Prostate Health

Prostate

Prostate is male sex gland that produces a fluid that forms part of semen. It’s a partly muscular chestnut sized gland at the neck of the urethra.

Importance of Prostate

The prostate gland plays an important role in the reproductive mechanism of male. It is walnut sized gland, found in the groin area of a male, positioned just under the urinary bladder. It plays a major role in the production of semen. Prostate is commonly known as Male G-Spot.
It plays a decisive role in the production of the seminal fluid that enables the human sperm to move about during ejaculation. The seminal fluid which is produced not only provides the medium for the sperm to Travel and reach the egg; it also keeps the sperm alive during the arduous journey up the fallopian tube.
How do we know about Prostate Problems?
There are some symptoms which indicate towards the prostate problems among them the common are;
· Difficulty in urine passing
· Difficulty starting urination
· Burning sensation during urination
· Pain behind the scrotum
· Painful ejaculation
Common Problems
Some common problems of prostate are
Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH): This is also known as enlargement of prostate, however its not cancerous. Usually old aged males are the victim of this condition. Symptoms are hard to urinate or cause dribbling after urinating. One may feel the need to urinate a lot, specially at night. Consult the expert immediately.
Treatments for BPH
If the symptoms are not severe, the doctor may wait before starting any treatment to see if the problem gets worse. A checkup is required each year. One can start treatment later on if symptoms get worse.
Medication: There are medicines that can relax muscles near the prostate to ease symptoms or help in shrinking the prostate.
Surgery: Worst come worst when nothing works, Health professional may suggest surgery to help urine flow. There are many types of surgery. Regular checkups are important after BPH surgery.
Other treatments: Radio waves, microwaves, or lasers are other treatments to cure BPH problems, but it depends on the person to person what treatment he should be given.
Acute prostatitis: It is an infection caused by bacteria. It hit very rapidly. It can cause fever, chills, or pain in the lower back and between the legs. It might hurt while passing urine. One should consult the doctor once these symptoms experienced, to get relief.
Chronic bacterial prostatitis: This is an infection that gets repeated. This problem, as the name suggests, can be hard to treat. Sufferer has to take antibiotics for a long time to get relief.
Chronic abacterial prostatitis, also known as Chronic Pelvic Pain Syndrome (CPPS), is a common prostate problem and occurs mostly in young to middle-aged men. It causes pain in the lower back, between the legs, or at the tip of the penis. Men with this problem often have painful ejaculation and need to urinate frequently. Sometimes antibiotics are helpful. The condition is very hard to treat and may require more than one treatment.
Prostate Cancer
Prostate cancer is common among men globally. Treatment for prostate cancer works best if the disease is found early and has not spread to other parts of the body.
Following are the factors which may increase the risk of the prostate cancer
Age- Being 50 or older increases the chance of prostate cancer.
Family history
Diet- Eating high-fat food with few fruits and vegetables may increase the chance of having prostate cancer.
Diagnosing Prostate Cancer
Early prostate cancer is very difficult to diagnose as there are no severe symptoms. As the cancer grows, one may have trouble urinating, or frequent urinating, especially at night. Some people reported pain or burning during urination, blood in the urine or semen, pain in the back, hips, or pelvis, and painful ejaculation.
To find out if these symptoms are caused by prostate cancer, the doctor may ask for exam, in which the lumps or hard areas may be find by inserting the finger in the rectum.
One has to go for the blood test also, if advised by the doctor, to check the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level. PSA levels may be high in men who have an enlarged prostate gland or prostate cancer. One may also need an ultrasound exam that takes computer pictures of the prostate.
If these tests indicate signs of prostate cancer, doctors may go for biopsy for the confirmation. In this a tiny piece of the prostate is taken out to check the cancer.
Treating Prostate Cancer
Treatment for prostate cancer depends on whether cancer is in part of prostate, all of the prostate or it has spread to other parts of the body also. It also depends on age and overall health.
For cancer that has not spread from the prostate to other parts of the body, the choices of treatments are;
Watchful waiting, also known as “active surveillance”. Here, assuming that the cancer is not spreading in the other parts of the body, doctor will check regularly for changes in condition rather than giving treatment right away.
Surgery: The most common type of surgery removes the whole prostate and some nearby tissue.
Radiation therapy: This treatment uses high-energy x-rays to kill cancer cells and shrink tumors.
Hormone therapy: Here treatment is done by blocking hormones.

Keeping your prostate healthy
However there is no concrete study is done for the prevention of prostate, the factors which keeps prostate healthy for a longer time are
Eating more vegetables
Having a balanced diet
Avoid or limiting intake of junk food
Regular exercise
Living a disciplined life

All the best