• English
• En español

Prostate Health

Home > Men's Health Home > Sexual Health > Prostate Health

• Prostatitis
• Prostate Enlargement
• Prostate Cancer
• Additional Resources

The prostate is a gland. It helps make semen, the fluid that contains sperm. It encircles 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 prostatitis, prostate enlargement, and prostate cancer. Although most prostate problems are not cancer, prostate cancer affects many men. Talking to your doctor about prostate problems and the whether screening is the right choice for you will protect your prostate health and overall health.

Prostatitis

With prostatits (prah-stuh-TEYE-tiss), the prostate gland becomes infected. Prostatitis can come on suddenly, or be a chronic problem that keeps going away and coming back. A sudden infection can give you symptoms such as:

• Fever and chills
• 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 if you have any of these symptoms. These infections can be treated with antibiotics.

Prostate Enlargement

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:

• Painful urination
• Urge to urinate a lot
• Decreased force of the urine stream
• Having an incomplete emptying of the bladder
• Problems getting the urine started and completely stopped
• Feeling like you need to urinate, even if you just did
• Leaking or dribbling urine
• Small amounts of blood in the urine

If urination becomes difficult for you because of these symptoms, talk with your doctor about ways to treat and manage prostate enlargement. Some men "wait and see" and the symptoms go away. But, there are drugs that can help improve your symptoms.

Prostate Cancer

No one knows the exact causes of prostate cancer. Doctors often cannot explain why one man develops prostate cancer and another does not. Research has shown that men with certain risk factors are more likely than others to develop prostate cancer. A risk factor is something that may increase the chance of developing a disease.

The following are risk factors for prostate cancer:

• Age — Being 50 years of age or older.
• Family history — Having a brother, son, or father who had prostate cancer.
• Race — Being African American.
• Diet — Eating a diet high in fat, especially animal fat, might increase the risk.

Treatment for prostate cancer works best when found early. But doctor's opinions vary as to whether all men should have routine prostate cancer screening. On one hand, screening tests can help detect prostate cancer early, when it's most treatable. For this reason, many men have a yearly prostate screening exam beginning at age 50, or younger if they have other risk factors. On the other hand, screening tests can't tell how dangerous a cancer is. Some prostate cancers grow so slowly that they are likely to never cause any problems, where as their treatment can greatly affect a man's quality of life. Ask your doctor about the pros and cons of routine screening. With this information, you can decide if routine screening is right for you.

Additional Resources

Publications

1.   Age Page: Prostate Problems - This publication contains information about various cancerous and non-cancerous prostate problems men can encounter and includes possible treatment options.

   http://www.nia.nih.gov/HealthInformation/Publications/prostate.htm

2.   Prostate Cancer - This publication provides general information about prostate cancer. It provides the risk factors, causes, symptoms, and different ways to diagnose this form of cancer. This publication also provides different treatment options as well as further research information on prostate cancer.

   http://nihseniorhealth.gov/prostatecancer/toc.html

3.   Prostate Cancer - This is a collection of web resources about prostate cancer from MedlinePlus, a service of the National Library of Medicine and NIH.

   http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/prostatecancer.html

4.   Prostate Enlargement: Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia - This brochure discusses the prostate gland and medical terms associated with prostate gland enlargement. The brochure also explains how common it is for the prostate gland to become enlarged as a man ages. Treatment options and symptoms are also discussed within this brochure.

   http://kidney.niddk.nih.gov/kudiseases/pubs/prostateenlargement/index.htm

5.   Prostatitis: Disorders of the Prostate - This publication discusses the four types of disorders that are considered prostatitis and what the symptoms and treatments are.

   http://kidney.niddk.nih.gov/kudiseases/pubs/prostatitis/index.htm

6.   What You Need To Know About™ Prostate Cancer - This booklet on prostate cancer discusses symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, emotional issues, and questions to ask the doctor. It also includes a glossary of terms and other resources.

   http://www.cancer.gov/cancerinfo/wyntk/prostate

7.   Nutrition and Prostate Cancer (Copyright © Prostate Cancer Foundation) - This publication discusses research about how changes in diet can benefit patients with prostate cancer.

   http://www.prostatecancerfoundation.org/atf/cf/%7B705B3273-F2EF-4EF6-A653-E15C5D8BB6B1%7D/Nutrition_Guide.p...

8.   Prostate Cancer and Bone Loss (Copyright © The Hormone Foundation) - This is an easy-to-read fact sheet about prostate cancer and bone loss. The Hormone Foundation offers information regarding screening and treatment of prostate cancer, as well as tips for preventing bone loss. Additional resources are provided for further information.

   http://www.hormone.org/Resources/Prostate/upload/bilingual_prostatecancer_boneloss.pdf...

9.   Report to the Nation on Prostate Cancer: A Guide for Men and their Families (Copyright © Prostate Cancer Foundation) - This report is designed to help answer the many questions someone just diagnosed with prostate cancer may have by teaching them what they need to know about the disease and the different treatments.

   http://www.prostatecancerfoundation.org/atf/cf/%7B705B3273-F2EF-4EF6-A653-E15C5D8BB6B1%7D/FINAL%20PCF_Patie...

Organizations

1.   Cancer Information Service, NCI, NIH, HHS
2.   National Kidney and Urologic Diseases Information Clearinghouse, NIDDK, NIH, HHS
3. National Prostate Cancer Coalition
4. Prostate Cancer Foundation
5. Prostate Cancer Institute
6. Prostate Cancer Research Institute
7. Us Too! International

= Indicates Federal Resources