9 Out Of 10 Men Will Experience The Problem Of An Enlarged Prostate
Health problems inevitably begin to occur as we get older and one problem which you are almost certain to experience if you live long enough is an enlarged prostate gland.
The problem is generally first seen in men once they pass the age of 45, but it can occasionally appear at earlier ages, and you will have something like a 50 percent chance of experiencing an enlarged prostate gland by the time you reach 60 years of age.
Once you have reached 60 the chances of developing the condition increase considerably and, by the time you are 80, your chances of having a swollen prostate will be as high as 90 percent.
The prostate, which is situated just under the bladder and forms part of the reproductive system, grows rapidly during puberty and by the time you reach maturity it weighs about one ounce and is roughly the size of a walnut. However, what is often not realized is that this is not the end of its growth and that the prostate goes on growing very slowly throughout the rest of a man’s life.
In middle age however cell growth characteristically begins to accelerate in one area of the prostate that partially surrounds the urethra, which is the tube responsible for carrying urine out of the body from the bladder.
Initially this acceleration in the growth of cells, which are not cancerous, is fairly slow and many men will experience no symptoms at all from it, or the symptoms will be so slight that they will be dismissed as a simple case of ‘growing old’.
However, in time, as the prostate gland continues to grow, it will start to pinch the urethra and interrupt the flow of urine from the bladder and the symptoms of the problem will begin to become evident. At first these are not painful, or even particularly discomforting, but they will get more and more irritating as you begin to experience difficulty with passing water, waking frequently during the night to go to the bathroom and perhaps the upsetting tendency to dribble urine even after you have visited the bathroom.
When this happens you should talk to your doctor not simply to seek enlarged prostate gland treatment but also so that you can be screened for any underlying signs of prostate cancer.