This blocks the flow of urine, making it difficult to pass urine

There are thousands and quite possibly millions of men who are suffering with an enlarged prostate at this very moment. Also known as benign prostatic hyperplasia, or BPH, this condition affects most males over the age of 40, and more commonly over the age of 60.

It is known that men produce a male hormone called testosterone, which is also the most important chemical in their body. Men also produce a very small amount of the female hormone estrogen. As a man ages, his amounts of active testosterone will decrease. The ending result is a higher level of estrogen.

Some research studies have shown that when there is a higher amount of estrogen, it might promote more growth of cells in the prostate, which later results in BPH. There is another theory that suggests that when dihydrotestosterone accumulates within the prostate, cell growth is also promoted.

Risk Factors

It has been studied and revealed that a man’s age plays an important role in determining if he will have an enlarged prostate. This is one of the most common risk factors associated with BPH. There have also been studies that have proven that if other men in your family have had an enlarged prostate, then you are at a higher risk as well.

Even after you have your enlarged prostate treated, there will be a certain amount of risk factors that follow you through the rest of your life. Many men have complained of having a larger amount of urinary tract infections after being diagnosed with an enlarged prostate, frequent urination problems, and other bladder related issues.

In order to prevent certain risk factors from coming true, it is important for each man to have annual check-ups of the prostate as well as tests. The proper precautions are much smarter than waiting until a complication occurs to have your prostate checked. There are many health insurance companies that require their patients to have annual prostate check-ups if they are over a certain age or else they could have a higher premium. It is best to go ahead and have the evaluation conducted instead of taking the risk.

The good news is that if you have all of the risk factors and you are diagnosed with an enlarged prostate, there are two types of medication to help reduce the size of the prostate and alleviate the pains of an enlarged prostate. Finasteride helps reduce the size of the prostate while Alpha-blockers help relax the muscles at the neck of the bladder to make urination a simpler task.

There are natural ways to help prevent and treat enlarged prostate problems too

        <  Find out more about natural Prostacet treatment here  >

When the medication does not work, there are two types of surgical procedures that can be conducted. One procedure involves scraping away at the prostate to reduce the size. Since this can be painful after the anesthetics wear off, many men are opting for another procedure. This involves making a few small cuts around the prostate to help alleviate the pressure on the bladder. There are many factors that are involved with an enlarged prostate. Make sure that you are taking the necessary precautions to prevent yourself from going through this painful situation, visit Prostate Problems for more information and useful tips.

By Allen Gelb

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Early symptoms of prostate cancer are rare and the disease has usually spread by the time the person has experienced them.

Thus if you feel you have these signs and symptoms of prostate cancer that are discussed in this article, you should see your doctor to make sure that these are not symptoms of prostate cancer.

Prostate cancer is usually found in African American men and men over 70. Some of the risk factors for prostate cancer are uncontrolled consumption of alcohol; leading an inactive lifestyle, heavy metal exposure (for example cadmium), a diet high in saturated fat, smoking, family history, certain races (African American).

What is prostate cancer?
Prostate cancer is cancer in a gland (otherwise known as adenocarcinoma) in the prostate which is a gland in the male sexual organs. The main risk for this cancer is age.

Men over 70 are most likely to get prostate cancer. There is also a genetic link and therefore family history is also a concern in addition to those with a diet that is higher in fat. So men with these risk factors need to make sure that they are seen and checked on a regular basis. This is especially important since early symptoms of prostate cancer are rare and might the cancer might not be detected until it has spread to other organs in the body and then more drastic measures would need to be taken.

Most of the signs and symptoms of prostate cancer can be confused with other disorders so any urinary tract problems or back or upper leg pain need to be discussed with a doctor immediately. Some of the symptoms of prostate cancer are lower back pain and stiffness, this pain and stiffness can also be found in the thighs, hips and pelvic areas. In addition there are difficulties in the urinary tract in addition to sexual difficulties like pain and blood in the ejaculate or urine.

Signs and symptoms of prostate cancer
Determining prostate cancer by signs and symptoms alone is difficult because they are similar to other prostate disorders and therefore other tests such as a PSA (Prostate-Specific Antigen, usually higher in those with cancer) and a DRE (Digital Rectal Exam) definitely will need to be carried out in order to definitely confirm cancer. However these are the usual symptoms of prostate cancer:

1. Difficulty urinating.
2. Pain or burning sensation when urinating
3. Frequent urination
4. Interrupted flow or weak flow of urination
5. Blood in semen or in the urine
6. Pain upon ejaculation
7. Difficulty starting urination or holding it in.
8. Pain in thighs, lower back, pelvic areas, or hips

Symptoms like pain in other areas than the groin or prostate area are an indication that the cancer has already spread to nearby areas such as the lymph nodes, bones, or other areas of the body. This symptom alone is a very serious one and you should see a doctor immediately should you experience this symptom.

Of course as noted earlier, these are also symptoms of other benign growths of the prostate, but still need to be checked by a doctor no matter what the cause.

Treatment
Upon further examination should these symptoms indicate advanced stages of cancer, and then there is little a doctor can do. They can remove all the cancer that they can find and give the patient a little more time. However, if caught early enough then there are several options either used separately or in conjunction that can be used to eliminate the cancer completely and thus lengthen a man’s life.

Surgery: Radical Prostatectomy, which is a complete removal of all of the prostate and nearby tissue that could also have been affected. In addition there is a type of surgery that is used to allow enough nerve tissue so that erections remain possible and thus not terminate the sexual life of the person involved.

Radiation: This entails using either an external beam of radiation upon the prostate or implantation of a radioactive seed in the prostate by way of a needle. These are generally outpatient surgeries.

Observation-This approach is often used if the man with early prostate cancer and is elderly or has other medical conditions. The doctor will give regular exams and will wait and observe and unless there are obvious changes then nothing will be done immediately. Again, this is usually done if there is no immediate danger to the patient.

Choosing a treatment
This is done by discussing with the patient, one or several doctors, and the family. Each procedure and the side effects along with what benefits can be expected are discussed and a choice is made based upon the best results with the least amount of negative aspects. This can be a difficult, but necessary choice for all involved.

By Jayashree Pakhare

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