Medical Management of BPH
(Male difficulty with urination)
Throughout a man's life, the prostate may grow and start to cause problems as a man gets older. For many years, surgery was the only relief for this very common problem. Today, medications are the most common method for controlling urinating symptoms of BPH. What are the causes of these symptoms and what are some of the new treatments? The following should help answer that question as well as others.
What is the prostate?
The prostate, part of the male reproductive system, is about the same size and shape as a walnut and weighs about an ounce. It is located below the bladder and in front of the rectum and surrounds the urethra, the tube-like structure that carries urine from the bladder out through the penis. The main function of the prostate is to produce ejaculatory fluid.
BPH/Enlarged Prostate
One of the most common problems common to a majority of men over the age of fifty is an enlarged prostate. The prostate is a gland that is attached to the bottom of the bladder that makes fluid that goes into the semen. The purpose of this fluid is largely unknown, although studies have shown it plays a role in the liquification of semen.