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Male Pelvic Pain Syndrome: Escaping the Snare of Prostatocentric Thinking

  • Pelvic Pain (C Payne and J Potts, Section Editors)
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Abstract

Decades of prostatocentric research and publications have hampered care for men with genital or pelvic pain syndromes who are often misdiagnosed with prostatitis. The prostatitis classification system as well as other misuse of terminology may have direct and indirect influence on physicians and lay persons alike. Taxonomy, medical culture, and gender issues perpetuate the substandard evaluation of men with this condition as well as the continued overuse of antibiotics. Because the vast majority of men with this condition have neither an infection nor a disease of the prostate gland, physicians must alter their approach to these patients. Thankfully, there is growing interest and evidence to show that male pelvic pain can and should be approached more broadly, even as a nonurological condition.

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References

Papers of particular interest, published recently, have been highlighted as: •• Of major importance

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Conflict of Interest

Jeannette Potts declares that she is a paid consultant of New Pelvic Pain Technologies and her spouse is a paid board member of Allergan and Astellas.

Human and Animal Rights and Informed Consent

This article does not contain any studies with human or animal subjects performed by the author.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Vista Urology & Pelvic Pain Partners, 2998 South Bascom Avenue, Suite 100, San Jose, CA, 95124, USA

    Jeannette M. Potts

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  1. Jeannette M. Potts
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Correspondence to Jeannette M. Potts.

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This article is part of the Topical Collection on Pelvic Pain

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Potts, J.M. Male Pelvic Pain Syndrome: Escaping the Snare of Prostatocentric Thinking. Curr Bladder Dysfunct Rep 10, 75–80 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11884-014-0286-z

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