What Is The Prostate And What Are The Symptoms Of Prostate Problems?
It may appear odd but for many years men knew very little about their prostate and it is only in the past few years as prostate cancer has become such a prominent issue that men are starting to ask what the prostate is and what it does.
The prostate is a very important component of the male reproductive system which produces a clear fluid which makes up a substantial portion of male seminal fluid. Sperm is carried from the testes to the prostate where it is mixed with proteins and prostatic fluid to form semen.
A healthy prostate is about the size of a walnut, weighs approximately one ounce and is situated just under the bladder and in front of the rectum. It is also often described as being donut shaped and partly wraps around the urethra, which is the tube which carries urine from the bladder and out of the body.
The prostate gland continues to grow throughout a man's life, although from about the age of twenty until the mid-forties this growth is extremely slow and is more or less undetectable. Once a man gets to approximately forty-five however it is common for the growth of the prostate to accelerate and the vast majority of men will begin to experience the symptoms of a growing prostate during their forties or fifties.
In very many cases a growing prostate simply leads to some mild discomfort which many men simply learn to live with. In other cases however the gland can become sufficiently enlarged so that it restricts the urethra enough to produce a number of symptoms which need treatment or persuade a man to ask for treatment to ease his discomfort. Mere growth of the prostate at this stage of a man's life is simply a normal part of the aging process and is referred to as benign prostatic hyperplasia, or BHP.
In all cases however the greatest problem with an enlarged prostate is that the problem could be more than just a case of enlargement and could be masking an underlying cancer.
As the prostate begins to grow it also starts to press on the urethra and to narrow this particular tube so that the first symptoms of a problem are usually seen when it comes to urinating. In particular you might experience difficulty in passing water and experience the need to 'push' to start the process. You could also suffer from a weak flow of urine and one which tends to stop and start. As time goes on you will also notice that you need to visit the bathroom more often, particularly during the night, and that you feel that you need to visit the bathroom even after you have just done so.
Not surprisingly this can become more than a little bit of an annoyance but, in spite of this, many men are content to simply put it down as one of the inevitable difficulties of getting older and learn to live with it. Now this is fine but the mistake which far too man men make is to choose not to seek the advice of their doctor at this stage to ensure that the problem is just BPH and that it is not likely to cause other problems in their particular case.
Aside from the obvious risk of the possibility of an underlying cancer, BPH can also cause other difficulties like kidney disease or bladder infection.
Should you begin to encounter signs and symptoms which suggest a prostate problem then visit your doctor so that the problem can be properly diagnosed.
