What menstrual problems are to women, prostate problems are to men. The prostate is a gland in the lower abdomen that aids in the production of semen. The prostate is walnut sized in a young man, but can get enlarged with age. As it grows bigger, it can cause a number of problems. These are commonly seen after a man celebrates his 50th birthday.

There are three common prostate problems faced by men. Some of the symptoms that can tell if a man has a prostate problem are:

1. Difficulty faced while urinating
2. The urge to urinate frequently at night
3. Constant feeling of a full bladder
4. Pain while urinating
5. Blood in the urine

Prostatitis

This can be defined as inflammation of the prostate gland. In most cases the cause of this inflammation is unknown. However, there are two types of prostatitis; bacterial and nonbacterial. While the former reacts well to antibiotics, the latter is more difficult to control. Symptoms of this disease vary from one person to the next. Some of the factors that could trigger this disease are:

1. Chemical irritants
2. Past bacterial infection
3. Dysfunctional pelvic floor muscles
4. Sexual abuse
5. Chronic anxiety

Enlarged prostate

As mentioned earlier, as men get older, the prostate gland tends to grow in size. This growth is benign, but can block the bladder neck and prostatic urethra. This can cause problems urinating and lead to acute urinary retention. This can be very painful. Inserting a catheter can provide temporary relief and help release stored urine. Chronic retention is much less common and is associated with high bladder pressure and can damage the kidneys.

Prostate cancer

Advancing age and family genetic history are said to be the main triggers of prostate cancer. This type of cancer can remain restricted to the prostate gland in its early stages but may spread to the other glands as the cancer advances. This can also cause the growth of secondary tumors in the bones.

The only way to correctly diagnose a prostate problem is with a thorough physical examination. This includes a digital rectal exam where the doctor will insert a gloved finger into your rectum to check the size of your prostate, a blood test, mid stream urine tests and ultrasounds. In some cases a biopsy of the prostate may also be required. Depending on the diagnosis, your doctor may prescribe antibiotics, surgery, radiotherapy or hormone therapy to manage your prostate.

Are You at Risk of a Prostate Disease?

One of the most common problems faced by ageing men is benign prostatic hypertrophy. Prostate is the gland at the base of the urethra near the bladder and when it enlarges it can lead to symptoms, mostly related to urination.

1. Frequent urge to pass urine
2. Prolonged urination
3. Frequent nocturnal visits to the toilet
4. Intermittent urination
5. Difficulty to start urinating
6. Inability to completely empty the bladder
7. Urinary tract infections

There are medications available to manage this, but offer only temporary relief. Many men therefore prefer to have the surgery undergone to manage these bothersome symptoms. However, like any surgery, the risks and benefits need to be considered along with other conditions like age, overall health status, other comorbid conditions, etc.

Surgical removal of the enlarged prostate gland is a more definitive approach to manage these symptoms. In addition to providing a quick cure, it also is used in the following cases:

1. Patients who do not respond to medications
2. Presence of blood in the urine
3. Associated bladder stones
4. Frequent infections of the urinary tract
5. Associated damage to the kidneys

Procedure of Surgery
During the procedure, a tube is passed through the tip of the penis into the urethra towards the bladder neck. Once it is in the desired position, laser is passed through it to deliver energy that acts on the prostate to either completely or partially destroy it. There are two methods by which laser acts on the enlarged prostate and making way for free flow of the urine.

1. Ablation: Excess prostate tissue is melted away by the laser by using photosensitive vaporization of the prostate. This is also known as Greenlight laser therapy or KTP laser vaporization. Alternately, Holmium can be used as the source of laser energy to ablate the prostate tissue.

2. Enucleation: Excess prostate tissue is cut and teased out through the urethra. Holmium laser is used to resect the prostate into smaller pieces, which are then removed out through a resectoscope. Another technique uses a tissue morcellator which grinds the enlarged prostate into smaller pieces to enable easy retrieval.

More men now opt for laser prostate removal as it has the following advantages:

1. Reduced risk of bleeding: This becomes essentially important in patients who are on blood thinners.
2. No hospitalization: This can be done either as an outpatient or with minimal one day stay at the hospital
3. Immediate symptom relief: As compared to medications, the relief is felt almost immediately after the surgery
4. No catheter: With laser surgery, a catheter may be required for less than 24 hours unlike in open surgical cases.

As noted above, as with any surgery, once enlarged prostate symptoms set in, have a detailed discussion with your doctor to identify if you are a suitable candidate for laser surgery.

Know About Laser Prostate Surgery

Enlarged prostate surgery is a very common type of surgery that many have to undergo nowadays. An enlarged prostate causes many health problems including urinary tract obstructions and urinary tract infections. It may also lead to the passing of blood via urine. Thus, enlarged prostate must be treated as soon as possible as neglect may lead to prostate cancer and its associated health issues. There are various types of prostate surgeries that a doctor performs on his/her patients. However, of late, radical prostatectomy is the most popular of them all.

What is Radical Prostatectomy?

This process can be handled in two ways. Firstly, the prostate can be reached through an incision in the abdomen. This would help the doctor work with precision and carefully avoid all the other nerves and muscles in the area the operation take places. The prostate is examined and any nodule or lymph formed over it is carefully removed. The advantage of this surgery is that the patient is less likely to suffer from any erectile problems post- surgery. The second option would be to make an incision between the scrotum and the anus. This process is best for those who are obese. The surgery is performed quickly and there is less loss of blood. Furthermore, the healing time is less too.

How To Recover From The Surgery?

Like most other prostate operations, even in radical prostatectomy, you would have to wear a catheter till you recover completely. For a few days post the surgery your urine would be collected through a urine bag attached to the catheter. One might feel a little sore in his/her genitals after the surgery, but that is quite normal to occur. The soreness is caused due to the surgery and the incisions made and would heal in a matter of a few days. Interestingly, since the urethra plays an important role in this surgery, the catheter has to be in place for at least two to three weeks but the patient can be discharged after a two to three night stay at the hospital. It is advised that the patient takes ample rest. But this does not mean all rest and no work. In fact, it is seen that patients can walk a little and even go back to a normal diet within a week to ten days of the operation. But regular checkups, till the urethra is healed, are compulsory.

Hence, these are some of the recovery procedures after an enlarged prostate surgery. Such surgeries are quite common and heal quickly.

What To Expect Post An Enlarged Prostate Surgery?

In recent years, there has been the emerging trend of resorting to customized treatment for different types of cancer. These treatments vary from individual to individual, depending on the severity of their condition. PSMA PET scan and DOTA scan are two such procedures used in the treatment of prostate cancer.

Before identifying the benefits of these scans, let us have a look at the risks of prostate cancer.

Prostate Cancer- What is it?

Prostate cancer shows up in the prostate gland of men, which produces the fluid that transfers and nourishes the sperm. It is a very commonly occurring condition in men and early treatment can cure it completely.

Symptoms of Prostate Cancer:

Prostate cancer starts showing its symptoms from the middle stages. One should seek medical help if he observes the following warning signs-

  Pain while urinating
  Bone pain
  Reduction in force of urine
  Erectile Dysfunction
  Presence of blood in semen

With increasing age and obesity, there remains a high chance of developing prostate cancer.

What is PSMA PET scan?

It is an effective and reliable mode of diagnosis to identify the extent of prostate cancer. It is also known as Prostascint scan. This scan is recommended for patients in the early stage of cancer and to determine whether the disease has spread to the pelvic lymph nodes.

In this process, the patient is injected with an antibody and a radioactive material that can be detected by cameras. The doctor then sees a three-dimensional picture of the affected area on the monitor. The complete process takes three days to finish.

Benefits of PSMA PET scan:

  Helps to determine the position and range of a tumour
  Helps the doctor to plan effective methods of treatment to eradicate a tumour completely
  Helps to predict the result of treatment up to a certain extent, unlike other imaging tests

What is DOTA scan?

It is a highly advanced scan used to detect the spread and sensitivity of tumours concerning prostate cancer. The molecules injected during the scan attaches itself to the neuroendocrine tumours known as carcinoids.

Benefits of DOTA scan:

  Helps to detect the exact location of a tumour
  Helps the doctor to plan for effective radioactive therapies
  Helps to identify the exact stage of a cancerous tumour

Both PSMA and DOTA scans are the fruits of modern scientific research and go a long way in eradicating cancerous cells from the body. Early detection of the disease with these scans increases the chance of being cured of the disease.

Prostate Cancer - Knowing The Importance Of PSMA PET Scan & Dota Scan!

Cancer is the most dangerous disease noticeable throughout the world. The most common type of cancer that affects men is prostate cancer. Prostate is a small exocrine gland situated directly below the bladder and in front of the rectum. This is gland is approximately in size of a walnut and plays an important role in production of a milky fluid during orgasm of sex in which the semen travels. During the climax stage of the prostate gland is forced to push the fluid and remove the semen out of the reproductive structures.

Prostate gland is a slow progressive disease which makes many males left unidentified even the presence of prostate cancer even until they die. 6 out of 100 male over the age of 60 are getting prostate cancer. Though prostate cancer can be cured at a better rate when compared to other type of cancer it is always best to stay protected. Prevention is always better than cure. Here are few tips to keep your prostate healthy.

Signs and symptoms of prostate cancer-

During the early stages of prostate cancer there are usually no symptoms. Most men at this stage find out they have prostate cancer after a routine check up or blood test. When symptoms do exist, they are usually one or more of the following:

The patient urinates more often

The patient gets up at night more often to urinate

He may find it hard to start urinating

He may find it hard to keep urinating once he has started

There may be blood in the urine

Urination might be painful

Ejaculation may be painful (less common)

Achieving or maintaining an erection may be difficult (less common).

If the prostate cancer is advanced the following symptoms are also possible:

Bone pain, often in the spine (vertebrae), pelvis, or ribs

The proximal part of the femur can be painful

Leg weakness

Urinary incontinence

Fecal incontinence

Ways to have a healthy prostate  

Diet and weight   the most important factor is the diet to maintain a healthy weight. Avoid fatty food items and take fats from vegetables than from animals. Avoid dairy products and increase the intake of fresh fruits and vegetables.

Exercise   have a regular practise of doing exercise at least for 30mins a day. This really helps you to keep your body fit.

Be precautious   if you have a family history of prostate cancer or if you feel you are at high risk of getting prostate cancer talk with your doctor about it and take preventive drugs as per the doctor s advice.

Red foods   research shows that men who consume red foods like watermelon, tomato and other red fruits are at lower risk of getting prostate cancer as they contain a powerful antioxidant called lycopene

Caffeine   three to four cups of coffee per day reduces your risk of getting prostate cancer.

Stop smoking   if you are at high risk of getting prostate cancer it is best advised to quit smoking and alcohol.

Prostate Cancer - What To Expect


Cancer is the most dangerous disease noticeable throughout the world. The most common type of cancer that affects men is prostate cancer. Prostate is a small exocrine gland situated directly below the bladder and in front of the rectum. This is gland is approximately in size of a walnut and plays an important role in production of a milky fluid during orgasm of sex in which the semen travels. During the climax stage of the prostate gland is forced to push the fluid and remove the semen out of the reproductive structures.

Prostate gland is a slow progressive disease which makes many males left unidentified even the presence of prostate cancer even until they die. 6 out of 100 male over the age of 60 are getting prostate cancer. Though prostate cancer can be cured at a better rate when compared to other type of cancer it is always best to stay protected. Prevention is always better than cure. Here are few tips to keep your prostate healthy.

Signs and symptoms of prostate cancer-
During the early stages of prostate cancer there are usually no symptoms. Most men at this stage find out they have prostate cancer after a routine check up or blood test. When symptoms do exist, they are usually one or more of the following:

The patient urinates more often
The patient gets up at night more often to urinate
He may find it hard to start urinating
He may find it hard to keep urinating once he has started
There may be blood in the urine
Urination might be painful
Ejaculation may be painful (less common)
Achieving or maintaining an erection may be difficult (less common).

If the prostate cancer is advanced the following symptoms are also possible:

Bone pain, often in the spine (vertebrae), pelvis, or ribs
The proximal part of the femur can be painful
Leg weakness 
Urinary incontinence 
Fecal incontinence 

Ways to have a healthy prostate  
Diet and weight   the most important factor is the diet to maintain a healthy weight. Avoid fatty food items and take fats from vegetables than from animals. Avoid dairy products and increase the intake of fresh fruits and vegetables.
Exercise   have a regular practise of doing exercise at least for 30mins a day. This really helps you to keep your body fit.
Be precautious   if you have a family history of prostate cancer or if you feel you are at high risk of getting prostate cancer talk with your doctor about it and take preventive drugs as per the doctor s advice.
Red foods   research shows that men who consume red foods like watermelon, tomato and other red fruits are at lower risk of getting prostate cancer as they contain a powerful antioxidant called lycopene
Caffeine   three to four cups of coffee per day reduces your risk of getting prostate cancer.
Stop smoking   if you are at high risk of getting prostate cancer it is best advised to quit smoking and alcohol. 


Prostate Cancer -  Signs and Symptoms

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