9 Out Of 10 Of Men Will Experience An Enlarged Prostate

Health problems not surprisingly start to develop as we grow older and one problem that you are almost certain to experience if you live long enough is that of an enlarged prostate.

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.

However, in middle age cell growth characteristically begins to speed up in one area of the prostate that partially surrounds the urethra, which carries urine from the bladder out of the body.

At first this accelerated growth of cells, that are not cancerous, is still reasonably slow and most men will experience no symptoms at all from it, or the symptoms will be so mild that they will be dismissed as simply a case of 'getting older'.

In time however, as the prostate continues to grow, it will begin to pinch the urethra interrupting the urine flow from the bladder and symptoms will start to appear. Initially these are not painful, or even particularly uncomfortable, although they will become increasingly frustrating as you start to develop difficulty with passing water, the need to get up during the night to visit the bathroom and perhaps the embarrassing tendency to continue to dribble urine after you have been to 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 a detailed picture of the prostate and discusses the advisability of a digital prostate exam