What Happens To Your Risk Of Prostate Cancer When You Get An STI

Getting a sexually transmitted infection (STI) can be an embarrassing secret, but more people get an STI during their lifetime than you might realize. Planned Parenthood says that 50% of sexually active people will contract an STI before the age of 25. If that doesn't convince you to protect yourself, the World Health Organization says that there are more than 30 pathogens that can be transmitted through sexual activity.

Whether you receive treatment for an STI or not, an STI can cause health problems later in life. A 2014 review in Cancer Epidemiology found that men who had an STI at some point in their lives had a 49% higher risk of developing prostate cancer. In particular, men who've had gonorrhea had a 20% higher risk of prostate cancer.

It's not that STIs directly cause prostate cancer, but your body's inflammatory response to the STI could be the trigger, according to the Prostate Cancer Foundation. While inflammation helps your body combat infections, it can also encourage tumor growth if it persists after treating the STI. "Even just one infection may be enough to start chronic inflammation," Johns Hopkins scientist Karen Sfanos, Ph.D., told the Prostate Cancer Foundation.

If you've taken an antibiotic to treat a bacterial STI, you could still have some bacteria that remain in your urinary tract. This can cause some inflammation in your prostate even though you might not have symptoms. Many types of infections could create this inflammatory response. A 2021 review in the Journal of Clinical Medicine looked closely at how the body's inflammatory response to certain microbes might be linked to prostate cancer. Some bacteria and viruses interrupt the cell cycle, weaken the immune system, or cause chronic inflammation.

Parasitic STIs might also have the same effect on your body, according to a 2014 study in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The parasite that causes trichomoniasis produces a protein that helps prostate cancer grow and invades surrounding tissues. Over the long term, trichomoniasis infections may promote the development of prostate cancer through the body's inflammatory response to this protein (read how deadly prostate cancer is).

Everyone has a microscopic ecosystem in all areas of the body where bacteria grow. One area is in the foreskin of the penis, and a 2012 study in Cancer found that circumcised men had a 15% lower risk of prostate cancer. Moving semen through your plumbing system might help clear any bacteria that might reside in your system. According to a 2021 review in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, men are less likely to develop prostate cancer if they've had at least 20 sexual partners in their lifetime or have more than 21 ejaculations per month. However, men who have had multiple male sexual partners have a slightly higher risk of prostate cancer.

You might not be able to control your history of STIs, but other factors can influence your risk for prostate cancer. The Prostate Cancer Foundation suggests following a healthy diet rich in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains while limiting processed foods, sugary drinks, and red and processed meats to reduce inflammation in your body. You also want to exercise and consume fewer calories to achieve a healthy body weight. Although calcium is important for healthy bones, avoid calcium supplements and get your calcium from plant-based foods.