As men age their hair becomes a bit grey, their tummy might expand a bit, wrinkles appear out of nowhere, energy levels drop, and they can develop an enlarged prostate. Let’s learn more about the signs you may have an enlarged prostate.
Your Fickle Prostate Gland
The prostate surrounds part of the urethra which happens to be the tube that carries both urine and semen out of the penis. BPH, or benign prostatic hyperplasia, is the term for an enlarged prostate. An enlarged prostate squeezes the urethra. It does not indicate there is cancer.
As part of a man’s reproductive system, your prostate goes through several fickle stages. In early puberty the prostate doubles in size. Later, when a man is in his mid-twenties, it starts to grow again. For most men this growth does not stop. This continual growth can cause BPH if the prostate becomes too large. One quarter of men have BPH by age 55, and one-half have it by 75.
Signs You May Have An Enlarged Prostate
An enlarged prostate squeezes the urethra and obstructs the flow of urine.
As a result, common symptoms include the following:
- A weak urine stream
- Waking up at night to urinate
- Dribbling when you finish urinating
- Having a hard time starting to urinate
- A stream that frequently starts and stops
- Feeling like you need to urinate when you just did or incomplete bladder emptying
- Urinating 8 or more times a day
- Urgency to urinate
- Urinary incontinence
As a result of the squeezed urethra, the bladder works overtime to push out the urine, and as time passes, those muscles become weaker. This also adds to the above symptoms.
Watch out for more serious symptoms like blood in the urine, an increase in urinary tract infections, bladder damage and stones, plus burning or pain during urination.
These symptoms, along with any combination of the above, should warrant a visit with Dr. Steven Gange in Salt Lake City. Untreated BPH is not only bothersome, but can lead to serious conditions including kidney disease, frequent urinary tract infections, and stones in the bladder.
Contact Dr. Steven Gange at (801) 993-1800, or request an appointment online, if you are experiencing signs you may have an enlarged prostate.