronic non-bacterial protatitis on sexual function.
Their mean age is 42 and all have had chronic non-bacterial prostatitis for not less than 30 days.
These men also had training on paradoxical relaxation for trigger point release within the musculature of the pelvic floor.
The Chronic Prostatitis Symptom index was used in evaluating the frequency or severity of the pain, sexual and urinary symptoms attributable to CP/CPPS.
The study also presented the assessment of global response in order to document the perceptions of patients to the overall effects of therapeutic interventions following an average of 5-month medical follow-up.
Out of the 147 men who were involved in the scientific experiment, 133 or 92% developed sexual dysfunction.
Specifically, 66% of these men had decreased libido, 56% had pain during ejaculation and 31% had ejaculatory and erectile dysfunction.
After completing training on paradoxical relaxation, a marked improvement in the average range of 77% and 87% on sexual symptoms were exhibited by the patients.
On the other hand, 70% of the responders reported a marked decline of 9 and 7 points based on the Chronic Prostatitis Symptom Index.
Finally, the scores of the responders on the Pelvic Pain Symptom survey improved by 43%, indicating a marked global response improvement as opposed to only 10% indicating mild to moderate improvement.