Normally The Prostate Gland Is About The Size Of A Walnut Its Attached To The Base Of The Bladder The Urethra Which Is The Tube That Carries Urine Out Of The Body Goes Right Through The Prostate Gland
Normally, the prostate gland is about the size of a walnut. Its attached to the base of the bladder. The urethra, which is the tube that carries urine out of the body, goes right through the prostate gland.;
In most men, the prostate gland slowly grows with time. This type of growth is not cancer. Its benign, meaning it is not life-threatening. The medical name for this condition is benign prostatic hyperplasia . Hyperplasia means tissue growth. More than half of men over age 60 have signs of BPH, and about 90% of men over age 70 have this condition.
Many men have an enlarged prostate and dont know it, but sometimes the swelling causes problems. Because the prostate wraps around the urethra, as it grows, it can close like a fist, squeezing the urethra. This typically causes the bladder to fill up too much, while at the same time making it harder to empty the bladder fully. The most common consequence is frequent waking during the night to pee.;
That may sound like a minor problem, but its not. The frequent waking interrupts sleep, and as a nation, were sleep-deprived enough as it is. Sleep is one of the most important ingredients of a persons overall health, so its important to treat BPH if its causing a problem.
The simplest thing to try is limiting your intake of liquidsparticularly alcoholic liquidsnear bedtime. Alcohol stimulates urination and, of course, the extra liquid adds to the load of urine in your bladder.
How Do I Know If My Prostate Is Enlarged
If your prostate is enlarged, it may not be a sign of cancer, but it is something that you should discuss with your doctor. Many of the symptoms of an enlarged prostate tend to relate to urination. If you are concerned about an enlarged prostate, here are 7 symptoms to look for:
What Causes An Enlarged Prostate
We still dont really know all the things that cause the prostate to grow. But we do know about two risk factors that can increase your risk of having an enlarged prostate.
Age
Your risk of having an enlarged prostate increases as you get older. Many men aged 50 or over have an enlarged prostate, but they dont all get symptoms. And some men have symptoms that don’t bother them.
Hormone levels
The balance of hormones in your body changes as you get older. This may cause your prostate to grow.
Other factors
Some studies show that obese men and men who have diabetes may be more likely to develop an enlarged prostate. Regular exercise may help to reduce your risk of urinary symptoms. But we still need more studies into the causes of enlarged prostate to know for certain if, and how, we can prevent it.
There is also some research that suggests you may be more at risk of developing an enlarged prostate if your father or brother has one. Again, further studies are needed to confirm this.
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What Is The Prognosis For People Who Have Prostatitis
Antibiotics can cure acute bacterial prostatitis. These medications also ease chronic bacterial prostatitis symptoms in approximately 30% to 60% of men. Up to 80% of men with chronic pelvic pain syndrome feel better after receiving appropriate treatments for their symptoms using the UPOINT system. Men with asymptomatic inflammatory prostatitis dont need treatment.
Symptoms Of Swollen Prostate
The swelling of the prostate or enlargement of the prostate results in symptoms affecting the urination as a result of significant obstruction of the urethra. It also results in other manifestations. Symptoms include:
- Urinary frequency ;The obstruction in the urethra leads to incomplete emptying of the bladder, leading to frequent need for urination.
- Urinary urgency ;There is also an unavoidable need or feeling to urinate because of accumulation of urine in the bladder.
- Nocturia ;Nocturia is the frequent voiding at night. The enlarged prostate distends and compresses the bladder leading to reduced volume of the bladder. This stimulates the bladder for urination.
- Urinary hesitancy;Hesitancy is the condition wherein the patient needs to wait until the urinary stream starts. This results from the obstruction in the neck of the bladder as a result of swelling of the prostate.
- Straining during voiding;Straining may also be experienced because of difficulty to pass urine.
- Urinary intermittency ;There is frequent stopping of the urine stream during voiding also as a result of impediment in the urethra.
- Urinary dribbling;Urinary dribbling is the occurrence of drops in the urine and the feeling of urge to urinate following voiding.
- Dysuria ;Dysuria or pain during urination may be a result of irritation in the urethra because of inflammation.
Swollen Prostate
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What Are The Complications Of Prostatitis
Men with acute bacterial prostatitis may develop . This widespread inflammation can be life-threatening. It requires immediate medical treatment.
Antibiotics can cause an upset stomach. Men with chronic bacterial prostatitis may need lots of antibiotics to treat recurring infections. Some people develop antibiotic resistance, making treatment ineffective.
Asymptomatic inflammatory prostatitis can lower sperm count, affecting fertility.
When Should I Get Tested
Deciding to get tested is a personal decision made after a consultation with your doctor. Some important factors to consider are your age, race, family history, and history of exposure . Visit our Am I at Risk?page to learn more and check out our recommended age and testing guidelines, which are based on the NCCN provided recommendations.
All men are at risk of prostate cancer, so it is important to talk with your doctor to make an informed decision. Detecting prostate cancer early gives you the best chance of living longer. In fact, when it is caught early, the 5-year survival rate is over 99 percent.
Talk to Nathan about Prostate Cancer Screening is an interactive conversation that can help you decide whether to get screened. In partnership with the CDC, Nathan was developed to share information and answer your questions about prostate cancer screening and treatment. He also suggests some questions you might want to ask your doctor. Click the image below to get started!
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What Are The Types Of Prostatitis
Types of prostatitis include:
- Acute bacterial prostatitis : A UTI causes an infection in the prostate gland. Symptoms include fever and chills. You may experience painful and frequent urination or have trouble urinating. Acute bacterial prostatitis requires immediate medical treatment.
- Chronic bacterial prostatitis : Bacteria become trapped in the prostate gland, causing recurrent UTIs that are difficult to treat.
- Chronic pelvic pain syndrome, or CPPS : CPPS is the most common prostatitis type. Prostate gland inflammation occurs in approximately 1 out of 3 men. As the name implies, this type causes chronic pain in the pelvis, perineum and genitals.
- Asymptomatic inflammatory prostatitis : This condition causes prostate gland inflammation but no symptoms. You may learn you have this condition after getting tests to find the cause of other problems. For example, a semen analysis for infertility may detect asymptomatic inflammatory prostatitis. This type doesnt need treatment.
Prostate Cancer Diagnoses And Treatment
All cancer is complex, but prostate cancer testing and treatment is particularly complicated.
In some men with prostate cancer, the cancer will grow very slowly, and wont significantly affect them during their lifetime. Other mens prostate cancer can grow and spread very quickly. At the moment, there is no test that can tell what type of prostate cancer a man has when he is diagnosed.
Because some treatments for prostate cancer can cause side effects which might impact on quality of life, its important for men to discuss with their doctor all their options for testing and treatment, and to discuss these with their partners and families. These might include watchful waiting, which means waiting to see what the cancer does over time, radiation, surgery or taking medications.
You can read more about what kinds of questions to ask your doctors about prostate cancer testing and treatment on the Cancer Council website.
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Swollen Prostate Causes And Prevention
Benign prostatic hyperplasiaalso called BPHis a condition in men in which the prostate gland is enlarged and not cancerous. Benign prostatic hyperplasia is also called benign prostatic hypertrophy or benign prostatic obstruction.;The prostate goes through two main growth periods as a man ages. The first occurs early in puberty, when the prostate doubles in size. The second phase of growth begins around age 25 and continues during most of a mans life. Benign prostatic hyperplasia often occurs with the second growth phase, as;noted in the Medical Encyclopedia of the National Institutes of Health.
A large;number of men older than 40 have a swollen prostate, while it occurs in more than 90% of men over age 80. However, the causes for the swelling of the prostate are not fully understood, and;prevention is very difficult. The prostate suffers alterations during mens lives, with aging;and changes in the cells of the testicles playing important roles in the growth of the gland. Men who had the testicles removed at a young age, as a result of testicular cancer or for other reasons, do not develop a swollen prostate and when the testicles are removed later in life, the prostate may shrink on its own.
How To Prevent Enlarged Prostate In Dogs
Your dogs immune system is the key to good health. You need to support his immune system with a whole food, raw meat diet to prevent infections from prostate disease. When you remove processed food, you give your dogs other organs more opportunity to detox and fight bacteria instead of the chemicals and toxins from their food.
Antioxidants can assist the prostate in preventing infections along with improving the health of mucous membranes. Vitamin C is a natural anti-inflammatory and can help shrink the prostate to its original size.
Adding probiotics to your dogs diet increases the beneficial bacteria in your dogs gut, which is the foundation of 90% of his immune system.;
If you notice your dog has difficulty in peeing or pooping, you can gather a urine or stool sample and have it tested for possible infection. Then you can use natural antibiotics to eliminate the infection before it becomes serious.
RELATED: Try these 10 natural antibiotics for your dog
If your dog has prostate problems it might not be obvious, or you might start to notice these things.;
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Can Prostatitis And Bph Be Cured
The prognosis for BPH for most patients that undergo treatment is good to fair, depending upon how well patients respond. BPH that requires surgery may result in complications such as erectile dysfunction. The prognosis for patients with more severe BPH symptoms that require surgery and medication for symptom relief is fair. There is no cure for BPH.
Most men with prostatitis may have significant symptom relief, and most men can be cured with long-term appropriate antibiotic treatments. The prognosis for prostatitis ranges from good to fair because some patients have a tendency to have recurrent bouts of the condition.
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Who Should Get A Digital Rectal Exam
Not all medical institutions agree on when men should begin screening for prostate cancer or even if a DRE should be part of the screening.
To help detect prostate cancer in its early stages, the American Cancer Society recommends that men talk to their doctors about the benefits, risks, and limitations of prostate cancer screening before deciding whether to be tested.
For most men at average risk, discussions about screening begin at age 50. However, some doctors recommend that men at higher risk of prostate cancer African-American men or men with a family history of prostate cancer start screening earlier.
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What Are Benign Prostate Conditions
The prostate gland lies underneath the bladder and in front of the rectum deep in the male pelvis. It surrounds the urethra, the tube that transports urine from the bladder. The prostate is normally the size of a walnut and functions to secrete fluid that nourishes sperm. Common benign conditions that can affect the prostate gland are benign prostatic hyperplasia and prostatitis.
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Foods To Avoid: Sugary Foods
Refined sugar is another no-go for those with prostate problems as this can increase inflammation.
Sugar is abundant in some obvious sources such as fizzy juice and cake, but don’t forget it is also added to processed foods to give them extra flavour. This includes ready meals, crisps, some cereals, white bread and ready-made sauces. You could try cutting down your intake of these things in order to reduce the pressure on your prostate.
They say fresh is best for a reason, so try swapping these processed foods for wholegrain products, fresh fruit, vegetables, nuts and seeds. Not only are these better for the prostate, they are also highly nutritious and healthy too!
Surgery For An Enlarged Prostate
For most men with very enlarged prostates, surgery can relieve symptoms but there are both risks and benefits with each type of operation. Discuss them with your doctor. After a careful evaluation of your situation and your general medical condition, your doctor will recommend which is best for you.
TURP : This is the most common surgery for an enlarged prostate, and considered to bring the greatest reduction in symptoms. Only the tissue growth that is pressing against the urethra is removed to allow urine to flow easily. The procedure involves an electrical loop that cuts tissue and seals blood vessels. Most doctors suggest using TURP whenever surgery is required, as it is less traumatic than open surgery and requires shorter recovery time.
With the TURP procedure, patients can expect to have retrograde ejaculation afterwards, says Westney. This is a condition in which a man ejaculates backward into the bladder instead of through the urethra. Retrograde ejaculation generally isnt painful, she tells WebMD. It shouldnt be an issue unless fertility is a concern. Other possible side effects include blood loss requiring transfusion , painful urination, recurring urinary tract infections, bladder neck narrowing, and blood in the urine.
After TURP, the odds of erection problems range from 5% to 35%. However, this is often temporary and the ability to have an erection and an orgasm returns after a few months.
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Minimal Invasive Treatments Continued: Tumt
One of the most popular methods of minimally invasive treatments that are used is transurethral microwave thermotherapy or TUMT. This form of therapy treats mild to moderate blockage and helps to reduce some of the serious symptoms of BPH including urinary frequency, urgency, straining, and intermittent flow, but does not correct any bladder-emptying issues. The procedure is done with computer-regulated microwaves that heat portions of the prostate to destroy the affected tissues, where a cooling system helps to protect the urethras walls during treatment.
This type of therapy is usually done in a doctors office and requires only topical anesthesia and pain medications. There are some side effects associated with this procedure though, such as painful urination for a few weeks, as well as temporary urgency and frequency of urination. Unfortunately, many men may need to have the procedure redone as their symptoms either return or do not get any better.
How Will My Veterinarian Get These Samples
A free-flow urine sample iscollected . Samples of prostatic fluid are obtained by passing a urethral catheter to the level of the prostate and massaging the prostate to milk fluid out of it.
Samples of prostatic cells are obtained by fine needle aspiration or biopsy. If the prostate is greatly enlarged, it may be sampled by through the body wall by FNA or biopsied. FNA involves taking a small needle with a syringe and suctioning a sample of cells directly from the prostate and placing them on a microscope slide. A veterinary pathologist then examines the slide under a microscope. In some cases, results from FNA may not be entirely clear and biopsy may be necessary.
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