3 Signs Of Prostate Cancer You Should Never Ignore

The prostate gland is located underneath your bladder and urethra. When you urinate, the bladder pushes its contents into the prostate—which has a tubular opening to let the urine pass through—and then into the urethra.

As you age, your prostate grows—which can be known as benign prostate hyperplasia, or an enlarged prostate—and that tends to cause urination changes. But a tumor growing in your prostate can cause similar problems peeing, too.

These urinary problems include a slow urinary stream, increased frequency, more urgency, and a sensation of incomplete bladder emptying, says Dr. Wysock. That may mean you’ll feel the urge to pee right after you just went.

Seeing blood when you pee or blood when you ejaculate is not normal, and should get checked out whenever it happens, according to Dr. Wysock. It may be a symptom of prostate cancer, or come from another cause like infection or inflammation. Either way, schedule an appointment with your primary care doctor.

Keep in mind that having zero ejaculation, though, is rarely a sign of prostate cancer, he adds. That’s more likely to be a problem with blocked ejaculation ducts, he says, or it may be a side effect of taking medication for benign prostastic hyperplasia, a noncancerous enlargement of the prostate gland.

If prostate cancer has spread outside of the gland, it tends to affect nearby tissues and bones, including the lower back and spine. It can press on the spinal nerves, causing pain or numbness, and cause tightness in the muscles, depending on where the cancer cells are located. Dr. Wysock emphasizes that diagnosing prostate cancer as a result of low back pain is very rare, although it is possible.

This article originally appeared on Men’s Health.