The prostate gland surrounds the urethra and sits behind the urinary bladder.
It might help to imagine a finger and thumb holding a tube.
The tube is the urethra - or the urinary canal and the finger and thumb are the prostate.
So, what is an enlarged prostate?Now imagine that the finger and thumb start to squeeze the tube.
It will stop or slow the flow of urine won't it? An enlarged prostate does exactly this.
The cells of the prostate become enlarged and develop nodules which constrict the urethra.
Because the prostate is found on either side of the urethra, it is, in effect, squeezing the tube.
It is thought that men over 45 can start to develop the symptoms of an enlarged prostate and this can be extremely aggravated in men over 70.
The condition is benign, however it can have very serious consequences for the daily life of sufferers.
It affects confidence and just the daily activities of going to a new place where it is not known whether a convenience will be found.
The androgen hormones are known to play a part in onset.
Castrated boys are known not to develop the condition at all.
Symptoms can be quite debilitating and can cause a high level of disruption in daily activity.
Two of symptoms can occur: There is either infrequent urination and urinary hesitancy, or frequent urination.
Both of these can cause embarrassment.
Urinary hesitancy is having to wait for urinary flow to develop.
This can also result in storage of urine.
While frequent urination can lead to bladder weakness and incontinence.
Though having an enlarge prostate is known to be a benign condition, it can cause discomfort and embarrassment in sufferers.
Treatment is in the form of lifestyle changers and alpha blockers which can go some way to alleviate the condition.