Help us to stop prostate diseases ruining lives

Problems with urinating are the most common symptoms of prostate disease.  You should visit your doctor if you regularly experience one of the following:

• a weak, sometimes intermittent flow of urine

• difficulty in starting to urinate

• a need to urinate frequently

• a need to urinate urgently (you do not feel able to put it off)

• having to go to the toilet several times during the night

• a feeling that your bladder is not completely empty after you have finished urinating

• pain or burning when passing urine

• blood in the urine or semen

Of course, problems may develop before any symptoms arise.  For this reason, it is generally advisable for most men over 50 to have an annual health check, which often includes an assessment of the prostate, including a PSA test.  Remember, while a one-off PSA check provides a certain amount of information, regular checks are more informative because they show the rate of the rise in PSA (sometimes called the 'PSA kinetics').  A sudden rise in PSA is rather like a flashing light on the dashboard of your car; it tells you that something is amiss, which, if responded to, will help to prevent eventual breakdown.