4 warning signs that you have an enlarged prostate
As men age, there are many changes in the body that occur. As well as losing muscle definition, putting on weight, and losing tautness in the skin, you may find that your prostate becomes enlarged. This is something that might happen naturally as you age due to a change in your hormones, but it's a good idea to be aware of the warning signs so that you can have the condition treated sooner rather than later. Most of the warning signs will be detected in urination, and here's what to look out for:
A weak urine stream. When you are absolutely busting to use the bathroom but find that only a small trickle of urine will come out, this could be a sign that your prostate is enlarged. This is because the swelling of the prostate could put pressure on the urethra, which is the tube that urine departs the body from, restricting the flow of urine and causing a weak flow even when you really need to go.
Stopping and starting urination. For the same reasons as outlined above, the enlarged prostate putting undue pressure on the urethra, you could end up with a stop and start motion with your urine flow. This is because you will be compensating with the lack of force in the urine stream by tensing your muscles around the bladder and pushing the urine out -- but the force cannot be maintained because of the pressured urethra, leading to a stop and start motion.
Blood in your urine. If you see blood in your urine, this should be an immediate sign that something is wrong and you should get yourself to a doctor or urology clinic right away to determine the cause of this. Again, the pressure of the enlarged prostate can cause damage to the urethra -- but so much so that in some cases, blood vessels might burst and cause blood to show in your urine stream.
Post pee dribbles. You might just attribute a little dribbling after peeing as one of those signs of old age and a lack of bladder control. But it could actually point to a benign enlarged prostate. When you suffer from this condition, some urine can lag in the upper portion of the urethra and then find its way out of your body at an unexpected moment.
With any kind of abnormality with your urine, it's advised to seek specialist treatment at a urology clinic, where the doctors and nurses will be able to get to the root of the issue.