However, they're mistaken. They don't have to spend most of the night in and out of the toilet and all day developing a knowledge of local lavatories that betters any tourist guide. It makes liquid to keep the urethra moist and healthy and adds to the fluid which carries sperm on ejaculation. The prostate starts to enlarge in all men once they reach their 40's. As it gets bigger it prevents the normal flow of urine, like a kink in a hose-pipe.
Some men suffer severe symptoms whilst others suffer only minor symptoms or nothing at all.
It's estimated that one in four men in their 50's and one in two men over 60 years of age will be troubled to some degree by this enlargement of the prostate gland. Men with an enlarged prostate can suffer some or all of these symptoms. Often they find they have to run to the loo urgently, sometimes not making it in time. It may be just an inconvenience for some but for others it can cause extreme discomfort and take over their lives. Many men become frightened to go out and if they do they make sure they know the locations of every toilet in the area.