Every man has a pair of kidneys. The job of the kidney is to remove waste from the body.
Every day, your blood passes through your kidney several times to be filtered. As the blood is filtered, urine is formed and stored in a temporary storage tank called the urinary bladder.
If there is no urinary bladder, as you walk around urine will be dropping. And to avoid this, God in His wisdom ran a pipe from the kidney to the urinary bladder and finally to the tip of the penis, which is called the urethra, through which urine passes out of the body.
Just below the bladder and surrounding the urethra is a little organ called the Prostate gland.
The prostate gland looks like a walnut in size and weighs about 20grams. As Man ages, the prostate gland begins to enlarge. As it enlarges, it squeezes the urethra and man begins to notice changes in the way he urinates.
The size of the prostate gland can have a major impact on the urinary heaith quality, sexual health and life
generally for men. Really an enlarged prostate gland[otherwise known as Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia; BPH], is one of the most pressing health challenges /concerns for men worldwide.
Many men do suffer from it, and failure to take fast action to combat it may lead to serious health challenges down the road, like Frequency, Urgency, discomfort and pains during urination and reduced sex capabilities,etc.
PSA TEST—WHAT DOES IT REALLY MEAN?
For men with prostatic issues, there is a common test usually requested by the urologist or any medical personnel handling the case. That test is called Prostate Specific Antigen test; PSA for short. This test is a blood test done to detect issues with the prostate. NOTE: a lower abdominal ultrasound scan can help to rule out a prostatic enlargement.
Prostate specific antigen, is a protein produced and released in to the blood by the tissues in the prostate. The PSA test therefore measures the range[amount] of this protein in the blood. The conventional normal range in most laboratories where this test is done is 0- 4ng/ml. It means that when the PSA level is above that range, there is a problem with the prostate gland.
Now, I advise you to think of the PSA test as a “Smoke Alert”, instead of a “Fire Alarm”. The PSA testis the first step in the diagnostic process for detecting prostate problem in its early stage, when it is best to be treated.
Important advice! If you are a man above 40 years of age, don’t wait until you start experiencing problems associated with the prostate gland because physicians believe that the PSA test saves life.
You can visit any good hospital around you and request that the PSA test be done for you as part of your routine medical checks.
PROSTATE ENLARGEMENT AND PROSTATE CANCER— ANY RELATIONSHIP?
Prostate enlargement[BPH] and prostate cancer are two main problems associated with the prostate gland. Although, the two frequently co-exist, Age is the strongest marker.
Enlarged prostate medically called Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia[BPH] with prostate cancer[Pca], both can cause enlarged prostate, but beyond causing common
symptoms, such as frequency, urgency and pains during urination, the similarities end there.
Unlike prostate cancer, BPH is not cancerous. The question is, do all men who have enlarged prostate[BPH] automatically develop prostate cancer later? Well, lets break it further into bits.
Again, BPH is not cancerous, but it can cause a great deal of discomfort for men who suffer from the condition. And many men will actually develop BPH by the time they reach their 60s.
And when the prostate gland is inflamed or enlarged, the urethra will be strictured and urine flow from the bladder becomes difficult and causes pains and difficulties in emptying the bladder.
One major disturbing challenge with enlarged prostate is that it gives the sufferers a false feeling of a full bladder. This usually prompts the individual to wake up in the middle of the night thinking that his bladder is full but always not the case when he eventually gets to the bathroom. This usually affects their sleep and that on its own could lead to other health challenges, if not quickly averted.
Alkalinelikewise prostate cancer can be managed effectively. You can visit this link to check it out
PERFORMANCE CAN PROSTATE DISORDER AFFECT MEN’S SEXUAL?
Really in straight talk, absolutely Yes! The primary job of the prostate gland is to produce and secrete alkaline seminal fluids during ejaculation. This fluid mixes with the sperm made in the testis and together, both surge through the prostate into the urethra during ejaculation. And being an alkaline fluid, it helps the sperm to survive in the acidic vaginal environment.
Enlarged prostate occurs, when prostate tissue increases in size, this growth moves inward, and presses on the urethra making the flow of urine and seminal fluid difficult. As a result of this, treatment is required to solve this problem. Unfortunately, these treatments[either by drugs or surgery] may have sexual side effects like erectile dysfunction. An explanation is apt here.
Prostate nerves are responsible for penile erections. These nerves trigger the penis to swell and harden with extra blood flowing inside it, producing an erection
during intercourse. If these nerves get damaged during prostate surgery, then erectile dysfunction is guaranteed for such a man. Also men who have had their prostate glands completely removed through surgery as a result of BPH or cancer may forever find it difficult to have an erection.
Also in the treatment of prostate problem with drugs; two main types of drugs are commonly prescribed viz
- 5—alpha reductase inhibitors
- Alpha blockers
However, 5-alpha reductase inhibitors may lower the sex drive or interfere with erections in men, while Alpha blockers could lead to difficulty in ejaculation.
■ Dr. C. Ugochukwu Ulasi is the West African Pilot Medical Correspondent and Analyst, and could be reached at +234 – 8077516282 (ugoulasi@outlook.com).
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