WHAT IS THE PROSTATE GLAND?

The prostate is a walnut-sized gland located between the bladder and the penis. The prostate is just in front of the rectum. The urethra runs through the center of the prostate, from the bladder to the penis, letting urine flow out of the body.

The prostate is a walnut-sized gland located between the bladder and the penis. The prostate is just in front of the rectum. The urethra runs through the center of the prostate, from the bladder to the penis, letting urine flow out of the body.The prostate secretes fluid that nourishes and protects sperm. During ejaculation, the prostate squeezes this fluid into the urethra, and it’s expelled with sperm as semen.

The vasa deferentia (singular: vas deferens

WHAT IS BENIGN PROSTATIC HYPERTROPHY OR BPH ?

Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is when the prostate and surrounding tissue expands. The prostate goes through two main growth periods as a man ages. The first is early in puberty, when the prostate doubles in size. The second begins around age 25 and continues during most of a man's life. As you age, your prostate may get larger. BPH is when it gets large enough to cause problems.

While the prostate is usually the size of a walnut or golf ball in adult men, it can grow to be as large as an orange. As the gland enlarges, it can squeeze the urethra. The bladder wall becomes thicker. Over time the bladder may weaken and lose the ability to empty fully. Urine then remains in the bladder. These problems cause many of the lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) of BPH. If you are not able to pass urine at all (called retention) or if you have renal failure, immediate attention is required. But, other symptoms like weak urine stream or the need to push or strain can many times be monitored.

BPH is benign. This means it is not cancer, nor does it lead to cancer. Still, BPH and cancer can happen at the same time. BPH itself may not require any treatment, but if it begins to cause symptoms, treatment may help. It is also of great value to know that BPH is common. About half of all men between ages 51 and 60 have BPH. Up to 90% of men over age 80 have it.

Symptoms of an enlarged prostate include:

• finding it difficult to start peeing
• straining to pee
• having a weak flow of urine
• "stop-start" peeing
• needing to pee urgently and/or frequently
• needing to get up frequently in the night to pee (nocturia)
• accidentally leaking urine (urinary incontinence)

***BPH is not linked to cancer and does not increase your risk of getting prostate cancer - yet the symptoms for BPH and prostate cancer can be similar.

WHAT IS PROSTATITIS ?

Prostatitis is a frequently painful condition that involves inflammation of the prostate and sometimes the areas around the prostate.

There are generally four types of prostatitis:

• Acute bacterial prostatitis, a bacterial infection of the prostate usually with sudden, severe symptoms
• Chronic bacterial prostatitis, ongoing or recurring bacterial infection usually with less severe symptoms
• Chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome, ongoing or recurring pelvic pain and urinary tract symptoms with no evidence of infection
• Asymptomatic inflammatory prostatitis, signs of an inflamed prostate with no symptoms

Men with asymptomatic inflammatory prostatitis do not have symptoms. A health care provider may diagnose asymptomatic inflammatory prostatitis when testing for other urinary tract or reproductive tract disorders. This type of prostatitis does not cause complications and does not need treatment.

Signs and symptoms of prostatitis can vary depending on the type of disorder. They may include:

• Pain or burning sensation when urinating (dysuria)
• Difficulty urinating, such as dribbling or hesitant urination
• Frequent urination, particularly at night (nocturia)
• Urgent need to urinate
• Cloudy urine
• Blood in the urine
• Pain in the abdomen, groin or lower back
• Pain in the area between the scrotum and rectum (perineum)
• Pain or discomfort of the penis or testicles
• Painful ejaculation
• Fever, chills, muscle aches and other flu-like symptoms (with acute bacterial prostatitis)

WHAT IS NOCTURIA (NIGHT PEES) ?

Nocturia describes needing to wake up at night in order to urinate. It is a symptom of other conditions, not a disease itself.

About 1 in 3 adults over the age of 30 experience nocturia. The rate of people affected increases with age. It can be caused by a lifestyle habit or an underlying health problem.

Nocturia can be caused by:

• Polyuria: when your body makes too much urine in a 24-hour period
• Nocturnal polyuria: when your body makes too much urine during the night
• Bladder storage problems: when your bladder doesn't store or release urine well
• Mixed nocturia: when more than one of these problems are happening

WHAT IS LOWER URINARY TRACT SYMPTOMS (LUTS) ?

Lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) is a term used to describe an array of symptoms affecting the control and quality of micturition in the lower urinary tract.

LUTS can affect both men and women, although they are particularly common presentation amongst men and increase with age. It is estimated that more than 50% of men over 50 years suffer from LUTS.

In older men, LUTS are commonly caused by benign prostatic hyperplasia, whilst in females are most commonly associated with lower urinary tract infections

Other potential causes include bladder cancer, prostate cancer (in males), detrusor muscle weakness, pelvic floor dysfunction, chronic prostatitis, urethral stricture, from external compression e.g. pelvic tumour, and neurological disease e.g. multiple sclerosis

Lifestyle factors, including drinking fluids late at night, excess alcohol intake, and excess caffeine intake can exacerbate LUTS. Additionally, polyuria (for example secondary to diabetes mellitus, excessive fluid intake, diuretics) can exacerbate or mimic LUTS.

Symptoms of LUTS include:

• finding it difficult to start peeing
• straining to pee
• having a weak flow of urine
• "stop-start" peeing
• needing to pee urgently and/or frequently
• needing to get up frequently in the night to pee (nocturia)
• accidentally leaking urine (urinary incontinence)