Diagnosed with an Enlarged Prostate: What’s Next?

One of the many conditions that tend to affect men over 50 years old is benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), or enlarged prostate. In some cases, BPH can begin as early as 30 years old. But you should know that it’s non-cancerous, although it can have symptoms similar to prostate cancer.

In men, the prostate is a significant organ in the reproductive system. It’s where fluid and semen are produced, and this gland will naturally begin to grow by age 25. The growth period continues throughout the man’s life, with most developing BPH. Professionals believe it’s due to natural cell growth with a mix of hormone changes from testosterone and dihydrotestosterone.

What are the Signs & Symptoms of an Enlarged Prostate?

Having an enlarged prostate can be very uncomfortable. It produces problems that can affect your way of life. Some of these symptoms are the following:

• Straining to urinate
• “Stop-Start” urination
• Frequent or urgent urination
• Problems with the flow of urine
• Getting up in the night to urinate
• Not being able to empty the bladder completely
• Dribbling at the end of urinating

These symptoms can lead to kidney and bladder problems. In addition, there are also less common signs to watch out for, such as urinary tract infections, incontinence, and blood in the urine.

How Enlarged Prostate is Diagnosed

If you experience the symptoms mentioned above, it’s time for you to visit your doctor. You will want to discuss with them what you’re feeling and how to manage or treat it. Likely, they will ask you to complete a survey about your symptoms and your family medical history.

Once done, they might do a physical exam, which involves a digital rectal exam. Here, they will put on a glove and insert their finger into your rectum to determine your prostate’s current size and shape. Other tests include:

• Blood tests for kidney problems
• Urine tests to look for infections or other problems that may be causing your symptoms
• PSA (prostate-specific antigen) blood test to determine your PSA levels, which the doctor can use to screen for prostate cancer
• Ultrasounds for prostate and bladder
• Biopsy to rule out cancer
• Urine flow test
• Evaluation of your bladder function through urodynamics testing
• Cystourethroscopy

What is the best treatment for enlarged prostate?

After you’re diagnosed, your doctors will find a treatment for enlarged prostate that works for you, which will depend on certain factors. They will handle your case based on your age, health, the size of the prostate, and how it affects you. However, there are also treatments or remedies that you can safely do at home.

Self-Care Remedies

If you have mild symptoms, you can start by doing some remedies at home to help manage them. Some of these are as follows:

• Avoid drinking caffeine and alcohol
• Spread out fluids during the day
• Don’t drink fluids two hours before bedtime
• Avoid medicines with decongestants or antihistamines as they increase BPH symptoms
• Exercise regularly to strengthen your pelvic muscles
• Reduce stress, as lack of relaxation can increase the need to urinate
• If necessary, use incontinence products (pads, catheters, handheld urinals, etc.)

Medicine

In terms of medications, your doctor may prescribe alpha-1 blockers that are used to treat high blood pressure. But these are also prescribed to relax the prostate and bladder neck, which eases urination. Many people taking alpha-1 blockers see improvement within three to seven days.

Finasteride and dutasteride can shrink your gland while lowering its hormone levels. As a result, you will experience an increased urine flow rate and decreased BPH symptoms. However, it has side effects like impotence and decreased sex drive. Additionally, you may need to take it for three to six months before seeing the difference.

Procedures

If lifestyle changes, home remedies, and medications don’t work, you can opt to have minimally-invasive procedures or surgeries. Most of the time, prostate surgery is recommended if you experience the following:

• Incontinence
• Urinary retention
• Frequent urinary tract infections
• Decrease in kidney functions
• Bladder stones

Knowing what latest treatments for enlarged prostate can help you and your doctor determine what kind of surgery is best for you. It also depends on the severity of your symptoms and the size and shape of your prostate gland. Here are some procedures to consider:

• Water vapor thermal therapy: A small camera is inserted in the urethra, and a small needle is introduced into the prostate gland. It will then inject steam to treat and shrink the tissue.
• Prostatic urethral lift: Deploys small sutures or strings with metal ends to compress and prop open the prostate.
• Transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP): This is the most prevalent and well-proven surgical treatment, in which a scope is placed through the penis, and the prostate is removed piece by piece.
• Simple prostatectomy: It’s a type of surgery that removes part of the prostate gland through a cut in your lower belly. 

It’s worth noting that with less invasive procedures, patients will more likely need to do the surgery again after five to ten years. So they’re not a permanent solution and aren’t proven to be better than TURP.

Tackling Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia or Enlarged Prostate with the Right Treatment

An enlarged prostate doesn’t necessarily give you a poor quality of life. It’s indeed an annoyance, especially in the early stages. But finding the right enlarged prostate treatment plan and practicing self-care remedies can help. But for those with severe symptoms, procedures are always available to fix it.

If you’re looking for a better way to manage your enlarged prostate, you can use incontinence products and intermittent catheters from Medical Monks. These will give you the peace of mind you need while out and about.