A prostate needle biopsy is not a pleasant experience, but it is not that bad either because prostate biopsies are now done with local anesthesia. You prepare for it by taking antibiotics by mouth and a Fleets enema before going to the doctor’s office. You lie on your left side and the doctor does a digital rectal examination of the prostate gland and then inserts the ultrasound probe into the rectum. The doctor injects a local anesthetic through the probe into the tissues on each side of the prostate – and then scans are taken of the prostate gland from several angles. The volume of the prostate gland is measured from the scans. After the local anesthetic has had a chance to work, a biopsy gun is used to take 12 to 20 or more biopsy cores through the ultrasound probe. You can feel the manipulation and the clicking, but you should not feel pain. You take antibiotics for two days after the biopsy procedure. Complications such as fever and heavy bleeding occur in fewer than 1% of patients. You might have blood in your urine, bowel movements, and ejaculate for days or weeks following the procedure. Patients may resume normal activity after the procedure but should take it easy for 24 to 48 hours.