What causes an enlarged prostate?
Experts are still learning what causes an enlarged prostate. But they think that certain hormones are involved. The focus has been on one male hormone involved in the growth of male sex organs. This hormone makes the prostate grow to its adult size. Later in life, this hormone may cause the prostate to keep growing. Other hormones may also affect the prostate s growth later in life. Also of Interest Do you have an enlarged prostate? Take the Prostate Health Assessment and share it with your doctor. James describes the value of talking with others who have an enlarged prostate.
The cause of an enlarged prostate (benign prostatic hyperplasia, or BPH) is not well understood. No definite information about risk factors for this condition exists. For centuries, it has been known that an enlarged prostate occurs mainly in older men and that it doesn’t develop in men whose testes were removed before puberty. For this reason, some researchers believe that factors related to aging and the testes may be factors in the development of this condition.
