Enlarged Prostate - When Do I Need To Do Something About It
Health articles > Enlarged Prostate - When Do I Need To Do Something About It
Enlarged Prostate - When Do I Need To Do Something About It
Benign Prostatic Hypertrophy (BPH) (also known as Enlarging
Prostate, or EP) is a thickening of the prostate tissue
surrounding the urethra in older men that is associated with
problems with urination. It is a part of normal aging, and with
time some men are affected more than others
After age 50 most men begin to experience some prostate
problems. Fifty percent of men over 50 and 90% of men older than
80 have BPH. 6.4 million men visit a doctor for BPH every year.
Half of those consider medication or surgery for treatment. The
probability of eventually requiring surgery is 39%. The worst
outcomes are a
loss of sexual function with surgery, acute urinary
retention (the sudden inability to urinate caused by untreated
BPH) or damage to the kidneys and bladder. In half of cases BPH
reduces quality of life for men. Thirty six percent of spouses
of BPH men surveyed reported that BPH caused a lack of physical
intimacy in their relationships.
The prostate gland is a walnut sized organ in males that is
located just below the bladder. The prostate helps to create
semen.
Fluid created by the prostate is secreted into the urethra (the
tube in the penis that is both the conduit for urine as well as
semen)
where it combines with and protects sperm from the
testicles.
Semen protects
sperm
and plays an important role in male fertility.
Fertility isn't usually a major priority for most men over 50
unless they are in a relationship with a younger woman still in
her childbearing years who wants to have children. A more odious
condition is BPH. The prostate wraps around the urethra where it
exits from the bladder. As the prostate enlarges it squeezes off
the urethra, resulted in problems urinating, creating the need
to urinate frequently day and night, feelings of urgency to
urinate, not allowing the bladder to empty completely, and
creating weak urine flows that start and stop. BPH is diagnosed
by a rectal exam by your doctor.
BPH is not cancer, or a precursor to cancer -- and it does not
raise your risk for prostate cancer. The actual cause of
prostate enlargement is unknown. Aside from some link to aging,
the testicles may play a role in the growth of the gland. Men
who have had their testicles removed at a young age as a result
of testicular cancer or for another medical reason do not
develop BPH, probably as a result of the removal of
dihydrotestosterone, which has a stimulatory effect on prostate
tissue. Similarly, if after developing BPH, a man has his
testicles removed, the prostate begins to shrink in size.
Less than half of all men with BPH have symptoms of the disease,
which include frequent urination and urgency, urinating at
night, weak urine stream, straining to void, dribbling after
urination, and incomplete urination. Frequency is caused by
mechanical obstruction of the urethra, combined with a
thickening of the smooth muscle in the bladder wall secondary to
the increased resistance from the urethra. This causes the size
of the bladder cavity to become smaller, shortening the times
between urination, leading to numerous visits to the restroom.
Treatment is not necessary in the early stages of BPH. (Read
self care for BPH) Once you regularly (several times a week)
start urinating less then two hours after the last time you
went, have a feeling like your bladder is not empty after
urinating, stopped and started while urinating, had to push or
strain, or had a weak stream, can't postpone urinating, and have
to get up at night, it is time to do something about it. If you
have these problems only once and a while, you won't necessarily
benefit from treatment.
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