Unlike women, who are more open to discussing health concerns with their friends, men still tend to keep their fears to themselves. As such, we thought we would help to demystify and decode some of the most common prostate issues in this useful four-page special. Well, we should probably start off by letting you know exactly what the prostate gland is. In short, the prostate gland is a male reproductive organ. About the size of a walnut, it is located at the base of the bladder. The urethra – a thin tube that allows urine to fl ow out of the penis – runs through the prostate gland. As a man ages, enlargement of the prostate gland compresses the urethra and interferes with the normal fl ow of urine. This ‘blockage in the pipe’ causes a range of urinary symptoms that typically include frequent urination, a weakened urinary stream, the need to get up at night to pass urine and a feeling that the bladder has not been completely emptied. The medical term for this condition is Benign (noncancerous) Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH). BPH affects more than half of all men over the age of 60. Symptoms generally start in the mid forties to fi fties and although they generally disrupt your lifestyle by interfering with usual daily activities, they are not life threatening. Historically, BPH has been treated in its early stages with medication or, if the condition has become more severe, by having a surgical procedure known as a Transurethral Resection of the Prostate (TURP). Two forms of medication – muscle relaxants to improve fl ow or hormones to shrink prostate tissue – are commonly prescribed. When these fail, surgical intervention is MEN’S HEALTH 36 Pindara Magazine Summer - Autumn | 2014
Pindara Private Hospital Magazine - Issue One
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