But in general, this penile problem comes to men as they get older. There are various forms of it - difficulty in starting the urine stream, hesitancy as it flows, inability to empty the bladder, needing to pee frequently - and though there are several possible causes, the culprit is nearly always an enlarged prostate gland.

(By the way, difficulty in peeing when other people are around is not related to enlargement of the prostate. That's just a condition that's come to be known as "pee shyness" or parauresis - you can look it up on the internet.)

Although, as I hinted above, difficulty with peeing can be caused by things such as irritation due to cystitis or prostatitis, the usual cause of urinary difficulty in men is an enlarged prostate. Benign enlargement of the prostate is a very common condition in men over 40 - which is why a routine yearly prostate exam is recommended for them; although this involves a physical examination, it can help diagnose the problem early. In cases where the prostate has enlarged so that it is blocking the urethra, a simple surgical procedure known as transurethral resection can cure this; there are other treatments involving drugs, but you'd be well advised to do a lot of research in the consequences of different treatments to check which is right for you. Some can cause impotence.

More information

UK Prostate Cancer Charity

National Kidney and Urologic Diseases Information Clearing House

Finally, if you do have prostate cancer - that's the non-benign form - don't be too quick to have a prostatectomy (removal of the prostate.) Old age kills a lot more men with prostate cancer than the cancer does, and surgery will leave you impotent and most likely with a non-existent sex-life.