Blog Archive

Urination is the process of excreting waste from your body. Your kidneys create urine when filtering your blood to eliminate toxins and other harmful materials. This filtration system begins in the kidneys and progresses through your bladder, ureters, and urethra until the fluids exit the body through your urethra. Urine...

Your reproductive and urinary functions are closely linked, as both happen in your genitals, so it follows that both are affected when conditions in your prostate become a problem. The small gland (about the size of a walnut), which nourishes semen and regulates urine flow and hormones, has three lobes...

The food and drink we ingest create waste, and our bodies need to remove that waste. For that to work properly, our urinary system (bladder, ureters, kidneys, renal arteries and veins, and urethra) filters everything and releases what our body doesn’t need. Infection in any part of the urinary tract...

In order to reproduce, men need to inseminate the ovaries with sperm. During sex, anywhere from 15 million to 200 million sperm per milliliter can be produced when you ejaculate. But, for the sperm to survive the journey to the egg, they need fluid to live long enough to get...

Filtering out waste and other materials is vital to keeping your body healthy, and this is why your kidneys are essential. These two organs sit on both sides of your body, under your ribs and behind your belly. Together they process around 200 quarts of fluid a day, filtering toxins...

Urinary tract infections are very common, affecting up to 10 million people in the US annually. Although anyone can develop a UTI, they are far more common in women than any other group of people. They often stem from the E coli bacteria located in your large intestine. These bacteria...

With most people few areas of your personal life are more guarded than your sexual activity, and if you’re struggling with problems performing with your partner, that only makes the situation more difficult for everyone involved. Erectile dysfunction (ED) is a condition millions of men struggle with (30 million in...

After you eat and drink, your body takes the ingested materials on a journey that reduces them to their base components, sending nutrients and other chemicals where they need to go and removing waste. Urination is part of the waste disposal system. The bladder can hold up to 500 milliliters...

Urinary incontinence is the general term for a range of issues that affect bladder control. There are several types of urinary incontinence, and distinguishing among them can be tricky. The correct treatment depends on knowing which form you have. Stress and urge incontinence, for example, are common, but what are...

Ejaculation is a natural result of releasing semen from your genitals during sex, and is actually performed in two phases. During the emission phase, sperm move up from your testicles into your prostate and mix with fluids to create semen through your vas deferens. From there it goes through the...

At any given moment, our bodies are performing an immense number of tasks to keep basic systems working normally and things under control. These tasks include regulating blood sugar, metabolism, sexual characteristics, muscle and bone health. All this is the responsibility of hormones, chemicals produced by your endocrine system —...

The prostate is an important male organ that most men don’t think about until problems start showing up, bringing with them the risk of other issues. Without the seminal fluid your prostate creates, sperm would be undernourished and have little to no chance surviving as they leave your body, making...

Water is a vital part of life on earth, and nowhere is that more true than in our bodies, which are made up of up to 75% of this liquid. The amount varies over your lifetime, but what doesn’t is the importance of drinking water to provide a number of...

Sex isn’t just the urge to reproduce through intercourse. It’s also an essential component of our overall well-being. As you go through puberty and become an adult, with all of the changes, desires, and growth spurts that come with it, how you see other people and the world affects your...

While your kidneys are a key part of your urinary system, acting as filters and creating urine to be removed from the body, they also perform many other important functions to help keep you healthy. These asymmetrical, bean-shaped organs, each about the size of a fist, also help regulate blood...

From the moment you walk into the adult world after puberty, your sexuality is a vital, deep, and personal part of what makes you who you are. Finding the things that make you happy in that intimate space with others is a hard enough road to navigate without having to...

The kidneys, bladder, ureter, and urethra that make up your urinary system (also known as your urinary tract) are essential for disposing of waste from the foods and drinks your body takes in through the processes of excretion, secretion, and elimination. Once liquid and gaseous wastes are eliminated from your...

Urination is the end point of a process in which your body breaks down waste and excess water and removes it from your body after moving it through your urinary tract. This system filters the blood, separates the toxins from the nutrients, and removes what you don’t need through your...

 Male fertility relies on the ability to inseminate sperm during sex, and your prostate, a walnut-shaped organ that lies under your bladder and surrounds your urethra, is an important part of how that happens. When you orgasm, you release a whitish ejaculate that contains sperm. The sperm comes from your...

Our sexual identity is a vital part of who we are as people, from the moment we make our way through puberty and our hormones help us develop into adults. This isn’t just about having sex or actively pursuing those you’re interested in; it also means your perception of your...

Your urine is one of the ways your body removes wastes from itself, and one way to determine if what’s coming out is healthy is its color. Contrary to what many may believe, your urine shouldn’t be clear; that’s actually an indication you’re overhydrated. A pale or transparent yellow is...

Learning to go to the bathroom is something we all do as children, often before we’re out of our diapers. So, as we get older, we tend to take this basic human function for granted and get on with our daily routines. Losing control over urinating can be both embarrassing...

Your urinary tract is the filtration system for your body, but the organs involved help with a variety of other functions. Your kidneys, for example, function as blood pressure regulators and hormone and red blood cell producers. In addition to blood filtration and waste removal, your urinary system helps with...

Our bodies have a series of organs that are designed to dispose of the things we don’t need, from shedding skin to removing waste from the things we eat and drink. Your urinary tract is a system of organs (kidneys, ureter, urethra, and bladder) that filter and eliminate waste through your urine....

Filtration systems are designed to keep particles and other substances from getting into places where they don’t belong, and are essential in ventilation, cleaning water, and even our own bodies. Your kidneys are an important part of your body’s filtration system. In addition to removing waste, they also help to...

 Your prostate is a small, not well known part of men’s reproductive system that serves a very important purpose: to nourish semen and lubricate the urethra so sperm can travel outside of the body. It works with the penis and testicles to help make inseminating eggs possible, but it’s also...

Your body is a network of bones, muscles, nerves, veins, arteries, and organs that all help to provide basic functions to keep you going. Your circulatory system is a vital part of that network, as it is responsible for transporting oxygen, nutrients and other important materials throughout your body in...

Adults between the ages of 45 and 65 are considered to be middle aged, and once men reach this age threshold their risk of specific conditions increase. Around this time the chances of heart disease, colorectal cancer, erectile dysfunction, and prostate problems are much higher than for younger adults, and...

Removing waste from your body is a vital part of keeping you healthy, and that’s the work your urinary system does. Using bean-shaped kidneys about the size of your fist, foot-long ureters, and a bladder that can hold up to two cups of urine, your body voids the material it...

In processing the foods and drinks we ingest, we have several processes in our bodies that help us use the various nutrients we need and remove the waste we don’t. Our kidneys play an important role in the latter, as they are responsible for filtering waste from our blood and...

Puberty is the journey we make from childhood to adulthood in our teens, and during that time, we begin producing large amounts of hormones from our endocrine system, which includes your thyroid, hypothalamus, adrenal gland, testes, and your prostate gland. The last of these organs is not as well known...

Our sexual identity is an important part of how we view ourselves as a whole, and it directly affects how we engage in personal relationships. Conditions that create problems with that can create major problems with self-image and make those personal connections more difficult. Erectile dysfunction (ED) is a common...

Bladder control is something we develop as children, and over time (well into adulthood) millions of people find themselves suffering a loss of this ability, known as urinary incontinence. This condition affects as many as 33% of American adults, and while it is more common in seniors, it is not a normal...

The trip you take to the bathroom to urinate is the end result of a process your body uses to take the nutrients from food and drink, convert it to energy, filter out the blood and remove waste. Your urinary system is an important part of how you process what your body...

Your body uses food and drink to fuel cells and provide nutrients to tissue and organs, but it doesn’t use everything you put into it. Once food has been broken down and processed elsewhere in your digestive system, your urinary system is vital for filtering blood and removing waste from...

Kidney stones are hard deposits of salts and minerals that form in your kidneys and can cause problems for your entire urinary tract. These stones are fairly common, and their incidence is increasing, with 11 percent of men and 6 percent of women in the U.S. dealing with at least one case...

Your urinary system helps to remove waste from your body through urine. Problems with this system can lead to illnesses and other complications that can affect your long-term health, and one of the symptoms indicating other problems is hematuria, or blood in your urine. Up to 30 percent of the adult population experiences hematuria, and...

Sexuality is a part of life, starting as far back as when your body starts developing into adulthood in your teenage years. Any problems that affect your sexuality can be difficult to deal with or even discuss, and one of the most common problems people have with having sex is...

When we eat or drink, a tremendous amount of work is going on inside our bodies to do many things, including making sure we process nutrients to fuel us and to remove waste and toxins we don’t need. Our urinary system is a vital filtration system that holds and eliminates...

Being overweight is a major problem in the U.S., affecting over two-thirds of adults (36.5 percen tbeing obese, and 32.5 percent being overweight) and 1 in 6 children who are more likely to become overweight adults. Being overweight can also lead to over 60 diseases and conditions, including heart disease, stroke, type...

Urinary incontinence is the term for losing control of your bladder, and it’s an embarrassing and difficult experience to manage. Not being able to make it to the bathroom before urine leaks out for any reason can affect your self esteem, and your willingness to engage in social activities.  While...

Kidney stones, also known as nephrolithiasis, are a painful but common condition for millions of Americans. It’s estimated that 12% of people in the U.S. will develop these stones in their lifetime, and it can affect both men and women, though women suffer from kidney stones less than men. People...

The world is teeming with microscopic organisms, fungi, and bacteria. They play countless beneficial, necessary roles to sustaining our environment we live in. Believe it or not, the same is true inside each of us! The environment in our bodies where trillions of microbiota (an internal ecosystem consisting of parasites,...

If you’re having problems controlling your urine and aren’t sure why, chances are you’re dealing with some form of urinary incontinence.  It’s estimated that between 25-33% of Americans deal with some form of urinary incontinence. Not understanding what you’re dealing with and why it’s happening can compound the embarrassment a...

Sexual problems are a difficult subject to deal with, and with men the most common form of that problem is erectile dysfunction (ED). Affecting 30 million people in America, this condition has many causes, but one lesser known cause is Parkinson’s disease. But how does a slowly degenerative nervous system...

Also referred to as renal calculi, nephrolithiasis, or urolithiasis, kidney stones are hard deposits of minerals that form inside your kidneys. According to the National Kidney Foundation, over half a million people go to the emergency room annually due to problems with kidney stones. An estimated that one in ten...

Your urinary system (kidneys, ureter, bladder and urethra) performs some very important functions in your body. It is both an essential part of digestion (helping to process the food and drink you ingest) and a filtration system. Your body removes toxins and waste from your body through your urinary system,...

If you’ve been having problems with conceiving children, you’re far from alone. In the U.S., 1 in 8 couples (or 6.7 million people annually) deal with problems trying to have children. After a year of not being able to conceive this is referred to as infertility, and it can happen...

Your prostate gland is an important part of your reproductive anatomy and your sexual health. You may think of prostate health as a concern for middle age and onward, but it helps to get a head start on understanding healthy prostate function and how best to take care of yourself....

The Cleveland Clinic conducted a survey that found men have a difficult time seeing doctors and discussing health issues. Overall, 65% of respondents said they avoid doctor visits as long as possible, 37% said they withhold information, to avoid possible diagnosis of worse conditions, and 72% said they would rather...

A urinary tract infection (UTI) is an infection of any part of your urinary system (kidneys, ureter, bladder, prostate and urethra) and while they are more common in women, it is a myth that they’re the only ones that get them. 12% of men get UTIs, and the consequences of...

Annually, over half a million people go to the hospital for problems with kidney stones, and the National Kidney Foundation estimates that one in ten people will get a kidney stone in their lifetime. Kidney stones are known for being severely painful and interfering with urination, but the symptoms can...

Our bodies change as we get older. Men approaching middle age may become concerned with erectile dysfunction (ED). ED can have many common underlying causes, some that have a more direct result with your sexual anatomy than others. One condition that can lead to ED is Peyronie's disease (pronounced pay-roe-NEEZ),...

As men get into their 40s and 50s, many biological changes start to take place. This is partially based on your physical and dietary habits, but many are simply the result of getting older. These changes can be especially problematic in the urinary and reproductive systems, including the prostate gland....

Erectile dysfunction (ED) is when you’re regularly unable to get or maintain an erection.  Though the risk of ED increases as you get older, it has a number of possible causes that can affect you regardless of age. If you have type 2 diabetes, you’re at an elevated risk. Part...

Kidney stones send millions of people to the emergency room each year. The lifetime risk of kidney stones is higher in men than women, but there has been an overall increase of cases across the board over the years. While there are many factors that contribute to kidney stones, they’re...

Urinary Incontinence, the inability to control the urinary bladder, is a condition that affects many different people but is especially common among pregnant women and older people. About 13 million people nationwide have been diagnosed with incontinence, and it can come from a wide range of causes. For people dealing...

Benign prostatic hyperplasia, or an enlarged prostate, is a condition quite common in men as they reach their 50s. A third of men are likely to have it by then and the chances of getting it increase with age. It affects 30 million men worldwide, and 14 million men in...

Hematuria is the medical term for blood in urine. It’s fairly common and affects up to 30% of the adult population. The volume of blood in urine ranges from microscopic, meaning   Blood can appear in the urine in microscopic amounts (microscopic hematuria) which would only be seen by medical instruments,...

An infection that affects any part of the urinary system (kidneys, bladder, ureter, urethra) is a type of urinary tract infection. Women are more prone to UTIs for anatomical reasons; bacteria can enter more easily and have a shorter distance to travel. However, all people, regardless of gender, are at...

10.5%, or just over 34 million people in the US population deal with diabetes, a condition that is caused by an imbalance of the body’s blood sugar (glucose). Glucose is an important source of fuel for the body’s muscles, tissues and the brain. Too much sugar in the blood will...

Prostate cancer is the second most common cancer in men (the first being skin cancer). According to the American Cancer Society there will be close to 200,000 new cases of prostate cancer this year, and over 33,000 prostate cancer deaths. Early detection of prostate cancer can make treatment safer and...

Kidney stones are solid masses or crystals that develop in the kidney or anywhere in the urinary tract, and over half a million people end up in emergency rooms for treatment. This painful condition can be caused by different things, and the type of kidney stone someone gets will vary...

While it’s a very delicate subject, the truth is that erectile dysfunction affects millions of men, and contrary to popular belief, it’s not just a problem faced by older men. In North America, for example, this affects about 20.7-57.8% of men with the numbers increasing with age. Erectile dysfunction can...

Incontinence is the loss of bladder control, and it often results in urinating at inconvenient, if not embarrassing, times, such as before you can get to the bathroom. Incontinence affects about 33 million men and women every day. It can directly affect your ability to socialize and can cause you...

Kidney stones are hard deposits made of minerals and salt that form in your urinary tract. Though kidney stones can affect people of all ages, they’re likeliest to occur at age 30 or older, and your risk increases as you get older. Though age increases your risk of kidney stones,...

Losing control of your bladder, whether due to laughing, coughing, disease, or other issues, is never funny. It’s embarrassing and can also be a sign of a deeper problem. Our expert Urologists Craig Herman, MD and Steven C. Kester, MD at the Urology Center of Florida in Pompano Beach have...

It’s normal for both women and men to experience weaker urine streams as they get older, but it’s an issue that affects men more often, usually because of benign prostatic hyperplasia, a non-cancerous enlargement of the prostate gland. However, there are other causes behind the problem, medically referred to as...

You may be worrying about how many times you get up in the night to use the bathroom or that your urine stream is weak, or perhaps you leak urine throughout the day. It may be due to a common noncancerous condition that affects aging men called benign prostatic hyperplasia...

Interstitial cystitis, or bladder pain syndrome, is a condition that causes chronic pain or pressure on the bladder. The signals that normally tell your brain that your bladder is full and needs to be emptied get mixed up.  This results in more frequent urges to urinate and trips to the...

If you have chronic constipation, there’s about a 50% chance it’s related to pelvic floor dysfunction. Pelvic floor dysfunction involves the muscles of your pelvic floor and your abdomen, and how they contract and relax when you have a bowel movement. The symptoms of pelvic floor dysfunction can vary, and...

Attempting to pleasure a partner and not being able to do so may be one of the worst feelings in the world. It’s natural to feel embarrassed or down when you can’t achieve or maintain an erection during sex, but there’s good news: You can regain control of your sex...

The American Cancer Society predicts that nearly 175,000 new cases of prostate cancer will be diagnosed this year in the United States, making it the most common cancer among men outside of skin cancer. Like any cancer, early detection is key, which is where prostate cancer screening comes in. At...

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are a year-round concern, especially for women, who are four times as likely to develop one, but the summer presents some unique challenges. UTIs lead to 10 million doctor visits each year. As much as we like seeing our patients here at the Urology Center of...

It happened again. You sneezed or had a good chuckle and momentarily lost control of your bladder. It’s inconvenient and embarrassing, but don’t despair -- you have options. Once you learn the facts about female urinary incontinence (UI), you’ll be on the road to fewer leaks and more confidence. Female...

Millions of men over age 50 likely have some benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) or enlargement of the prostate gland that may be related to the natural aging process. If you’re over 50, you have a 50% chance of developing BPH. If you’re over 80, your odds of having BPH climb...

Whether you’re a seasoned veteran of kidney stones or you’re at risk of becoming initiated into this painful world, prevention is by far the best way to deal with the condition. By knowing your risk factors and making a few changes to your lifestyle, you can stay one step ahead...

Have you noticed your urine is pink, reddish, or discolored? A number of health issues ranging from the harmless to the more serious can be behind this symptom so it's important to get it checked out. Here at the Urology Center of Florida in Pompano Beach, Drs. Craig Herman and...