Prostate Health

Just about every man knows he has a prostate. But do men really know what the purpose of their prostate is and why it’s necessary to pay attention to their prostate health? In general, the younger you are, the less likely you’re going to have any issues with your prostate. But the older you get, say after 40, you might want to make sure you know what problems to look out for when it comes to keeping up with your prostate health.

The prostate is a small gland that is part of a man’s sex organs. There are two periods in a man’s life when the prostate grows. The first is at puberty. During puberty, the prostate grows to about the size of a walnut. At about 40, the prostate begins to grow again and never stops. About half of men won’t have any issues because of this. But the other half will develop benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH).

BPH is simply when the prostate begins to start causing symptoms after becoming too big. The symptoms include frequent urination, straining to empty the bladder, inability to empty the bladder, or leaking after urinating.

Three main treatments for BPH include watchful waiting, medication and surgery. Watchful waiting means that there is no specific treatment given if the symptoms are mild. But the prostate is watched and symptoms are monitored in case they get any worse. Medication can also be given to relax muscles around the urethra so that urine flows normally. And for severe cases of BPH, men may have to have a surgical procedure to reduce the size of the prostate.

Prostate health is also important to keep up with after 40 because men’s risk of prostate cancer begins to increase. Men who are over 40, African American or who have a diet low in fiber, high in fat, and high in red meat are more at risk for prostate cancer.

Treatment for prostate cancer includes prostate removal, radiation, hormone therapy or cryosurgery. Cryosurgery is where they freeze the prostate to kill the cancer cells. Men can help prevent prostate cancer by not smoking, drinking plenty of fluids, eating right and exercising regularly.

Another issue that men can have with prostate health is prostatitis. This is also where the prostate gets too enlarged but prostatitis is caused by an infection. Some of the symptoms include fever, chills, achy muscles (in lower back) and trouble with urinating. Treatments include antibiotics, surgery or anti-inflammatories.

It’s important to always be aware of your prostate health but especially after age 40.