Men are so fickle about their own genital area including their prostate. Their sexual organs are such a matter of pride to them, they tend to neglect any health concerns that may arise. I am over fifty years old now, and although I am considered healthy, I still have concerns about possible prostate problems in the future.
For one thing, when a problem does happen, it can not only be a nuisance but also be quite painful. I have a few friends who have had problems with their prostate and it is only when they feel discomfort that they talk about it. Men seem to wait until the pain is unbearable before they do something about it. Prostate problem prevention just does not seem to be in their vocabulary.
Try this yourself. Talk to your dad, uncle or other older gentleman – no, not your aunt : ) LOL – and ask them about their prostate. They will either feel embarrassed, or you will. But if they are already in some kind of discomfort, they will not be able to stop talking about it. If they do talk about, the issues they tell you will be similar to other common prostate problems that plague the human male.
So what is the prostate anyway?
Don’t get confused. Some people actually think that the prostate is the scrotum – (your balls). Don’t laugh. It’s true. Remember that most men do not like to talk about their “sexual organs”, so why would they even know anything about it. The only they care about is that they are able to get an erection. As long as they can piss and get an erection they don’t care about anything else.
You cannot see your prostate. Your prostate is a walnut sized internal gland located within the lower abdominal cavity. A normal sized prostate weighing about one ounce, it is found beneath the bladder behind the pubic bone and in front of the rectum. You can find an animation to see the location of the prostate gland here . Running through the prostate is the urethra which is a channel that transports your urine from the bladder to your penis.
What kind of prostate problems should I be aware of?
The scariest problem that men could have regarding their prostate is the possibility of contracting prostate cancer. Just as breast cancer is very common among women, prostate cancer is so with men. Statistics are now telling us that the prevalence of prostate cancer is starting to decrease somewhat. More on this will be discussed in future articles.
– Enlarged Prostate
Another problem men should be aware of is if their prostate becomes enlarged. If enlarged, it is known as “benign prostatic hypertrophy”. BPH may cause you to feel a burning sensation or possibly even difficulty urinating. These difficulties could manifest themselves during the night when you feel like constantly going to the bathroom. Urination may also be intermittent. You may even feel like you want to pee but nothing comes out. If you can pee, you may even see a tiny amount of blood in your urine also.
(This picture shows a prostate that has a large median lobe bulging upwards. A metal instrument is placed within the urethra which passes through the prostate. This specimen was almost 7 centimeters long)
If any of these symptoms seem familiar, you should see your doctor and have him refer you to a urologist and get checked out. Do not make the mistake of getting checked out and then not do anything about it anyways. Future problems may develop. Get it “nicked in the bud” so to speak.
There are treatments available and should not be ignored or avoided. If your prostate problem is severe enough you may even need to undergo surgery, so the sooner you get checked out the healthier you will stay. Repercussions can lead to possible infections of the kidney or bladder if the enlarged prostate has a blockage of some sort.
– Prostate Cancer
Prostate cancer and benign prostatic hypertrophy are very different from each other.
- BPH is a natural part of the aging process which can be treated by qualified doctors.
- Prostate cancer is a painful condition where the cells within the prostate multiply out of control. If tumors develop, they could spread to other parts of your body.
Although prostate cancer is more prevalent in Black American men than in other cultures, the incidence of it seems to be on a decline. The key is in early detection and diagnosis. Survival of prostate cancer is very high with today’s treatments, but is dependant on you actually seeing your doctor.
From: Joseph Nykoluk
