A wide variety of treatments are available for Benign Prostate Enlargement, including medication, minimally invasive therapies and surgery. The best treatment choice for you depends on several factors including:
- The size of your prostate
- Your age
- Your overall health
- The amount of discomfort or bother you are experiencing.
If your symptoms are tolerable, you might decide to postpone treatment and simply monitor your symptoms. For some men, symptoms can ease without treatment. Treatment options include:
Lifestyle changes: You may want to start off with things you can control. Making lifestyle changes such as drinking less fluid, especially before bedtime, and avoiding caffeine and alcohol can help to reduce the frequency and urgency of urination. You could also do the following:
- urinating as soon as you feel the urge
- going to the bathroom to urinate, even when you don’t feel the urge
- avoiding over-the-counter decongestants or antihistamine medications, which can make it harder for the bladder to empty
- reducing your stress level, as nervousness can increase the frequency of urination
- exercising regularly, as a lack of exercise can aggravate your symptoms
- learning and practicing Kegel exercises to strengthen your pelvic muscles
- keeping warm, since being cold can make symptoms worse
Medications: There are several medications that can help to relieve the symptoms of benign prostate enlargement. Alpha blockers, which relax the muscles in the prostate and bladder neck, can help to improve urine flow and reduce the frequency of urination. 5-alpha reductase inhibitors, which reduce the size of the prostate, may also be used to treat BPH.
Surgery: If your symptoms are severe or if you have a large prostate, your doctor may recommend surgery to remove part of the prostate gland. There are several surgical options including:
- transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP)
- laser prostatectomy
- open prostatectomy.
Minimally invasive procedures: There are several minimally invasive procedures that can be used to treat benign prostate enlargement. These include:
- transurethral microwave thermotherapy (TUMT)
- transurethral needle ablation (TUNA)
- transurethral water-induced thermotherapy (TWIT).
Your follow-up care: Your follow-up care will depend on the specific technique used to treat your enlarged prostate.
Your doctor might recommend limiting heavy lifting and excessive exercise for seven days if you have laser ablation, transurethral needle ablation or transurethral microwave therapy. If you have open or robot-assisted prostatectomy, you might need to restrict activity for six weeks. Work with your doctor to determine the best approach for your specific situation.