The first step toward understanding how the prostate affects mens health is to learn what the prostate is and how it functions.
The prostate is an important segment of the male reproductive system. It is a gland about the size of a walnut that is located in the lower abdominal cavity, just below the bladder, in front of the rectum and behind the pubic bone. It partially surrounds the urethra. The urethra is the channel that carries urine to the penis from the bladder and it runs right through the prostate.
Benign Prostate Hypertrophy
Men who are over forty-five may experience an enlargement of the prostate. An enlarged prostate is called benign prostate hypertrophy, or BPH. There is a huge difference between BPH and prostate cancer. BPH is a normal part of aging. Prostate cancer is a condition where prostate cells grow exponentially and out of control. These cells create tumors that may spread to any part of the body.
While BPH is usually considered a nuisance, if a man experiences problems with burning, or difficult urination at any time, the prudent course of action is consulting a urologist.
Other symptoms may be:
* A feeling of having to push out urine
* A sensation that the bladder is not emptying
* Increased urination, especially at night
* Intermittent starting and stopping of the urinary stream
After a diagnosis of BPH, many men will just continue to live with the symptoms and subsequent discomfort. It is not a life threatening condition, and there are treatments. In some cases surgery might be considered if the prostate enlargement is significant.
Ignoring BPH can be extremely dangerous! It can lead to other diseases such as kidney infections or even damage the kidney as the urine can back up into the kidneys because of an enlarged prostate. There can also be an occurrence of bladder infections.
So, men, don’t forget to be tested!
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