Problems

The great majority of men will encounter prostate problems as they grow older with problems frequently starting at around the age of 50. By 60 years of age roughly half of all men will be affected and by 80 90% of men will be experiencing some prostate symptoms.

In many cases symptoms will be quite mild and, because at this point in life the majority of us are beginning to experience a variety of medical problems, we tend to simply ignore prostate symptoms as being nothing more than part of the normal ageing process. On many occasions this is fine since most of prostate problems are not serious and, providing the symptoms don’t annoy you too much then you can get along with them quite happily and they will not do you any real harm.

Regretably however all too frequently the problem is prostate cancer and if this is ignored it will eventually spread and literally kill you. As a matter of fact, prostate cancer produces the second highest cancer death toll in the the US today.

There are various symptoms that may point to developing problems but, as with most things, these symptoms can also be caused by a wide range of different problems. In most cases however when symptoms do not result from prostate problems they will often be short lived, resulting possibly from a simple infection which clears up in a week or so without any need for treatment. When however any of these symptoms start appearing on a regular basis or pop up and remain with you then it is likely that they originate in an enlarged prostate gland. The symptoms could include:

1. Problems starting to urinate and possibly a need to strain in order to begin urinating.

2. A weak urine flow.

3. An interrupted urine flow with a tendency to stop and start.

4. A feeling that your bladder is not empty even when you have just been to the toilet.

5. A feeling that you need to go to the toilet urgently and difficulty in “holding on”.

6. The need for frequent trips to the toilet and a need to keep getting up during the night.

7. A tendency to dribble urine after you have been to the toilet.

These symptoms are the body’s alarm signals that problems may be starting to develop and, although in almost all cases this is not serious and nothing to worry about, for all too many men these turn out to be the warning signs of a serious and all too frequently deadly disease.

The only sure way to find out whether you fall into the first or the second category is get yourself checked over by your physician who will perform a couple of tests including a simple and effective prostate exam.