A PROSTATE PRIMER-WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
What is the Prostate?
The prostate is a male sex gland about the size of a walnut. It is located below the bladder and in front of the rectum. The prostate gland surrounds the upper part of the urethra, the tube which empties urine from the bladder. It produces a thick fluid which forms part of the semen. The prostate needs make hormones to function./ The main male hormone is testosterone, which is made by the testicles.
The prostate is made up of several type of cells. Prostate problems occur when the cells divide without control or order, forming too much tissue. This tissue can be benign or malignant. The prostate naturally enlarges with age. Half of men over age 50 and 80% of men age 70 and older experience prostate enlargement, which is know as Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia or BPH. While BPH is not usually a serious risk to your health, treatment may be required to relive symptoms.
Malignant tissue is cancer. The cancerous cells from a tumor that can invade and destroy nearby healthy tissue and may metastasize to other parts of the body.
What Are the symptoms of prostate problems?
Early prostate problems, especially cancer, often do not cause symptoms. When symptoms do occur they may include any of the following:
| A need to urinate frequently, especially at night |
| Difficulty starting urination or holding back urine |
| Inability to urinate |
| Weak or interrupted flow of urine |
| Painful or burning urination |
| Painful ejaculation |
| Blood in the urine or semen |
| Feelings of bladder fullness even after emptying the bladder. |