Enlarged Prostate Gland-It Tends to Enlarge as Men Approach Forty Years

Symptoms of Enlarged Prostate

One of the main organs that disturbs men as they age is the enlarged prostate gland. Generally, it tends to enlarge as men approach their forties. After sixty years, enlarged prostate are the main contribution of men's health problems. Prostate enlargement is not cancer, neither does it increase your risk of developing cancer.

The main symptoms of prostate enlargement are due to compression of the urethra, which blocks urine flow. Urethra is a tube that takes urine from the bladder to the outside. You may experience the following symptoms:

•     Straining to pass urine
•     Weak urine stream
•     Feeling you have not completely emptied your bladder
•     Passing urine often, including waking up more than once at night to urinate
•     Involuntary urination resulting in leakage of urine
•     Sudden strong urge to pass urine often, because of the blockage in the urethra, the bladder does not empty completely. This means that there is a high risk of developing an infection, since urine that should have been drained continues to stay in the bladder. If you are infected, you may experience pain as you pass urine, bloody urine, fever and lower abdominal pain.

Retention of urine is serious because it may cause kidney damage, due to the accumulated fluid. Therefore, it is important to have timely management  of the enlarged prostate, and have any infections treated early.

Causes of Enlarged Prostate

The exact cause is not clear, though the following factors are thought to play a role. They include:

•     Prostate glands enlarge with age, beginning from about 40 years of age. by age eighty, most men have enlarged prostate.
•     The male sex hormone (testosterone): Men who have had their testes removed do not develop this condition. If one has them removed after developing it, the prostate gland might shrink.
•     Female sex hormone (estrogen): This hormone is produced more as men get older. It is though somehow to be a contributing factor to the enlarged prostate problems.

Diagnosis

The main diagnosis is through digital examination. The doctor will also insert his finger in the rectum to feel the size of the prostate, and note any abnormalities.

Other tests include:

•     Prostatic specific antigen (PSA), to rule out cancer of the prostate
•     Kidney function tests, to assess for kidney damage
•     Urine and blood tests in case of infection
•     Studies to measure the urine flow rate and pressure to decide severity of the blockage
•     Ultrasound and examination of fluids and tissues of the gland
•     Use of scope (cystoscopy) to check the bladder, to estimate the degree of blockage

Treatment of Enlarged Prostate

Sometimes, mild prostate enlargement treatment is not needed. This is because, many mild symptoms clear on their own. However, it's advisable to have regular checks-ups. If the symptoms become severe, then it is important you receive treatment. There are various options of enlarged prostate treatment; your doctor will recommend the best treatment for you.

•     Use of medicines to shrink the prostate gland
•     Surgery to remove the gland, this can be open surgery, or through the urethra, or by laser
•     Other methods include microwaves, and ultrasounds

Please note: If surgery or any types of treatment cannot be done, you might have to do with insertion of a thin flexible tube into the urethra, to drain urine. This is an inconvenient because it not only affects sexual performance but also difficult to handle, since you have to carry a urine bag everywhere, and you need to have the tube changed regularly.