The Healthy Prostate

A man’s risk of BPH increases with age. These science-backed supplements help prevent and treat the most common symptoms.

- MARK STENGLER, NMD

The prostate gland is an essential part of the male reproductive system located within the pelvis. It is the shape and size of a walnut in younger men and has two main lobes (left and right) enclosed by a fibrous capsule. The prostate surrounds the urethra, the tube that drains urine from the bladder (and carries semen) to the outside of the body.

Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH) is an age-associated condition that involves enlargement of the prostate gland. As men age, their likelihood of developing BPH and associated symptoms increases dramatically. This common condition affects approximately 50 percent of men between the ages of 51 and 60. And roughly 90 percent of men over age 80 have this condition.

When BPH occurs, it reduces urine flow, which causes a variety of trouble-some symptoms. Men with BPH often experience waking up multiple times at night to urinate, frequent or urgent need to urinate, waiting for the urine flow to occur while standing at the toilet, a slow urinary stream, dribbling at the end of urination, and the inability to empty their bladders completely.

Men with severe cases of BPH can end up with urinary retention and hospitalization or surgery. Pharmaceuticals are often used to treat BPH, but they carry risks such as sexual dysfunction, breast enlargement, fatigue, decreased libido, and headache.

Why Do So Many Men Get BPH?