Prostate health

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The prostate is a gland. It helps make semen, the fluid that contains sperm. It surrounds the urethra, the tube that carries urine from the bladder out through the penis. A young man's prostate is about the size of a walnut. It slowly grows larger with age. If it gets too large, it can cause problems. The older men get, the more likely they are to have prostate problems.

The three most common prostate problems are

(pross-tuh-TYT-uhss),

, and

. Although most prostate problems are not cancer, prostate cancer affects many men. Talking to your doctor about prostate problems and whether screening is the right choice for you will protect your prostate health and overall health.

Prostatitis

Prostatitis is an infection or inflammation of the prostate that often causes pain or discomfort. The pain may be in the penis, around the rectum, or in the pelvic area. It may occur during urination or ejaculation. Prostatitis is the most common prostate problem for men younger than 50. Prostatitis can come on suddenly, or it can keep going away and coming back. There are different types of prostatitis. A sudden infection can give you symptoms such as:

• Fever, chills, and nausea
• Pain and burning when urinating and during ejaculation
• Strong and frequent urge to urinate, but only being able to pass small amounts of urine
• Lower back or abdominal pain
• Blood in the urine

See your doctor right away if you have any of these symptoms. An acute infection can be life-threatening, but it can be easy to diagnose and treat.

Chronic prostatitis is the most common but least understood form of prostatitis. It is also called chronic pelvic pain syndrome. It is difficult to diagnose because the symptoms are not the same for every patient, and many of the symptoms — such as painful or burning urination and incomplete emptying of the bladder — could be signs of another disease. Chronic pelvic pain cannot be cured, but treatment helps many men manage their symptoms.

For men over 50, the most common prostate problem is prostate enlargement, also called benign prostatic hyperplasia (buh-NYN prah-STAT-ihk HEYE-pur-PLAY-zhuh). As the prostate grows, it squeezes the urethra, causing urinary problems. Some of these problems include:

• A frequent and urgent need to urinate
• Trouble starting a urine stream, even though you feel you have to rush to get to the bathroom
• A weak stream of urine
• A small amount of urine each time you go
• The feeling that you still have to go, even when you have just finished urinating
• Waking up to urinate more than once or twice a night
• Leaking or dribbling urine
• Small amounts of blood in your urine