His GP suggested a prostate specific antigen test to get a baseline result against checks in the future but it came back with a red flag.
Mr Jenkins' treatment was successful and he says there's no telling what would have happened if he hadn't agreed to that test 15 years ago.
"I do feel like I'm lucky and that my intuition served me well to go and get that test because in the end I feel like it spared me a lot of grief," he told AAP.
He's among the growing number of younger men diagnosed with the condition, with rates jumping from 4.9 cases per 100,000 people to 12.5 cases in the past 25 years, according to Australian Institute of Health and Welfare data.
"We don't really know why but one of the strongest risks for this age group is having a family history," said urologist Weranja Ranasinghe.
"If there's a family history of any prostate, breast or ovarian cancers, those may be at a higher risk."
Prostate cancer is the nation's most commonly diagnosed and exacts an increasingly brutal toll.
Some 4000 men are expected to die from it by the end of the year.
Less aggressive forms don't need to be treated but survival rates for those with the most serious types of the disease can be just 12 per cent.
While there is growing awareness of breast and colon cancer in younger people, Associate Professor Ranasinghe said too many people still think of prostate cancer as an older man's disease.
There's no universal PSA testing advice for Australians but new medical guidelines due out by the end of 2025 are likely to include baseline checks for men in their 40s on request and those at a higher risk.
It's sparked a call from the Urological Society of Australia and New Zealand for men to know their risk and suss out their family history so they can bring it up the next time they see a doctor.
Prof Ranasinghe wants men to know general practitioners have largely moved away from prostate cancer examinations in favour of a simple blood test, while MRI scans have also replaced the need for biopsies in many cases.
"If you have an MRI which is normal, most men don't need biopsy anymore because MRIs are very accurate in picking up aggressive prostate cancers," he said.
Mr Jenkins is worried stigma around "outdated understandings of masculinity" is still holding too many people back from getting checked.
He underwent delicate surgery to remove his prostate and after a period of recuperation was able to have sex again.
While he cannot conceive children naturally, he and his wife went on to have two as Mr Jenkins froze his sperm before his procedure.
"You're no less of a man for going to get checked, you're no less of a man for having prostate cancer if that is the outcome, no less of a man for having your prostate removed," he said.
Mr Jenkins urged any men with a niggling feeling to get themselves tested, to discuss it with their doctor and to bring up testing with other men in their family.
"Say, 'hey, I've just been thinking about getting a PSA test have you had one?'
That's going to open up a door," he said.
"We can break down these stereotypes, talking with dad, talking with grandad, talking to an uncle about these things."
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