Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia: What You Need To Know?

Benign prostatic hyperplasia or BPH is a disorder in which your prostate gland becomes enlarged.

This condition is quite common in men aged 50 or above. Men who live long enough often experience enlarged prostate.

What exactly is benign prostatic hyperplasia?

Benign prostatic hyperplasia or BPH is a condition in men in which the prostate gland turns enlarged but not cancerous.

Benign prostatic blockage or benign prostatic hypertrophy are some other names for BPH.

Being a man, your prostate will experience at least two main development stages as your mature.

The first takes place early in puberty when your prostate doubles in size.

While the phase of second growth starts around the age of 25 years and continues during the entire man’s life.

Within the second growth phase, benign prostatic hyperplasia occurs.

As your prostate continues to increase, the gland forces against and squeezes your urethra. This makes the bladder wall thicker.

Ultimately, your bladder starts becoming weaker and loses its ability to empty fully, leaving little urine in the bladder.

Contraction of the urethra and urinary retention further cause complications linked with benign prostatic hyperplasia.

Though BPH is not cancerous but some of its symptoms can indicate more severe conditions like prostate cancer.

How does your prostate work?

The prostate is mainly a part of the male reproductive system and its main work is to create fluid for semen.

Its size is like a walnut and weighs almost an ounce. The prostate is present right below your bladder and opposite of your rectum. 

The prostate goes around a tube known as the urethra which carried urine from your bladder and out via the male sexual organ. 

Benign prostatic hyperplasia symptoms

Benign prostatic hyperplasia symptoms often differ from person to person.

Though the severity of your ailment can make symptoms worse sometimes.

Make sure you are aware of the warning indications of benign prostatic hyperplasia to get the right treatment & avoid complications.

Some major signs of benign prostatic hyperplasia include:

• Odor in urine
• Burning pain
• Leaking
• Blood while urinating
• No bladder control
• Pain after ejaculation
• Frequent urge to urinate
• Pain while urinating
• Not able to empty bladder
• Dribbling after urination
• Increased frequency of urination at night

Benign prostatic hyperplasia: Know its main causes

Benign prostatic hyperplasia often affects elderly men, however, its exact cause is yet unknown.

Before puberty, men who had removed their testicles do not suffer from benign prostatic hyperplasia ailment.

For this reason, it is thought that various factors linked to aging and the testicles contribute to benign prostatic hyperplasia.

With age, men experience decreased amounts of active testosterone in their blood. This further leads to a higher amount of estrogen.

BPH can also occur when your hormone changes cause prostate cell growth.

How common is benign prostatic hyperplasia in men?

Benign prostatic hyperplasia is a common prostate problem in men above the age of 50.

Benign prostatic hyperplasia rarely causes any symptoms before the age of 40 years, though its occurrence and symptoms increase as you age.

Almost 50% of men between the age group of 51 and 60 are affected by BPH and 90% of men above 80 years.

Can benign prostatic hyperplasia increase the risk of prostate cancer?

Having benign prostatic hyperplasia does not means you are at a raised risk of developing prostate cancer.

Though symptoms of BPH and prostate cancer can be similar.

While suffering from BPH, your doctor might have undetected prostate cancer at the same time.

Every year, men between the ages of 55-70 and experiencing prostate disease must undergo a prostate screening to find prostate cancer.

Your risk of developing prostate cancer is higher, if you are black or have a family history of this disease.

Begin prostate screenings at age 40, if you have a higher risk of developing prostate cancer.

Does benign prostatic hyperplasia come with any complications?

benign prostatic hyperplasia can result in the following complications if it is not treated promptly:

• Blood in urine
• Acute urinary retention
• Bladder stones
• Chronic or long-lasting urinary retention
• Kidney damage
• Urinary tract infections
• Bladder damage

Though, most men experiencing benign prostatic hyperplasia do not develop the above-stated complications.

But if kidney damage occurs, it can be a severe health threat to you.

Is Tadalafil safe for prostate?

Yes, Tadalafil is a safe medication for the prostate. Since 2011, Cialis(Tadalafil) has been approved by the FDA for the treatment of Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). Tadalafil makes the symptoms of BPH less severe and reduces the chances of prostate surgery.

When to visit a doctor?

Even if symptoms of benign prostatic hyperplasia do not bother you, meet your doctor once.

It is necessary to find out if there are any BPH causes that can be treated.

Without effective treatment, the risk of dangerous blockage of your urinary tract can happen.

Consult a doctor immediately, if you are unable to pass urine.

How benign prostatic hyperplasia is treated?

There are 4 major treatment options for benign prostatic hyperplasia disorder, including:

• Lifestyle changes
• Medicines
• Minimally invasive procedures
• Surgery

Let us know about them in detail-

Lifestyle changes

Men with mild or slightly bothersome symptoms of BPH can be recommended some lifestyle changes by a doctor.

Lifestyle changes usually include:

Practicing pelvic floor muscles exercises

Decreasing consumption of liquids, mainly before going out in public or before sleeping

Avoiding or treating constipation

Preventing or decreasing consumption of caffeinated beverages and alcohol

Training your bladder to hold more urine for long

Medicines

Depending on your condition, a doctor might recommend medicines to avert the growth of or shrink your prostate.

Your doctor can recommend alpha-blockers medications to relax the smooth muscles of the prostate and bladder neck.

In this way, urine flow is improved and bladder blockage is reduced quickly.

5-alpha reductase inhibitors are also helpful in averting the development of prostate growth or shrinking prostate in some men.

Minimally invasive procedures

When medicines prove ineffective, several minimally invasive procedures can provide you relief from benign prostatic hyperplasia.

Surgery

A urologist can suggest the removal of enlarged prostate tissue or making cuts in the prostate to broaden the urethra as a long-term treatment of BPH. 

Therefore, if you don’t want BPH to affect your quality of life then consult a doctor immediately as you experience BPH symptoms.