Prostate Problems and solution

It’s true that prostate problems are common after age 50. The good news is there are many things you can do.

What Is the Prostate?

The prostate is a small gland in men that helps make semen. Located just below the bladder in front of the rectum, it wraps around the tube that carries urine and semen out of the body. It tends to grow larger as you get older. If your prostate gets too large, it can cause a number of health issues.

Common Problems

Here are some examples of non-cancer prostate problems:

Benign prostatic hyperplasia, or BPH, is very common in older men. It means your prostate is enlarged but not cancerous. Treatments for BPH include:

• Watchful waiting, also called active surveillance. If your symptoms are not too bad, your doctor may tell you to wait to see if they get worse before starting treatment. Your doctor will tell you how often to return for checkups.
• Medications. Medicines can help shrink the prostate or relax muscles near your prostate to ease symptoms.
• Surgery. If nothing else has worked, your doctor may suggest surgery to help urine flow.
• Other treatments. Sometimes radio waves, microwaves, or lasers are used to treat urinary problems caused by BPH. These methods use different kinds of heat to reduce extra prostate tissue.

Acute bacterial prostatitis usually starts suddenly from a bacterial infection. See your doctor right away if you have fever, chills, or pain in addition to prostate symptoms. Most cases can be cured with antibiotics. You also may need medication to help with pain or discomfort.

Chronic bacterial prostatitis is an infection that comes back again and again. This rare problem can be hard to treat. Sometimes, taking antibiotics for a long time may work. Talk with your doctor about other things you can do to help you feel better.

Chronic prostatitis, also called chronic pelvic pain syndrome, is a common prostate problem. It can cause pain in the lower back, in the groin, or at the tip of the penis. Treatment may require a combination of medicines, surgery, and lifestyle changes.

Be sure to talk with your doctor about the possible side effects of treatment.

The size, firmness, and texture of the prostate

• Any hard areas, lumps, or growth spreading beyond the prostate
• Any pain caused by touching or pressing on the prostate

You may be asked to give a urine sample for testing. Your doctor also may do a blood test to check the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level. PSA levels can be high in men with an enlarged prostate gland or with prostate cancer. You may also need an ultrasound exam that takes computer pictures of the prostate.

If tests show that you might have cancer, your doctor will refer you to a specialist (a urologist) for a prostate biopsy. The doctor will take small tissue samples from several areas of the prostate gland to look for cancer cells.

Treating Prostate Cancer

Treatment for prostate cancer depends on whether cancer is in part or all of the prostate, or if it has spread to other parts of the body. It also depends on your age and overall health. Talk with your doctor about the best treatment choice for you and the possible side effects of treatment. You may want to ask another doctor for a second opinion.

Treatment for prostate cancer may be:

• Watchful waiting, also called active surveillance. If the cancer is not causing problems, you may decide not to get treated right away. Instead, your doctor will check regularly for changes in your condition. Treatment will start if the cancer begins to grow.
• Surgery. The most common type of surgery removes the whole prostate and some nearby tissue.
• Radiation therapy. This treatment uses radiation to kill cancer cells and shrink tumors. The radiation may come from an x-ray machine or from tiny radioactive pellets placed inside or near the tumor.
• Hormone therapy. Men having other treatments, like radiation therapy, also may be treated with drugs to stop the body from making testosterone. This is done if it seems likely that the cancer will come back. Hormone therapy also can be used for prostate cancer that has spread beyond the prostate.

Seeking Help and Solutions for Prostate Problems, What Men can do.

An enlarged prostate can be a problem or issue that many men face as they turn 50. By age 55, 1 in 4 men may experience some issues. By age 65, the figure is up to nearly 75 percent, and by age 80, nine in 10 men have BPH. Normally half of these men will have symptoms that warrant treatment.[1] Another name for this condition is benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and prostatic hypertrophy. There are a lot of treatments for this condition and it is important to know something about them before you see your doctor.

Signs of this condition can include the following:

Weak Urine Stream

Difficulty Starting Urination

Stopping and Starting while urinating

Dribbling at the end of urination

Frequent or urgent need to urinate

Increased frequency at night (nocturia)

Straining while urinating

Not being able to completely empty the bladder

Urinary tract infection

Formation of stones in the bladder

Reduced Kidney Function [2]

“Only about half the men with prostate gland enlargement have symptoms that become noticeable or bothersome enough for them to seek medical treatment. In some men, symptoms eventually stabilize and may even improve over time.”[3]

When you see your doctor you may want to prepare a list of questions. One is to ask for a simple blood test called a (prostate specific antigen) PSA. This can help rule out cancer. Another test that your doctor may want to do is a rectal screening to examine the prostate.

• You should describe how often and frequent you urinate and what problems you are experiencing.
• Note any back pain that you might be having, how often and how frequent it is occurring.
• Also bring a list of medications both prescribed and anything over the counter that you might be taking.

Additional questions you should be prepared to ask should involve:

• What treatment do you recommend and what alternatives if any exist?
• Should I see a Urologist?
• What are the risks with the treatment?
• Can this treatment affect other medical conditions that I have?
• Are there other alternatives to what you are suggesting? What are the risks?
• How will this treatment affect sexual activity?

Other disease processes that can present urinary symptoms similar to those caused by enlarged prostate include:

• Bladder stones
• Bladder and urinary tract infections
• Diabetes
• Neurological problems
• Inflammation of the prostate (prostatitis)
• Prostate cancer
• Stroke
• Muscle and nerve (neuromuscular) disorders
• Scarring or narrowing of the urethra[4]

Treatment can vary and cost can vary depending on what is prescribed. Your doctor may treat your condition with alpha-blockers and 5-alpha-reductase inhibitors. In addition your doctor could surgery in more severe cases.

Low blood pressure caused by the alpha-blocker medicines can fall to dangerous levels if you’re also taking a high blood pressure drug or erectile dysfunction medicines such as sildenafil (Viagra), vardenafil (Levitra), and tadalafil (Cialis). This category of drug is also not recommended for men who might need cataract surgery in the future. The side effects of the 5-alpha-reductase inhibitors can include a reduced sex drive and difficulty achieving and maintaining an erection although this has been reported as rare. Men who plan on continuing to have children should also not take this drug category because it can cause birth defects. Finally low dose Cialis has been shown to help treat both ED and BPH in men and has been cleared by the FDA for these purposes.

Whatever treatment you and your doctor choose make sure you are informed. Have a clear understanding of the treatment and procedures prescribed and don’t avoid seeing the doctor as you are not alone. BPH is more common than most men realize. It is probably a topic that most do not talk about out of shame or embarrassment and it should not be approached in that manner.

For more details on treatment choices for prostate cancer visit their website..