Like Srgfgahs (post 253), I also had the urologist massage my prostate to express prostatic fluid which he then harvested from my urethra. Like Srgfgahs, I also tested negative for infection. That was at age 26. But fast forward more than 30 years and I think the prostate biopsy I had for suspected cancer at age 59 was the most humiliating. Here's the story:
My PSA had been creeping up. That plus enlargement and a little asymmetry of the prostate on rectal exam made the urologist think I should have a biopsy.
I arrived at the rather large urologist clinic with its own short procedures facility. I had to take an enema at home before hand and also take antibiotics for three days before. There was a changing area with lockers where I took off all my clothes and put on a cloth hospital gown and hospital socks. They had me sit in a waiting room – Itself rather embarrassing to be just in a hospital gown in a common area like that.
Then the nurse called me back to a procedures room. The nurse stayed and the urologist entered. It was not the urologist I normally saw but a young one on staff at the urology clinic. They had me lie on the procedures table on my left side and draw my legs up as close to my chest as I possibly could. They lifted the gown. This all meant that I was in a fetal position with my entire rectal-genital area exposed to both doctor (male) and nurse (female).
The doc performed a digital rectal exam. Then the nurse handed him the ultrasound probe, which had a lubricated protective sheath on it, with slots in the side that they use to shoot darts into the prostate to obtain specimens. The doc inserted the ultrasound probe into my rectum (slightly painful, as my anus is somewhat sensitive to begin with). They then shoot the darts through the wall of the rectum into the prostate to obtain the specimens. The ultrasound is used to map out where in the prostate the specimen is obtained. I had 12.
They withdrew the ultrasound probe and told me I could get up and get dressed. The nurse helped me off the table. The doc told me I could experience some rectal bleeding for a few days (I did not) and to continue the antibiotics for two more days. No complications from the biopsy.
The biopsy showed I had prostate cancer for which I underwent subsequent treatment, but that's another story.