Verified By Apollo Hospitals September 17, 2024
BPH stands for Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia. Benign means “not cancer,” and hyperplasia means too much growth. The result is that the prostate becomes enlarged. BPH is not linked to cancer and does not raise your chances of getting prostate cancer–yet the symptoms for BPH and prostate cancer can be similar.
BPH symptoms usually start after the age of 50. They can include:
At its worst, BPH can lead to:
BPH affects most men as they get older. It can lead to urinary problems like those with prostatitis. By age 60, many men have signs of BPH. By age 70, almost all men have some prostate enlargement. The prostate starts out about the size of a walnut. By the time a man is 40, it may have grown slightly larger, to the size of an apricot. By age 60, it may be the size of a lemon.
As a normal part of aging, the prostate enlarges and can press against the bladder and the urethra. This can slow down or block urine flow. Some men might find it hard to start a urine stream, even though they feel the need to go. Once the urine stream has started, it may be hard to stop. Other men may feel like they need to pass urine all the time or are awakened during sleep with the sudden need to pass urine.
Early BPH symptoms take many years to turn into bothersome problems. These early symptoms are a cue to see your doctor.
Urine flow of normal (left) and enlarged prostate (right). In diagram on the left, urine flows freely. On the right, urine flow is affected because of the prostate pressing on the bladder and urethra.
About half the men with BPH eventually have symptoms that are bothersome enough to need treatment. BPH cannot be cured, but drugs or surgery can often relieve its symptoms. BPH symptoms do not always grow worse.
There are three ways to manage BPH:
Talk with your doctor about the best choice for you. Your symptoms may change over time, so be sure to tell your doctor about any new changes.
Men with mild symptoms of BPH who do not find them bothersome often choose this approach.Watchful waiting means getting annual checkups. The checkups can include DREs and other tests (see “Types of Tests”). Treatment is started only if symptoms become too much of a problem.If you choose to live with symptoms, these simple steps can help:
There are two main types of drugs used. One type relaxes muscles near the prostate while the other type shrinks the prostate gland. There is evidence that shows that taking both drugs together may work best to keep BPH symptoms from getting worse.
The number of prostate surgeries has gone down over the years. But operations for BPH are still one of the most common surgeries for American men. Surgery is used when symptoms are severe or drug therapy has not worked well.
Types of surgeries include:
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