Did you know that 1 in 2 men aged between 51 and 60 have an enlarged prostate?
What is the prostate and what are its conditions?
The prostate is a gland in the shape and size of a chestnut, that is located immediately below the urinary bladder and surrounds the urethra, the channel through which urine is evacuated from the bladder to the outside. The prostate has the role of secreting a liquid that encapsulates sperm and accelerates its motility, together forming the seminal fluid. In addition, it also secretes antibacterial substances that provide some protection against urinary infections.
The prostate carries out its activity under the stimulating action of male sex hormones, of which the main one is testosterone. Testosterone secretion increases suddenly at the age of puberty and begins to slowly decrease starting with the age of 30.
The most common prostate disorders are: acute and chronic prostatitis or benign prostatic hyperplasia (hypertrophy), which over time become extremely annoying and affect men’s sex life, leading to decreased libido or erectile dysfunction.
Symptoms of enlarged prostate
1 in 2 men between the ages of 51 and 60 experience prostate enlargement, and among the most common symptoms of this problem are:
- frequent urination during the day and at night
- the imperative need to urinate, that is almost uncontrollable
- feeling of discomfort when urinating
- sensation of incomplete emptying of the bladder
- weak and interrupted urinary stream (the bladder no longer has the power to push urine through the strait created by the growth of the prostate)
- fatigue set in against the background of frequent awakenings at night
- urinary infections caused by the presence of urinary residue in the bladder
- disorders of achieving and maintaining erection.
For men who have an enlarged prostate, sexual intercourse is no longer pleasurable, because they will experience pain during erection and ejaculation, which is why their sex drive will decrease. Moreover, because the prostate is directly involved in sperm production, prostatitis can also lead to decreased fertility by reducing sperm count and motility.
The psychological implications are not to be neglected either, especially since, according to studies, half of the men suffering from chronic non-bacterial prostatitis have symptoms of depression and anxiety.