According to the Prostate Cancer Foundation, here are some of the side effects men suffer from while being treated for prostate cancer.

• Urinary Dysfunction: This term can be applied to both urinary incontinence, which can range from some leaking to complete loss of bladder control, and irritative voiding symptoms, including increased urinary frequency, increased urinary urgency, and pain upon urination. (Read more about urinary dysfunction here: http://bit.ly/1ROgvYc)

• Bowel Dysfunction: Includes diarrhea or frequent stools; fecal incontinence or the inability to control bowel movements; and rectal bleeding. By far, all of these side effects are more common following external beam radiotherapy than any other primary therapy, but as techniques and dose planning strategies improve, these rates have been dropping. (Read more about bowel dysfunction here: http://bit.ly/1ROgJ1L)

• Erectile Dysfunction: Regardless of whether the nerves were spared during surgery or whether the most precise dose planning was used during radiation therapy, nearly all men will experience some erectile dysfunction for the first few months after treatment. (Read more about erectile dysfunction here: http://bit.ly/1ROgP9w)

• Loss of Fertility: Despite the best efforts of surgeons and radiation oncologists, it is nearly impossible for a man to retain his ability to father children through sexual intercourse after initial treatment. During prostatectomy, both the prostate and the nearby seminal vesicles are removed. (Read more about loss of fertility here: http://bit.ly/1ROgWSk)

• Side Effects of Hormone Therapy: Testosterone is the primary male hormone, and plays an important role in establishing and maintaining the typical male characteristics, such as body hair growth, muscle mass, sexual desire, and erectile function, and contributes to a host of other normal physiologic processes in the body which may be affected. (Read more about the side effects of hormone therapy here: http://bit.ly/1ROh2cJ)

• Side Effects of Chemotherapy: Each of the chemotherapy drugs available today works in a slightly different fashion, and it’s hard to predict what sorts of side effects any one person will experience. (Read more about the side effects of chemotherapy here: http://bit.ly/1ROhd86)

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