The prostate gland is a crucial part of the male reproductive system that produces the clear fluid that makes up a significant portion of male seminal fluid. Sperm is taken from the testes up to the prostate gland where it is mixed with prostatic fluid and proteins to make semen.

A healthy prostate gland is roughly the size of a walnut, weighs approximately one ounce and lies just in front of the rectum and under the bladder. It is also frequently described as being donut shaped and is partially wrapped around the urethra, which carrying urine out of the body from the bladder.

Through a man's life the prostate gland grows, although from the age of about twenty until the mid-forties this growth is extremely slow and to all intent and purpose undetectable. When a man reaches approximately forty-five however it is common for the growth of the prostate gland to speed up and most men will begin to experience the symptoms of an enlarging gland during their forties or fifties.

In the majority of cases an enlarging gland produces little more than some mild discomfort that many men choose to learn to live with. In other cases however the prostate can become so enlarged that it squeezes the urethra enough to cause various symptoms that need treatment or persuade a man to seek treatment to relieve his discomfort. Growth of the prostate gland at this stage of a man's life is a normal part of the aging process and is referred to as benign prostatic hyperplasia, or BHP.

In all cases however the greatest danger with an enlarged prostate gland is that this could be more than a simple case of enlargement and might be effectively masking the growth of an underlying cancer.

As the prostate gland grows it also begins to press on the urethra and to narrow it so that the first signs of a problem are normally seen when it comes to urinating. Specifically you might experience difficulty in passing water and experience the need to 'strain' in order to start the process. You could also suffer from a weak flow in your urine and one that tends to stop and start. As the prostate gland continues to enlarge you will also find that you need to visit the bathroom more often, particularly at night, and that you feel as though you need to visit the bathroom even just after you have just done so.

As you can imagine this could become more than a little bit of an annoyance but, all the same, many men are happy to merely view it as one of the difficulties of getting older and learn to live with it. This is fine but the mistake which all too man men make is not to turn to their doctor at this stage to ensure that the problem is merely BPH and that it is not likely to cause other problems in their particular case.

Aside from the obvious risk of the possibility of an underlying cancer present, BPH can also cause other difficulties like kidney disease or bladder infection.

If you start to suffer from signs and symptoms that point to a prostate problem then visit your doctor so that the problem can be properly and treated.