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Strange as it may appear for many years men knew very little about their prostate gland and it is only in recent years as prostate cancer has become such a prominent issue that men are beginning to ask what the prostate gland is and what its function is. The prostate gland is an important component of the male reproductive system which manufactures a clear liquid which makes up a significant portion of a man's seminal fluid. Sperm is taken from the testes up to the prostate gland where it is mixed with proteins and prostatic fluid to make semen. A normal prostate gland is approximately the size of a walnut, weighs in at roughly one ounce and lies just in front of the rectum and under the bladder. It is also often described as being donut shaped and partly wraps around the urethra, which is the tube which carries urine from the bladder and out of the body. Through a man's life the prostate gland continues to grow, although from the age of about twenty until the mid-forties growth is extremely slow and is all but undetectable. Once a man passes approximately forty-five however it is very common for the growth of the prostate gland to accelerate and most men will begin to experience the symptoms of an enlarging gland in their forties or fifties. In the majority of cases an enlarging gland leads to little more than some mild discomfort which many men choose to learn to live with. In some cases however the prostate may become sufficiently enlarged so that it restricts the urethra enough to produce various symptoms which require treatment or persuade a man to seek treatment to relieve his discomfort. Growth of the prostate gland at this stage of a man's life is simply a normal part of aging and is known as benign prostatic hyperplasia, or BHP. In all cases however the biggest problem with an enlarged prostate gland is that this might be more than a simple case of enlargement and can be effectively masking an underlying cancer. When the prostate gland starts to grow it also begins to press on the urethra and to narrow it so that the first signs and symptoms of a problem are frequently seen when it comes to urinating. In particular you may experience a difficulty in urinating and experience the need to 'push' in order to start the process. You might also experience a weak flow of urine and one which has a tendency to stop and start. After a while you will also find that you have to visit the bathroom more frequently, particularly during the night, and that you feel as if you have to visit the bathroom even after you have just done so. As you can imagine this could become more than a little bit of an annoyance but, in spite of this, many men are content to simply put it down as one of the difficulties of aging and learn to live with it. Now there is nothing wrong with this but the mistake which all too man men make is not to talk to their doctor at this stage to confirm that their problem is just BPH and that it is not likely to result in other problems in their particular case. Apart from the clear risk of the possibility of an underlying cancer, BPH can also lead to other difficulties such as bladder infections and kidney disease. If you begin to encounter symptoms which are suggestive of a prostate problem then call in on your doctor so that the problem can be properly diagnosed.
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ProstateProblemCenter.com provides information on various prostate problems and also provides advice on having a digital rectal exam
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