Enlarged prostate symptoms are a common set of physically traceable after effects of cellular growth in this important gland in the male reproductive tract.  However, the frequency of their appearance in males over the age of 50 do not show any simple predictable patterns for frequency, severity, or duration in any single phase of the many conditions of inflammation, benign prostatic hyperplasia, or cancer.  Sometimes men with acutely enlarged prostate glands do not show severe symptoms or any urinary tract complications.  Conversely, men with barely enlarged prostates show acute symptoms and suffer grievously from urinary tract complications.  This article focuses on the general abnormalities that occur and are referred to in the medical research literature and popular media as enlarged prostate symptoms.

Becoming Aware of Enlarge Prostate Symptoms. There is an important key regarding enlarged prostate symptoms that you should keep in mind as you look for reliable information on prostate glandular disorders.  The transition of a normal healthy prostate without symptoms to an enlarged prostate with some symptoms is potentially a change from normal and healthy to pre-cancerous or fully cancerous conditions.  This is offered not to scare you but to inform you as directly as possible why you should keep your “eye on the birdie.”

For males, prostate cancer is much like breast cancer in female- the key is early detection.  So just as women are encouraged to keep tabs on the consistency of their breast tissue with regular exams and mammographic checks, men are encouraged to keep their annual physical exam routine current and to monitor there “Systems” that are affected by the prostate gland.

Systems include the lower urinary tract (LUT), the rectum, and the production of reproductive fluid, or semen.  Difficulties or discomfort in urination is generally the most readily apparent distress signal that should have you contacting for an immediate check-up to discuss LUT symptoms.  Your doctor may also discuss with you the frequency of your sexual activities that result in ejaculating semen and if there is any discomfort or readily apparent decline in seminal production, or the attributes of the fluid in terms of its aroma or color.  There is a chance there could be infection in the tissue and tubules of the reproductive system, which may or may not have to do with the condition of the prostate gland.

Cautious Awareness. As long as you have maintained consistent doctor’s care routines once you have experienced prostate symptoms, your chances of avoiding prostate cancer are pretty good.   Cautious awareness about enlarged prostate symptoms is your best approach.  Pain, to whatever degree, is a good indicator that there are complications evolving in your key systems within your body.  Do not neglect any symptoms of an enlarged prostate gland only because simple, normal, age-related enlargement can turn for the worse into a cancerous condition.

Symptoms to Monitor and Report to Your Doctor. The LUT symptoms are the ones to keep a close eye on and are, fortunately, the easiest and simplest ones to monitor.  These include:

• When you urinate, you feel as if you have to create pressure to push urine out of your bladder.

• You get the feeling after urine stops flowing that you aren’t finished.

• You are urinating more and more during the day and especially during the night.  Your sleep is interrupted by trips to the bathroom.

• The flow of urine doesn’t respond to your efforts to control it. Starting and stopping happens independently of your control.

Get in touch with your doctor if you notice changes in the severity of these symptoms.   These could reflect growth pattern changes in your prostate gland.  There may be need for more in depth testing or biopsy.  Early detection of prostate cancer by measuring prostate specific antigen levels can help heal any cancerous conditions and prevent what can be a lethal spread of cancerous cells from the prostate out into vital organs and the colon-rectal system.

There are natural remedies that can alleviate symptoms and help to balance your system to slow the enlargement rate of the prostate gland.  Vitamin deficiencies and hormonal imbalances are medical research areas where the medical community is still learning about the prostate gland and how it changes in men over 50.  The surgical options for enlarged prostate are improving in quality and effectiveness; however, they become limited if symptoms have progressed far beyond what is considered “early detection.”

A Word about the Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms (LUTS). Processing urine by a healthy body keeps a body healthy.  Prostate enlargement can affect this key function.  Once urine passage has been compromised by a bladder that doesn’t empty entirely or a urethra passage has become so restricted as to make urination painful and barely functional, the kidneys can approach a toxic state where “renal failure” (collapse of the kidneys) can be the worst case, while recurrent kidney infections can become the norm.  Bladder problems can also result from the presence of urine leftover from incomplete passage.  This Is why LUTS are important to monitor.