Understanding the Importance of Prostate Health Middle aged men Time can be on your side……. By: Dominique DiVece

What is your Prostate Gland? Your prostate is a small gland that is a big as a walnut. Primary function is to produce fluid that nourishes and transports semen for ejaculation. Your prostate grows a lot during puberty and stays around the same size until age 40 when it begins to slowly grow again and doesn’t stop! Most men are not bothered by their growing prostate however, some are.

Warning Sign That there is a Problem Frequent urge to urinate Blood in urine or semen Painful or burning urination Difficulty urinating Difficulty having an erection

Continued warning signs Painful ejaculation Frequent pain or stiffness in lower back Inability to urinate Dribbling of the urine

Seek Medical Attention Consulting with your doctor may be embarrassing but it can save your life ! If symptoms arise meet with your doctor ASAP Prostate check around 50 years old

What to expect…. Digital rectal Exam (DRE) Blood Test (PSA) painless Quick Checks the surface of the prostate Blood Test (PSA) more effective Finds cancer the DRE may not detect

Four Major Prostate Diseases Acute Prostatitis Chronic Prostatitis Benign prostatic hyperplasia Prostate Cancer

Acute Prostatitis The inflammation of the prostate cause by infection Symptoms: Chills Fever Pain in lower back Pain between legs Painful urination

How to cure Acute Prostatitis The doctor will prescribe you antibiotics to help cure your infection Doctor may also suggest that you drink a lot of fluids

Chronic Prostatitis Infection continues to return Most common Prostatitis Symptoms may be milder but last longer Can be hard to treat Anitbiotics may or may not work depending on what causes the infection Warm baths may help with pain Clears up its self

Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) Enlarged Prostate Starts in men at age 30 however symtoms don’t show until around age 50 Prostate gland grows in size and presses on the urethra Which can cause urine to back up in the bladder

Symptoms of BHP Blood in the urine Feeling as through bladder has not fully emptied after urination Frequent urination especially at night Decrease in force of urine steam Pushing or straining to begin urine flow Recurrent, sudden, or urgent need to urinate.

Is there a cure for BPH There is no cure for BPH once prostate growth has started it normally continues unless medical therapy is started

Prostate Cancer One of the most common types of cancer among American men!

What is prostate Cancer?? A tumor that consist of cells from the prostate gland Grows slowly confined to the gland for years However the spread of it is possible if detection is not found early

Prostate Cancer

What causes it and what are the risk factors? There is no specific cause of prostate cancer Risk factors include: - advancing age -genetics -hormonal influences - environmental factors -toxins -chemicals -industrial products

Symptoms of Prostate Cancer Early stages of Cancer Not apparent Found in blood test Tumor detected through DRE Urine flow diminishes Burning with urination Blood in urine Painful obstruction of the bladder Later stages of Cancer

How is cancer Diagnosed If blood test and the rectal exam are both abnormal a biopsy of the prostate would be taken They take samples of two different types of tissue on the prostate. Pathologist then grade each tissue on a scale of 1-5 Called Gleason score

Intermediate aggressiveness Scale Is based on microscopic characteristics of the cancerous cells and reflects how aggressive the tumor is Gleason Scores 2-4 Low Slow Growing 5-6 Intermediate Intermediate aggressiveness 7-10 High Rapidly growing tumor

Treatment Options Watchful waiting radical prostatectomy The treatment options depends on your age, health status and whether or not the tumor has spread! Watchful waiting radical prostatectomy external (beam) radiation therapy internal radiation therapy Hormone therapy

Watchful Waiting If you choose the watchful waiting option you are basically doing just that… you are monitoring your cancer and waiting for the tumor to get bigger. If the tumor gets bigger than you can decide what action to take from there

Risk Factors and Statistics 35% of men have some accidental leakage of urine during heavy lifting coughing or laughing. if your under 50 your chances of erectile dysfunction are slimmer then if your 70 and over. Incontinence (loss of bladder control) Impotence (loss of the ability to get or maintain an erection) However each of these of problems improves with time

radical prostatectomy This option is for those who are young and in good health The most certain treatment if all the cancer is removed during surgery than you are cured. Doctor is able to see easily if cancer has spread due to near by lymph nodes that are taken out during surgery.

external (beam) radiation therapy given to patient through a machine that resembles an x-ray machine Takes about 10 minutes a day for 5 days a week for 6-8 weeks no anesthesia Side effects of this treatment are mild Low occurrence of urinary side effects 2% of men that take part in this procedure experience severe incontinence

Internal Radiation Therapy must go under anathema Small rice like radioactive seeds are implanted into the prostate Inserted in the skin between the scrotum and the anus Test are taken before procedure that tell the doctors exactly where to implant the radioactive seeds Seeds give of levels of radiation Men are advised to stay away from small children and pregnant women depending on the level of radiation given of

Hormone Therapy Reduce androgens in the body Androgens in the testes stimulate cancer to grow Lower levels make the tumor shrink Many types of hormone therapy if surgery and radiation are not possible.

To Get More Information about Prostate Health http://www.prostatehealthguide.com/ http://www.pcf.org