The prostate gland is an important part of the male reproductive system. The prostate creates a fluid that mixes with sperm and other fluids during ejaculation. These fluids nourish and transport sperm during the process of semen ejaculation during sexual excitement. A normal prostate gland is around the size of a walnut.
Prostate Enlargement is common as a man ages and matures. Medical doctors call this condition of enlarged prostate BPH or "benign prostatic hyperplasia". As the prostate enlarges, the layer of tissue surrounding it stops it from expanding, causing the prostate gland to press inward against the urethra and restricting the flow, narrowing the space for urine to pass. The bladder wall also becomes thicker and irritable. The bladder starts to contract even when it contains even small amounts of urine, causing more frequent urination by the male. Eventually, the bladder weakens and loses the ability to completely empty itself and urine remains in the bladder. The narrowing of the urethra and partial emptying of the bladder cause a large number of the problems associated with an enlarged prostate. A doctor can determine an enlarged prostate during the dreaded finger prostate exam.
The symptoms of an enlarged prostate can vary, but the most common ones involve changes or problems with urination, such as a hesitant, interrupted, weak stream, urgency and leaking or dribbling, more frequent urination, especially at night. This is often called nocturia. Men who have symptoms of prostate obstruction are much more likely to develop chronic kidney disease. These are troubling and dangerous problems if not found and corrected in time.
Enlarged prostate treatments vary. Numerous effective pharmaceutical drugs are available to improve symptoms of prostate enlargement. There are also effective natural therapies including the use of time-tested herbal products. Some commonly used herbs for enlarged prostate gland include rye pollen, stinging nettle, saw palmetto, and pygeum, Plant extracts that have also been investigated include beta sitosterol, quercetin, rosaminic acid, genistein, daidzein and lycopene. In addition to herbs and mainstream medications, there is also some basic, common sense, behavioral changes that can help combat prostate symptoms. Among these changes are reducing fluid intake, limiting or ending alcohol and caffeine consumption, especially in the evening, and not passing up a chance to use the bathroom, even when your bladder doesn't feel full. These simple steps can help reduce the impact of an enlarged prostate on a man’s life.
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The Prostate Biopsy
For men 50 and over, digital rectal exams, or DREs, has become a routine part of the annual checkup, as have prostate specific antigen, or PSA tests. These tests can uncover signs of prostate cancer. But before a doctor can make the final diagnosis, they will use an another procedure: the prostate biopsy. To confirm the presence of prostate cancer, a doctor uses a needle to collect a sample of cells from the prostate. A pathologist, an expert who can distinguish cancerous from non-cancerous cells, then examines this sample. With more and more men undergoing biopsies, doctors are making every effort to ensure the procedure is as safe, comfortable, and accurate as possible.
A prostate biopsy is a very simple procedure. The whole process takes about 15 minutes and doesn't require anesthesia. The doctor will insert a slender ultrasound device into the patient’s rectum, and the device will emit sound waves to produce an image of the prostate. The process is referred to as transrectal ultrasound or TRUS. Guided by the ultrasound image, the doctor will slide a tiny needle through the rectal wall and into the prostate gland. The important word here is tiny, a prostate biopsy needles are only 1.2 millimeters in diameter.
Prostate tumors tend to be extremely small and can be located about anywhere on the prostate. Due to this reason, doctors take samples from several areas of the prostate gland. The most common approach is to take six different samples. However, in some cases, doctors will take as many as 47 samples in a search for cancer. This approach can uncover tumors that regular biopsies might miss. The comprehensive procedure requires that the patients be anesthetized first.
There are few side affects to biopsy. In most cases, fear of the biopsy causes more trouble than the actual biopsy. Many patients might notice small amounts of blood in their stools, urine, or semen in the days after a biopsy. This is normal and to be expected and no cause for alarm. Less than 1 percent of all patients develop severe bleeding or an infection of the prostate or urinary tract due to biopsy. Whether a surgeon takes several biopsy samples, or dozens or more, there's still a chance that the cancer will be missed. In one study researchers performed biopsies on 800 men who had recently had negative biopsies. In ten percent of the cases, the second biopsies turned up cancer. So a negative biopsy is no guarantee that you are truly cancer-free. Even if you don't show any signs of cancer, continue to get regular PSA tests and digital rectal exams as recommended by your doctor.
For more information visit: http://mhlnk.com/F40C9111?cid=00
A prostate biopsy is a very simple procedure. The whole process takes about 15 minutes and doesn't require anesthesia. The doctor will insert a slender ultrasound device into the patient’s rectum, and the device will emit sound waves to produce an image of the prostate. The process is referred to as transrectal ultrasound or TRUS. Guided by the ultrasound image, the doctor will slide a tiny needle through the rectal wall and into the prostate gland. The important word here is tiny, a prostate biopsy needles are only 1.2 millimeters in diameter.
Prostate tumors tend to be extremely small and can be located about anywhere on the prostate. Due to this reason, doctors take samples from several areas of the prostate gland. The most common approach is to take six different samples. However, in some cases, doctors will take as many as 47 samples in a search for cancer. This approach can uncover tumors that regular biopsies might miss. The comprehensive procedure requires that the patients be anesthetized first.
There are few side affects to biopsy. In most cases, fear of the biopsy causes more trouble than the actual biopsy. Many patients might notice small amounts of blood in their stools, urine, or semen in the days after a biopsy. This is normal and to be expected and no cause for alarm. Less than 1 percent of all patients develop severe bleeding or an infection of the prostate or urinary tract due to biopsy. Whether a surgeon takes several biopsy samples, or dozens or more, there's still a chance that the cancer will be missed. In one study researchers performed biopsies on 800 men who had recently had negative biopsies. In ten percent of the cases, the second biopsies turned up cancer. So a negative biopsy is no guarantee that you are truly cancer-free. Even if you don't show any signs of cancer, continue to get regular PSA tests and digital rectal exams as recommended by your doctor.
For more information visit: http://mhlnk.com/F40C9111?cid=00
The Prostate Basics
Basic Facts about the Prostate Gland: The prostate is a sex gland in males. It is around the size of a walnut, and encircles the neck of the bladder and urethra, the tube that expels urine from the bladder. It is partly glandular and partly muscular, with ducts opening into the prostatic portion of the urethra. The prostate is made up of three lobes: a centrally located lobe with one lobe on each side. The prostate gland secretes a slightly alkaline fluid that forms part of the seminal fluid, a fluid that carries sperm during ejaculation.
There are several benign prostate problems that develop in men. Types of non-cancerous prostate problems, or clinical conditions of the prostate gland that are not cancer, including infections, inflammations, benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) - an enlarged prostate These problems are quite common and may happen to men of all ages. Specific Non-Cancerous Prostate Problems include prostatism – this term describes any condition of the prostate that causes interference with the flow of urine from the bladder. Prostatitis - an inflamed condition of the prostate gland. It can be accompanied by pain, discomfort, frequent or infrequent urination, and sometimes a low-grade fever. Prostatalgia - a term that indicates pain in the prostate gland. Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH)- the condition of an enlarged prostate. BPH is the main non-cancerous prostate problem. It can cause discomfort and create problems urinating. Although it is not cancer, BPH symptoms are very similar to those of prostate cancer. These include impotence, or the inability to have or keep an erection, and urinary incontinence, or the loss of bladder control.
The fear of having prostate cancer can be devastating to most men. Prostate cancer is most successfully treated when discovered early. Consider these statistics supplied from the American Cancer Society: Nearly 80 percent of all prostate cancers is discovered while they are still localized, or confined to the prostate. The five-year survival rate for men diagnosed with prostate tumors that are discovered at this early stage is a whopping 100 percent. Testing works!
In the past 20 years, the survival rate for all stages of prostate cancer has risen due to early detection and treatment. Early prostate cancer often doesn’t present any symptoms and can only be found with regular prostate examinations by your doctor. These tests can help detect, or rule out, prostate cancer. Check back with your physician if you have had an unusual DRE (digital rectal exam), or if your PSA (prostate-specific antigen) level is high. Your physician may order additional tests or suggest repeating the PSA tests if warranted.
For more information visit: http://mhlnk.com/F40C9111?cid=00
There are several benign prostate problems that develop in men. Types of non-cancerous prostate problems, or clinical conditions of the prostate gland that are not cancer, including infections, inflammations, benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) - an enlarged prostate These problems are quite common and may happen to men of all ages. Specific Non-Cancerous Prostate Problems include prostatism – this term describes any condition of the prostate that causes interference with the flow of urine from the bladder. Prostatitis - an inflamed condition of the prostate gland. It can be accompanied by pain, discomfort, frequent or infrequent urination, and sometimes a low-grade fever. Prostatalgia - a term that indicates pain in the prostate gland. Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH)- the condition of an enlarged prostate. BPH is the main non-cancerous prostate problem. It can cause discomfort and create problems urinating. Although it is not cancer, BPH symptoms are very similar to those of prostate cancer. These include impotence, or the inability to have or keep an erection, and urinary incontinence, or the loss of bladder control.
The fear of having prostate cancer can be devastating to most men. Prostate cancer is most successfully treated when discovered early. Consider these statistics supplied from the American Cancer Society: Nearly 80 percent of all prostate cancers is discovered while they are still localized, or confined to the prostate. The five-year survival rate for men diagnosed with prostate tumors that are discovered at this early stage is a whopping 100 percent. Testing works!
In the past 20 years, the survival rate for all stages of prostate cancer has risen due to early detection and treatment. Early prostate cancer often doesn’t present any symptoms and can only be found with regular prostate examinations by your doctor. These tests can help detect, or rule out, prostate cancer. Check back with your physician if you have had an unusual DRE (digital rectal exam), or if your PSA (prostate-specific antigen) level is high. Your physician may order additional tests or suggest repeating the PSA tests if warranted.
For more information visit: http://mhlnk.com/F40C9111?cid=00
Your Friend the Prostate
The walnut-shaped prostate sits right underneath the bladder and is wrapped around the urethra. The prostate, despite its location, has nothing to do with a man’s urinary apparatus. The prostate is where it is because it’s needed for ejaculation, and the semen passes through the same urethra as urine does. The prostate gland’s main job is to add special fluid to the sperm before it ejaculates from the penis. That’s why the prostate is where it’s at, and why prostate problems interfere with the male’s ability to have sex and urinate.
Three main types of prostate problems: enlargement, infection, and cancer. Prostate enlargement, called benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH) is a non-cancerous enlargement of the prostate. Although even men in their 20s can suffer from BPH, it normally only surfaces later in life. It’s estimated that fifty percent of all men will have BPH by reaching the age of 60, and a full ninety- percent will suffer from BPH by age 85. When the prostate enlarges outward, a man may not realize he has BPH unless it grows upward and puts pressure on the bladder. But when the prostate swells inward, squeezing the urethra, which passes through the center of the gland, he will certainly know there’s a problem. With the prostate constricting the urinary tube, a man can suffer from difficulty in urinating, straining to start urination, frequent urination, getting up multiple times at night to urinate, or urgency of urination.
The principal medical treatment for BPH symptoms is the non-invasive surgery called trans urethral resection of the prostate, also commonly referred to as reaming out the prostate. There are also drugs like Proscar used to shrink the prostate, but these drugs have not been that effective and have negative side effects. Prostate infections, or prostatitis, are fairly common in males after their teenage years. Symptoms of prostate inflections can include frequent and or painful urination, other urinary problems, or pain during sex.
The most serious prostate problem is cancer. Cancer of the prostate is the second most frequently diagnosed cancer in males after skin cancer. It is the second most common cause of cancer death in males after lung cancer. The early symptoms of prostate cancer are extremely similar to those of BPH, including getting up often at night to urinate; urinating often, but only in small amounts; having to wait forever for the urine flow to start; and a urinary stream that starts and stops. These symptoms don’t mean that a person has prostate cancer. But these or other symptoms do indicate it’s time for a checkup.
For more information visit: http://mhlnk.com/F40C9111?cid=00
Three main types of prostate problems: enlargement, infection, and cancer. Prostate enlargement, called benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH) is a non-cancerous enlargement of the prostate. Although even men in their 20s can suffer from BPH, it normally only surfaces later in life. It’s estimated that fifty percent of all men will have BPH by reaching the age of 60, and a full ninety- percent will suffer from BPH by age 85. When the prostate enlarges outward, a man may not realize he has BPH unless it grows upward and puts pressure on the bladder. But when the prostate swells inward, squeezing the urethra, which passes through the center of the gland, he will certainly know there’s a problem. With the prostate constricting the urinary tube, a man can suffer from difficulty in urinating, straining to start urination, frequent urination, getting up multiple times at night to urinate, or urgency of urination.
The principal medical treatment for BPH symptoms is the non-invasive surgery called trans urethral resection of the prostate, also commonly referred to as reaming out the prostate. There are also drugs like Proscar used to shrink the prostate, but these drugs have not been that effective and have negative side effects. Prostate infections, or prostatitis, are fairly common in males after their teenage years. Symptoms of prostate inflections can include frequent and or painful urination, other urinary problems, or pain during sex.
The most serious prostate problem is cancer. Cancer of the prostate is the second most frequently diagnosed cancer in males after skin cancer. It is the second most common cause of cancer death in males after lung cancer. The early symptoms of prostate cancer are extremely similar to those of BPH, including getting up often at night to urinate; urinating often, but only in small amounts; having to wait forever for the urine flow to start; and a urinary stream that starts and stops. These symptoms don’t mean that a person has prostate cancer. But these or other symptoms do indicate it’s time for a checkup.
For more information visit: http://mhlnk.com/F40C9111?cid=00
What Is A Prostate
The prostate is a round cluster of glands located at the bottom of the bladder, about midway between the rectum and the base of the penis. The prostate encircles the urethra, the tube that expels urine from the bladder by way of the penis. The ping pong ball sized gland produces most of the fluid in semen. Contraction of the muscles in the prostate squirt fluid from into the urethra tract during ejaculation. This fluid makes up the majority of the ejaculate and transports and nourishes the sperm.
Prostate cancer is the leading cause of cancer related death for American men who don’t smoke. It is primarily a disease of aging. Men in their thirties and forties rarely develop prostate cancer, but the incidence grow steadily after the age of fifty-five. About 80 percent of all prostate cancer cases occur in men over the age of sixty-five. By the age of eighty, 4 out of 5 men have some degree of prostate cancer. Many experts feel that all men will eventually develop prostate cancer if they live long enough. The three most common prostate problems are prostatitis or inflection, prostate enlargement, and prostate cancer.
Medical professionals recommend that men have annual rectal exams as part of a health checkup from ages 40 to 70, and those with high risk and all men 50 and over should add a PSA (prostate-specific antigen) blood test every year as well. When prostate cancer is detected early and treated it has a high cure rate. Men are encouraged to discuss the options with their doctor. Based on past screenings doctors have observed that in men ages 50 to 59, the prostate cancer detection rate was basically the same whether men were screened every year or every two years. Therefore normal-risk men in their 50s can to be safely screened every other year. Since there is no cure for advanced prostate cancer, early diagnosis and treatment are essential. Since early prostate cancer normally doesn’t have any symptoms, it is extremely difficult to detect without testing. Screenings using both PSA and DRE tests have proven to be the best and only reliable method of identifying the disease when it can be still be cured easily. Almost fifty-eight percent of all cases are discovered while the cancer is still isolated and at its most treatable stage. A doctor can detect prostate cancer by digital rectal examination and by a PSA (prostate-specific antigen) blood test.
For more information visit: http://mhlnk.com/F40C9111?cid=00
Prostate cancer is the leading cause of cancer related death for American men who don’t smoke. It is primarily a disease of aging. Men in their thirties and forties rarely develop prostate cancer, but the incidence grow steadily after the age of fifty-five. About 80 percent of all prostate cancer cases occur in men over the age of sixty-five. By the age of eighty, 4 out of 5 men have some degree of prostate cancer. Many experts feel that all men will eventually develop prostate cancer if they live long enough. The three most common prostate problems are prostatitis or inflection, prostate enlargement, and prostate cancer.
Medical professionals recommend that men have annual rectal exams as part of a health checkup from ages 40 to 70, and those with high risk and all men 50 and over should add a PSA (prostate-specific antigen) blood test every year as well. When prostate cancer is detected early and treated it has a high cure rate. Men are encouraged to discuss the options with their doctor. Based on past screenings doctors have observed that in men ages 50 to 59, the prostate cancer detection rate was basically the same whether men were screened every year or every two years. Therefore normal-risk men in their 50s can to be safely screened every other year. Since there is no cure for advanced prostate cancer, early diagnosis and treatment are essential. Since early prostate cancer normally doesn’t have any symptoms, it is extremely difficult to detect without testing. Screenings using both PSA and DRE tests have proven to be the best and only reliable method of identifying the disease when it can be still be cured easily. Almost fifty-eight percent of all cases are discovered while the cancer is still isolated and at its most treatable stage. A doctor can detect prostate cancer by digital rectal examination and by a PSA (prostate-specific antigen) blood test.
For more information visit: http://mhlnk.com/F40C9111?cid=00
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