Women in great numbers undergo similar, and even more uncomfortable procedures for cancer screening than we do with the mammogram, the pap smear, the bimanual exam-- and guess what? They live longer!
All we have to deal with is a finger and a blood test.
The DRE can and does save men's lives.
The test isn't that bad. You can lay on your side, (you can remind the doctor this is an appropriate alternative to bending over a table!) and the doctor gently inserts one lubricated, gloved finger into your rectum.
Relax! It will all be over in about five seconds, and you can know with much more certainty that you are cancer free for another year.
Another piece of info… doctors dislike the test too, they don't enjoy this test either. They dread bringing it up, and avoid offering the test in large numbers. Three facts that I can't stress enough:
- One in six men will get prostate cancer in their lifetime.
- The PSA test doesn't catch all prostate cancers.
- The DRE test catches cancers that the PSA misses.
So if you're over 50-- have the DRE once a year. That doctor's finger can literally save your life.
