The colour and frequency of your urine is an important signal of your health.
Normal and healthy urine usually has a pale or transparent colour, and most people pee around six to seven times during a 24-hour period, depending how much liquid was consumed.
If what is normal for you suddenly changes, for example your urine turns a different colour, it could signal prostate cancer.
Prostate cancer is a cancer that occurs in the prostate gland, found at the base of the bladder, and is only found in males.
This is why it's important to pay attention to urination habits when looking for early warning signs.
John Hopkins Medicine explained: “The brain signals the bladder muscles to tighten which squeezes urine out of the bladder.
“At the same time, the brain signals the sphincter muscles to relax to let urine exit the bladder through the urethra.
“When all the signals occur in the correct order, normal urination occurs.”
However, when there is a breakdown or a tumour, normal functions cease to exist, and this directly impacts a man’s urination habits.
Early symptoms of prostate cancer affecting your urine
According to the NHS , these signs include:
- Needing to pee more frequently, often during the night
- Needing to rush to the toilet
- Difficulty in starting to pee (hesitancy)
- Straining or taking a long time while peeing
- Weak flow
- Feeling that your bladder has not emptied fully
- Blood in urine or blood in semen
It’s important to note that many of these symptoms don’t necessarily mean a person has prostate cancer.
As men get older so their prostates get larger in size.
This is known as benign prostate enlargement which is a non-cancerous condition.
If concerned about unusual toilet habits, its imperative to speak with your GP about the possible cause and best treatment.
Prostate cancer treatment
A person’s treatment depends on a number of factors including how big the cancer is, whether it has spread anywhere else in the body and their general health.
“Surgery is one of the main treatments for prostate cancer,” says Cancer Research UK.
The health site continued: “You might have an operation to remove the prostate or to help relieve symptoms of prostate cancer.”
Hormone therapy is another type of treatment which blocks or lowers the amount of testosterone in the body.
Radiation is a treatment used to kill prostate cancer cells by using high energy waves similar to x-rays.
“You might have it on its own or with hormone therapy,” added Cancer Research UK.
“Your doctor may recommend other treatments such as cryotherapy or high intensity ultrasound (HIFU) as part of a clinical trial.”
Unfortunately, prostate cancer can come back after having treatment and is best to discuss with your GP about your treatment options if this occurs.
