A urologist has warned against treating frequent sexual activity as a prescribed way of preventing prostate cancer, saying available research does not support it.
Dr John Nana Nkrumah, a Senior Specialist at the GPHA Clinic and International Maritime Hospital, said although research has looked at a possible link between ejaculation and prostate cancer, the findings do not provide enough grounds to recommend a specific frequency of sexual activity as protection against the disease.
He explained that such research had only examined different forms of ejaculation, including sexual intercourse, masturbation and wet dreams noting that the findings needed to be weighed alongside other risk factors and the studies’ methodology, instead of interpreting it as a prescription for a set number of ejaculations.
Dr Nkrumah who was speaking at a media discussion on prostate cancer awareness organised by the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA) said it would be inappropriate to tell men, particularly young people, that they needed to ejaculate a specified number of times each month to prevent prostate cancer.
He also mentioned that wet dreams are involuntary, making them impossible to regulate as a preventive measure.
He added that thought the research could be acknowledged, he could not recommend the practice as a prevention strategy for prostate cancer due to its limitations.
On the question of men whose professions or religious commitments involve celibacy, he maintained that the available findings do not support the idea that abstaining from regular sexual activity would necessarily lead to prostate cancer. He urged men to instead focus on established screening and risk factors and to seek medical advice early.
Turning to treatment, Dr Nkrumah said some prostate cancer therapies could affect sexual potency, particularly those that lower testosterone levels to control advanced or metastatic disease.
He explained that testosterone production could be reduced either medically or surgically, including through removal of the testicles, and that lowering the hormone could in turn reduce sexual drive and potency.
The urologist said concerns about the risk of impotence during treatment were valid, but stressed that the side effects of treating advanced prostate cancer make early detection important, since earlier-stage treatment offers a better chance of a cure and avoids progression to advanced disease.
