Have you got Prostate Symptoms?

What is the prostate gland?
Men have prostate glands, women don't.
The prostate gland sits under the bladder, and is coloured red in this diagram. The tube through which urine passes out is called the urethra, and travels right through the middle of the prostate gland.
The job of the prostate gland is to secrete a fluid, called prostatic fluid. When you ejaculate, the prostatic fluid is released, and mingles with the sperm. This fluid contains nourishment and protection for the sperm.

How common are symptoms?
As you get older, your prostate gland grows larger in size. This process is called benign prostatic hypertrophy, or BPH. As a result of this enlargement, your bladder has to work harder to force urine past the large prostate gland.
A quarter of all men, aged 40 - 60, will suffer from some symptoms of BPH.By the time they are 70, 70% will have symptoms.By the time they are 80, 80% will have symptoms.
In the UK, 78,000 new cases of BPH are diagnosed every year.

What are the symptoms?
Most men notice they pass a reduced stream of urine as they get older. However, some men may also notice that they take some time to get going, and the stream may stop and start. They may dribble after finishing and are often left with a feeling that their bladder is not completely empty. They may need to go to urinate very frequently, and may need to get up several times in the night.
Some sufferers become reluctant to go out of the home, because of needing to go to the toilet so often. They become tired through lack of sleep, and feel in constant discomfort
Very occasionally, they become unable to pass urine at all. The bladder becomes very swollen, full, and uncomfortable.

What about cancer?
Cancer of the prostate is surprisingly common in elderly men. If you manage to live until the age of 80, for example, it is highly likely you will have a small nodule of cancer in your prostate gland. It may also surprise you to know that most men with prostate cancer never have any trouble from their cancer, and never even know they have it.
However, cancer of the prostate can spread and cause serious problems, so younger men are advised to have any cancerous nodule removed.
Sometimes it is difficult to tell the difference between benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH) and prostate cancer. The symptoms are very similar. Here are some ways of deciding whether you have prostate cancer or BPH
Your doctor may examine you rectally, by inserting a finger into your anal canal. It is possible to feel the prostate gland in this way. Your doctor will feel for any suspiscious nodules.
You may have a biopsy done. Under anaesthetic, the doctor takes a small sample of your prostate gland, and this is examined under a microsocope for signs of cancer cells.
A blood test (called a PSA test) may be done. Unfortunately, this test is not very accurate. Men with very low PSA levels in their blood are unlikely to have cancer of the prostate. Men with very high levels are likely to have cancer of the prostate. The problem with the test is that you are unlikely to get a definite answer, and the test may need repeating several times.
If you have serious symptoms of BPH, your doctor may advise you to have your prostate gland removed. Any cancer nodule will be removed during the operation. Unfortunately, the operation can cause health problems, and should only be performed if really necessary.

Article from :
http://web.ukonline.co.uk/ruth.livingstone/little/prost2.htm