7 Prostate Symptoms That You Have To Watch For
The majority of men will develop prostate problems of some description as they get older, with the first signs of trouble appearing for some men at about 50 years of age or perhaps a little earlier. By 60 years of age about half of all men will have prostate symptoms and this figure will have increased to nearly ninety percent by 80 years of age.
For the majority of men any prostate symptoms will be quite mild and, as most men start to develop a range of medical problems at this point in life, it is not uncommon for men to simply ignore prostate symptoms as a normal part of the ageing process. As many prostate problems are not serious, and symptoms can frequently be very mild, this is not necessarily a problem and you can live quite happily with many prostate problems and without them doing you any real harm.
But, some prostate problems are harmful and if your prostate problem turns out to be prostate cancer and you do not do something about it then it will start to spread and may eventually kill you. Indeed, ignoring prostate symptoms is the reason why prostate cancer is the second highest cause of cancer death among men the United States.
There are a variety of symptoms which could suggest the existence of a prostate problem and one problem we run into in recognizing the root cause of these symptoms is that they are generally symptoms that could arise for many different reasons. But, if symptoms are not the result of prostate problems then they will normally to be short lived and will disappear in a matter of days without the need for intervention. However, when symptoms remain with you for some time then it is likely that they are being caused by a problem with the prostate gland.
Common symptoms are:
- Problems starting urination and having to strain in order to initiate urination.
- A loss of strength in the flow of urine.
- A flow of urine that has a tendency to stop and start.
- A feeling of needing to urinate even after you have just been to the bathroom.
- A need to urinate urgently and problems in ‘waiting’.
- A need to urinate more frequently and a requirement to get up to visit the bathroom during the night.
- A tendency to continue dribbling urine for a while after you have finished in the bathroom.
These symptoms can all indicate that prostate problems might be developing and while, in many cases, these problems are not serious this is not necessarily the case.
Accordingly, as soon as these symptoms appear, you need to consult your doctor who can tell you exactly what the problem is and how it should be treated. Most importantly, should the problem turn out to be cancer, he can recommend a course of treatment while the problem is in its early stages and can be fairly easily treated and, with any luck, eliminated altogether. The prostate may be a small organ but it kills many thousands of men each year so take a moment to think about your prostate health.