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3 Important Reasons to Have Your Prostate Gland Examined
The conversations with your male friends used to center around sports or other common interests, but you’re noticing a trend toward health and things like prostates.
Well, there are some very good reasons why your prostate should get your attention, and our men’s health expert, Dr. Robert J. Cornell, reviews three of them here.
A quick word about your prostate
A prostate is one of those glands that you likely don’t give much thought to during the course of your everyday life. Located just below your bladder, this small gland encircles your urethra and produces ejaculate to help carry your sperm-carrying semen out of your penis.
Now that we’ve reviewed the role of your prostate, let’s get to why this gland can benefit from a little extra oversight.
1. Your prostate continues to grow
One of the primary reasons why your prostate starts to become a topic of conversation as you age is that this small gland continues to grow throughout your life. Its initial development and growth spurt took place when you passed through puberty, but it keeps growing at a slower pace for the rest of your life.
As we mentioned, your urethra passes right through the center of this gland. As your prostate grows, the extra tissue can press against your urethra and create problems with urination. Called benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), this condition is incredibly common — half of men between the ages of 50 and 61 have BPH, which grows to 80% of men over the age of 70.
While not all men develop symptoms of BPH, many encounter:
- Trouble initiating urination
- Weak urine flow
- Feeling like your bladder is full when you know it isn’t
- Increased urge to urinate
- Getting up throughout the night to urinate
- Dribbling
If you’re experiencing any of these common signs of BPH, having a prostate exam is a good idea. There are many effective treatments for BPH that can relieve these side effects.
2. You’re at the right screening age
There are certain cancers that we can screen for, allowing us plenty of time to take action, and prostate cancer is one of them. There will be nearly 290.000 prostate cancer diagnoses in the United States in 2023, making it the most common cancer in men outside of skin cancer.
The American Cancer Society has issued guidelines for prostate cancer screening, which should start at:
- Age 50 for men of average risk
- Age 45 for men of high risk
- Age 40 for men with very high risk
Now, let’s discuss what we mean by risks.
3. You’re more at risk for prostate issues
There are several factors that can place you more at risk for prostate cancer, which means you should have prostate exams earlier and more frequently.
These risk factors include:
- A family history of prostate cancer (an immediate relative such as a brother or father)
- Being African American
- You’ve been tested before and your results called for watchful monitoring
If you’re unsure whether you might be at risk, we’re happy to help you figure that out.
For more information about prostate exams or if you’d like to schedule one now, please contact our office in Houston, Texas.
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