Odd as it may seem for years most men knew little if anything about their prostate and it is only in recent years as prostate cancer has become such a prominent issue that men are starting to ask just what the prostate is and what its function is.

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

A normal prostate is approximately the size of a walnut, weighs about one ounce and is situated just in front of the rectum and under the bladder. It is also often described as being donut shaped and partly wraps around the urethra, which is the tube which carries urine from the bladder and out of the body.

The prostate gland grows throughout a man's life, although from the early twenties until the mid-forties this growth is extremely slow and is more or less undetectable. When a man passes about forty-five however it is extremely common for the growth of the prostate to speed up and the vast majority of men will start to experience the symptoms of a growing prostate during their forties or fifties.

In the majority of cases a growing prostate produces little more than some mild discomfort that many men simply learn to live with. In some cases however the prostate can become sufficiently enlarged so that it restricts the urethra enough to produce a number of symptoms that require treatment or persuade a man to ask for treatment to relieve his discomfort. Growth of the prostate at this stage of a man's life is simply a normal part of the aging process and is called benign prostatic hyperplasia, or BHP.

However, the greatest danger with an enlarged prostate is that this could be something more than just a case of enlargement and could be masking an underlying cancer.

As the prostate starts to grow it also begins to put pressure on the urethra and to narrow this particular tube so that the first signs and symptoms of a problem are generally seen when it comes to urinating. In particular you may experience difficulty in passing water and need to 'strain' in order to start the process. You could also experience a weak flow of urine and one that tends to stop and start. As time goes on you will also notice that you need to visit the bathroom more often, especially during the night, and that you feel that you need to visit the bathroom even just after you have just done so.

As you can imagine this can become more than a little bit of a nuisance but, nevertheless, many men are happy to simply view it as one of the inevitable problems of aging and learn to live with it. Now there is nothing wrong with this but the mistake which far too man men make is not to seek the advice of their doctor at this stage to establish that their problem is only BPH and that it is unlikely to lead to other problems.

Aside from the clear risk of their being an underlying cancer present, BPH can also cause other problems like kidney disease or bladder infection.

When you begin to suffer from signs and symptoms that are suggestive of a prostate problem then visit your doctor so that the problem can be properly diagnosed.

ProstateProblemCenter.com provides information on various prostate problems and also provides advice on having a prostate exam