What Are the Symptoms of Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia?

 

The symptoms of prostate enlargement, or benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), vary from person to person. About half of men with BPH have no noticeable symptoms. However, other men have symptoms that can range from mild to very troublesome and even severe.

If you have lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) due to BPH, you may experience:

  • A weak, dribbling flow of urine even though you know you need to go and are straining, or a flow that stops and starts; you may notice this more at night
  • Urine flow that doesn’t start for a few minutes, even though you are straining (hesitancy)
  • The feeling that your bladder is not emptying completely
  • The feeling that you need to get up and go to the bathroom all the time, sometimes to the point where you can’t go out without knowing where a bathroom is (frequency)
  • The feeling that you have to get to the bathroom immediately (urgency)
  • A bladder that leaks urine as soon as you do something that reminds you of needing to go, like turning on a water faucet or getting up at night (irritability)
  • Leaking of urine after you have finished urinating (dribbling)
  • Needing to get up at night to urinate 

If you have these symptoms, you may be among many men who feel embarrassment and find yourself cutting back on your daily activities to cope.Urinary symptoms are plenty enough reason for you to see your doctor. This is especially true if they are troublesome – but you have very good reasons to see your doctor even if your symptoms are relatively mild. If you have BPH, it can progress to cause more serious problems, such as overflow leakage of urine from your bladder, the sudden inability to empty a full bladder (acute urinary retention) or kidney failure. Your doctor can monitor your condition and advise you on ways to prevent these problems. Your doctor will also screen you for any possible signs of prostate cancer.

If I Have Urinary Symptoms, Do I Have BPH or Prostate Cancer?

Unfortunately, there is no way to know from your symptoms alone. Early on, prostate cancer doesn’t always cause symptoms. As it progresses, it may cause urinary symptoms very similar to BPH. Ultimately prostate cancer causes still more problems as it spreads, but you don’t want to wait that long. Be sure to see your doctor if you have urinary symptoms, even if you don’t want medical or surgical treatment for BPH at the moment. You should also see your doctor if you have any problems or concerns relating to prostate cancer at all. Your doctor will check for the possibility of prostate cancer and will either give you the reassuring news that it’s not there, or will catch it earlier, when it is easier to treat.

 

Latest Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia News
US FDA OKs Eli Lilly's Cialis for enlarged prostate

October 7, 2011 —

Saw palmetto doesn't ease urinary symptoms: study

September 27, 2011 — NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A new study concludes that saw palmetto, a plant extract sold as a natural boost to urinary health, actually doesn't improve symptoms of enlarged prostate in middle-aged men.

Prostate drugs raise risk of prostate cancer: FDA

June 9, 2011 — WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A class of drugs meant to improve symptoms of an enlarged prostate gland actually increase the chance of getting a more serious form of prostate cancer, health officials said on Thursday.

Select news items provided by Reuters Health