Prostate Enlargement

The prostate is a gland responsible for producing fluid that carries sperms. It is located below the bladder in men surrounding the urethra. Prostate enlargement is a condition in which this gland grows in size. A significant number of men get prostate enlargement as they get older.

Read further to know about the symptoms, causes, and treatment methods for this condition, including when you should see a doctor.

Symptoms of Prostate Enlargement

The severity of prostate enlargement symptoms varies from one person to another. As time passes, these symptoms may get worse. Common symptoms are as follows

• Weak urine stream
• Frequent urination
• An urgent need to urinate
• Dribbling when urination ends
• Urine stream characterized by stopping and starting
• Nocturia or high urination frequency at night
• Difficulty in the initiation of urination
• Inability to empty the bladder in a complete manner

Severe symptoms are as follows:

• Blood in urine
• Urination inability
• Urinary tract infection

Causes of Prostate Gland Enlargement

The location of the prostate gland is beneath the bladder. The urethra passes through the center of this gland and is surrounded by it. When prostate gland enlargement happens, it begins to block urine flow.

It’s not entirely clear to medical experts why exactly the prostate enlarges. Many believe that it is because of sex hormone changes as men grow older. 

When to see a doctor

If you suffer from urinary problems as a male in your advanced years, you should immediately consult a doctor. Even if your urinary symptoms are not severe, you should still visit a doctor as there may be an underlying cause. Such problems, if left untreated, may cause urinary tract obstruction. Inability to pass urine is a good reason to see a doctor.

Request an appointment at Apollo Spectra Hospitals, Call 1860 500 2244 to book an appointment.

Treatment of Enlarged Prostate

The various treatment options for enlarged prostate are as follows:

Medication: This is the most common treatment option for prostate enlargement. Your doctor will recommend medication to treat prostate gland enlargement when symptoms are mild to moderate. Such medications include alpha-blockers, 5-alpha reductase inhibitors, combination drug therapy, and Tadalafil (Cialis).

Minimally Invasive Surgical Therapy: Your doctor will recommend this if the prescribed medication does not work or if the enlarged prostate gland symptoms are moderate to severe. The various types of minimally invasive surgical therapies include Transurethral Resection of the Prostate (TURP), Transurethral Incision of the Prostate (TUIP), Transurethral Microwave Thermotherapy (TUMT), and Transurethral Needle Ablation (TUNA).

Laser Surgery: In this surgery, a high-energy laser eliminates prostate tissue that has overgrown. The laser surgery options consist of Enucleation procedures and Ablative procedures.

Prostatic urethral lift (PUL): In this procedure, special tags are used to compress the prostate sides to increase urine flow.

To get these treatments, you need to consult a physician/surgeon.

Conclusion

The condition in which the size of the prostate gland grows bigger than normal is known as prostate enlargement. This happens to most men as they grow older. In this problem, men may develop certain symptoms related to urinary problems that are mostly mild to moderate but can sometimes be severe. While this condition is mostly not very serious, you should still not ignore it and consult a physician by searching “general medicine doctor near me”.