Enlarged Prostate Overview

The prostate is a walnut-sized male reproductive gland surrounding the urethra. The gland is responsible for producing the fluid part of the semen. With advancing age, prostate grows bigger than its normal size, leading to a condition of enlarged prostate or benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). BPH should not be confused with prostate cancer. An enlarged prostate is not equivalent to prostate cancer, nor does it increase your risk for prostate cancer. An enlarged prostate presses on the urethra causing urination and bladder problems.

An enlarged prostate is so common with advancing age that almost all men will suffer from this disorder provided they live long enough. A little prostate enlargement starts in a significant percent of men after the age of 40 years, and almost 90 percent of men over the age 80 years have an enlarged prostate.

The actual cause of prostate enlargement is still not clear. Its likelihood increases with age, but what factors link it to advancing age are unclear. The changing hormonal level in the body certainly appears to be one of the contributing factors. That is why men whose testicles have been removed at a young age (for example, due to testicular cancer) do not develop an enlarged prostate, signifying an absence of testicular hormones contributing to preventing BPH. Similarly, if testicles of a man who has an enlarged prostate are removed, prostate begins to shrink.

Symptoms of the enlarged prostate include frequent urge to urinate, especially during night time (more than two or three times per night); dribbling at the end of urination; urinary retention (inability to urinate); urination requiring straining; sudden, strong urge to urinate; pain with urination or blood with urination indicates infection; slow start of urinary stream; and weak urinary stream.

Men with a long standing enlarged prostate may witness an increase in the severity of symptoms, and over a period of time, may develop further complications, such as sudden urinary retention, blood in urine, urinary tract infection, urinary stones, and kidney damage.

If you are experiencing any symptoms of enlarged prostate; such as your urinary bladder not feeling empty even after you urinate, blood or pus in urine, back, side, or abdominal pain, frequent urination compared to what you considered normal for you, etc; it is advisable to visit your doctor right away. Your doctor will ask you to fill a form to test the severity of your symptoms, and then may go for certain tests like urine flow rate test, pressure flow studies (measures the pressure in the bladder during urination), urinalysis (to check for infections), urine culture, prostate-specific antigen (PSA) blood test (to screen for prostate cancer) and cystoscopy.

Treatment options will depend upon the severity of the symptoms and the presence of other medical conditions, if any. The first option is watchful waiting. If you have an enlarged prostate, a yearly examination is a must. For mild symptoms, there are various self-care measures one can adopt. These include urinating as soon as one gets the urge, avoid drinking a lot of fluid at once, avoid drinking water or fluid before going to bed, avoiding alcohol or caffeine before going to bed, exercising regularly, especially performing Kegal exercises to strengthen pelvic muscles.

If, however, medications are needed, then Alpha 1-blockers, Finasteride, Dutasteride, and antibiotics are prescribed. Some herbs are also used for treating an enlarged prostate, such as Saw Palmetto. However, if the situation reaches the stage of recurrent urinary tract infections, inability to pass urine, blood in urine, kidney failure, and such, doctors usually recommend prostate surgery.