9 Out Of 10 Of Men Will Experience An Enlarged Prostate
As we get older health problems not surprisingly begin to occur and one problem that you are almost certain to experience if you live long enough is an enlarged prostate gland.
Usually the problem is first seen in men once they pass the age of 45, though it can sometimes be seen at earlier ages, and you have about a 50 percent chance of developing the problem of an enlarged prostate gland by the time you reach 60 years of age.
Once you have reached the age of 60 the odds of developing the problem increase substantially and, by the time you reach the age of 80, your chances of having an enlarged prostate gland will be a staggering 90 percent.
The prostate, which sits just below the bladder and is a part of the male reproductive system, grows rapidly during puberty and by the time a man reaches maturity it weighs roughly one ounce and is roughly the same size as a walnut. What is often not appreciated however is that it does not stop growing at this point and that the prostate continues to grow very slowly throughout the remainder of a man's life.
In middle age however cell growth characteristically starts to speed up in one particular section of the prostate gland that partially surrounds the urethra, which is the tube responsible for carrying urine from the bladder out of the body.
At first this accelerated growth of cells, that are not cancerous, is fairly slow and many men will not experience any symptoms at all from it, or any symptoms will be so mild that they will be dismissed as a simple case of 'getting older'.
In time however, as the prostate gland continues to grow, it will begin to squeeze the urethra interfering with 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 especially uncomfortable, although they will get increasingly irritating as you begin to experience difficulty in passing water, waking frequently during the night to go to the bathroom and possibly the upsetting tendency to dribble urine after you have visited the bathroom.
At this point you should talk to your physician not only to seek treatment for your enlarged prostate but also so that you can undergo screening for the possibility of any underlying and developing signs of prostate cancer.
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ProstateProblemCenter.com provides detailed information about the prostate gland and such topics as the need for a prostate examination
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