What can happen to your prostate

Normal Prostate: As you get older, the prostate can grow.

Enlarged Prostate (Benign Prostate Hyperplasia or BPH): If the prostate gets too large, it can make it hard for a man to pass urine (urinate). That’s because a larger prostate gland can press on the tube that carries urine and semen out of the penis.

Prostatitis (prah stah TI tiss): The prostate can become inflamed if irritated, or if you have an infection in the area of the bladder or prostate.

Prostate Cancer: The prostate can also develop cancer. If there is cancer, cancer cells can spread to the nearby tissue. Cancer cells can also get into the bloodstream and spread to other parts of the body. This includes lymph nodes, seminal vesicles and nerves.

Refer to the Medical Words section of this site for definitions of these terms.