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PROSTATE RESOURCE CENTRE
The prostate gland sits just beneath the bladder, and surrounds the urethra (part of the urinary tract) as it leaves the bladder. The prostate gland is responsible for producing part of semen, which is released at the climax of the sexual act.
What causes Symptoms?
As a man gets older, his prostate usually becomes enlarged. This typically occurs in men after the age of 50. As the prostate gland enlarges, it causes compression of the urethra which passes through it. This obstruction results in the slowing down of the flow of urine.
The onset of these obstructive symptoms are usually very gradual,and may not be noticable at first. Some men may notice that their urine stream does not travel as far as it did when they were younger, or they have to wait just a little bit longer before their urine starts flowing. As the urine stream tails off at the end, there may be some dribbling which often proves to be rather troublesome.
Typical Obstructive Symptoms are as follows:
(caused by the enlarged prostate obstructing the bladder outlet)
• Hesitancy: having to wait a while before urine starts flowing
• Poor Stream: the urine flows with less force
• Terminal Dribbling: the urine stream tails off at the end, resulting in dribbles
• Incomplete Emptying: the sensation that there is still some urine remaining in the bladder after urination.
Prostatic enlargement may also cause the so-called, "irritative symptoms". These symptoms occur as a result of the bladder having to consistently work harder in order to overcome the obstruction caused by the enlarged prostate. Eventually, this affects the way the bladder behaves.
Typical Irritative Symptoms are as follows:
(caused by the bladder having to work harder to overcome the obstruction)
• Frequency: the need to pass urine frequently
• Urgency: being unable to hold on after feeling the need to pass urine. This can sometimes lead to incontinence.
• Nocturia: having to wake up at night to pass urine
• Sensation of Incomplete Emptying: there may be the sensation of incomplete evacuation of urine even though the bladder may be empty.
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