Female prostate cancer: Do women have a prostate and is cancer possible?

Researchers have discovered that the Skene glands share some of the same properties as the male prostate, which is located between the bladder and the penis. For example, both the prostate and the Skene glands contain prostate-specific antigen (PSA) and PSA phosphatase (PSAP), which are enzymes that can indicate the health of the prostate in males.

The discovery that these glands have similarities has led to the use of the term “female prostate.”

So, in a sense, females do have prostates, and female prostate cancer is technically possible. It is, however, extremely rare.

What does the female prostate do?

Research into the female prostate is still relatively new, so doctors are not sure of everything the female prostate does. But some research indicates that the Skene glands play an important part in the female urinary system and genitals.

However, the use of more advanced imaging technologies, such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRIs), has given researchers a better understanding of how the female prostate works.

Prostate-specific antigen and cancer indications

One area of focus for research is how the female prostate produces PSA. PSA is an indicator of prostate cancer in males and may appear as a symptom of certain types of breast cancer in females.

According to some research, checking PSA levels during cancer treatment in females may be useful in monitoring the treatment for some types of breast cancer.

Doctors may find it difficult to recognize the signs and symptoms of female prostate cancer because it is so rare.

Another problem is that many of the symptoms of female prostate cancer, such as pain, itching, loss of weight or appetite, and anemia due to bleeding, are also signs of other more common diseases.

For example, a doctor might diagnose blood in urine as a symptom of a urinary tract infection, kidney infection, or kidney stone, rather than female prostate cancer.

Other symptoms include:

• pressure behind the pubic bone
• pain during urination
• pain during sex
• menstrual cycle irregularities
• difficulty urinating
• frequent urination

However, these symptoms may also signify other noncancerous conditions related to the female prostate.

These conditions include:

Cysts

Cysts can form on the Skene glands at any age. When the cysts are straightforward and have no further complications, a doctor can drain the cyst. Cysts will typically clear on their own.

Infection

Many potential infections can occur in the urinary tract.

Most doctors identify female prostatitis as an infection of the urethra. Some research, however, indicates that it may be an infection of the Skene glands. The report also adds that an infection of the Skene glands requires different treatment to infections in other parts of the urinary tract or genitals.

Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) may also spread to the female prostate. Gonorrhea may spread from parts of the genitals into the Skene’s glands, for example.

Adenofibroma

Adenofibroma is a growth that typically occurs in glandular or fibrous tissues in the body. One symptom of an adenofibroma on the Skene glands is pain during sex. This noncancerous growth can be removed with surgery.

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) occurs when the female hormones responsible for reproduction are unbalanced. Someone with PCOS may also have a larger than normal number of male hormones.

Research indicates the Skene glands are larger than normal when someone has PCOS. People with PCOS also have higher levels of PSA. Elevated levels may help doctors identify PCOS since this hormone comes from the Skene glands.

Takeaway

The Skene glands are often referred to as the female prostate because they produce the same hormones as the male prostate. Both are believed to play a role in the female and male reproductive systems. Though male prostate cancer is the second most common cancer in men, female prostate cancer is rare.

Female prostate cancer has proven challenging to study and diagnose. In most cases, symptoms affecting areas around the Skene glands are due to underlying conditions in other parts of the urinary tract or reproductive system.

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