When Should I Call A Doctor
Your symptoms may not bother you too much. But itâs important to talk over any urinary problems with your doctor.
Itâs hard to predict how BPH will play out, and you canât assume that the problem will get better on its own. Your doctor also will want to rule out things that cause similar problems.
Some symptoms need quick medical attention. If you have any of these, call your doctor right away or head to an emergency room:
- You canât urinate at all.
- You have to pee frequently, itâs painful, and you have fever and chills.
- You have blood in your urine.
- You feel a great deal of pain in your lower belly and urinary tract.
Show Sources
National Institutes of Health: National Institute of Diabetes, Digestive and Kidney Diseases — Prostate Enlargement: Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia.
Cleveland Clinic: Diseases and Conditions — Benign Prostatic Enlargement .
Johns Hopkins Medicine Health Library: Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia.
Mayo Clinic: Diseases and Conditions — Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia .
When To Get Concerned About An Enlarged Prostate
Common symptoms of BPH involve difficulty beginning to urinate, straining to urinate, dribbling at the end, and a decreased force of the stream. This occurs because the prostate surrounds the urethra and its enlargement will squeeze the urethra making it difficult to urinate.
When symptoms begin to affect your quality of life, it is time to see McIver Clinic. It is time to decide on a treatment that is right for you depending on your age and the severity of your symptoms.
Do not ignore painful or burning urination, painful ejaculation, blood in the urine or semen, frequent pain in the lower back, hips, pelvic or rectal area.
Possible complications from untreated BPH include the following:
- Urinary retention
- Chronic prostatitis causing chronic pelvic syndrome with pain in the lower back, groin, and tip of the penis
- Bacteria infections
How Does Having A Prostate Affect Sex In Trans Women
Some trans women who have had vaginoplasty report self-lubrication of the vagina this may be fluid from the prostate. Not all trans women who have had vaginoplasty experience this. Stimulation of the prostate during vaginal sex can be another source of sexual pleasure.
The prostate gland is sensitive. Stimulation of the prostate gland can be enjoyable for cis men, trans women and non-binary people, for example through anal sex or using fingers or sex toys.
You May Like: Where Is The Prostate Cancer
What Is Your Prostate And What Does It Do
Your prostate is a small gland that lives inside your body, just below your bladder. It sits around the urethra, which is the tube that carries pee from your bladder through your penis. Only men have a prostate.
Your prostate produces some of the fluids contained in your semen, the liquid that transports sperm. This liquid contains special enzymes and hormones that help your sperm cells function properly, which means the prostate plays a key part in your fertility. The muscles in your prostate also help push semen through your urethra when you ejaculate.
How Do You Find It
Youll need to head south along the back road to find it in a magical place called the anal region.
Although entering through the anus is the most direct way, you can also stimulate the prostate indirectly through the perineum, or taint.
This is the skin that runs underneath the scrotum to the anus.
Dont Miss: What Happens If Prostate Cancer Goes Untreated
Don’t Miss: Growth On Prostate Is It Cancer
How Your Doctor Can Help
If you have one or more of these symptoms, its important to talk with your doctor about a treatment plan. Treatments for BPH include medication, minimally invasive therapies, and surgery. You can also try lifestyle changes to control symptoms. And sometimes the symptoms get better even without treatment, according to the Mayo Clinic. The best news? Although they can produce similar symptoms, enlarged prostate has no connection to prostate cancer.
What Are The Symptoms Of An Enlarged Prostate
Men with enlarged prostates experience some common symptoms that can get worse over time. With that said, symptoms arent linked to the size of the enlarged prostate. You can have a larger prostate and experience no symptoms or less severe symptoms than someone with a smaller prostate.
Here are the most common symptoms:
- Frequent or urgent urination
- Trouble emptying your bladder completely
- Nocturia, or increased urination at night
- Inability or difficulty with starting urination
- Weak urine stream
- UTIs or urinary tract infections
- Blood in urine
There are several conditions that can mimic these symptoms. For example, kidney stones or cancer. Thats why its important to seek medical intervention as soon as you begin to notice anything abnormal.
Recommended Reading: Dog Dewormer For Prostate Cancer
What Is Bph And How Does It Affect Me
The prostate gland surrounds the urethra and assists in reproduction. As a man ages, the prostate gets larger and begins to put pressure on the bladder and urethra, causing uncomfortable symptoms. It may be responsible for blocking the flow of urine out of the bladder, and can cause issues in the bladder, urinary tract, or kidneys.
If You Are Diagnosed With Bph
Taken together, these tests will help your healthcare provider determine whether you have BPH and if you do, how severe it is. If you have BPH, your healthcare provider should provide you with information on whether simply monitoring your symptoms is a reasonable option, or whether treatment is a better option.
BPH can be treated medically or surgically in some cases.
Also Check: My Husband Has Prostate Cancer
What Are The Signs And Symptoms Of An Enlarged Prostate
An enlarged prostate is the most common cause of urinary problems in men as they get older. Possible symptoms include:
- a weak flow when you urinate
- a feeling that your bladder hasnt emptied properly
- difficulty starting to urinate
- dribbling urine after you finish urinating
- needing to urinate more often, especially at night
- a sudden urge to urinate you may sometimes leak before you get to the toilet.
You may not get all of these symptoms, and some men with an enlarged prostate dont get any symptoms at all. These symptoms can also be caused by other things, such as cold weather, anxiety, other health problems, lifestyle factors, and some medicines. Blood in your urine may be a symptom of an enlarged prostate. But this is rare and is usually caused by something else.
If you have any of the symptoms above, you should visit your GP to find out what may be causing them.
Possible Cancer Protection From Prostate Drugs
Early research suggested that 5-alpha-reductase inhibitors , a class of drugs used to treat prostate enlargement, might increase the risk of developing more aggressive prostate cancer. However, newer studies have found that not only do the drugs appear to pose no extra risk, they may even protect against prostate cancer.
For instance, research from the Prostate Cancer Prevention Trial study in 2013 showed that taking the 5-ARI finasteride for seven years could lower the chance of getting low-grade prostate cancer by 25% among men ages 55 and older. A follow-up study of almost 9,500 men, published in the Nov. 1, 2018, issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, also showed that finasteride lowered the risk by a similar amount , and found the protective effect lasted for at least 16 years.
Read Also: Success Rate Of Prostate Surgery
Dont Wait To Seek Treatment
At Gulf Coast Urology, we take your urological health very seriously. That’s why we’re big believers in early intervention and detection. Even though an enlarged prostate is a benign issue, the symptoms can be a pain. Don’t worry, you dont need to live with discomfort. If youre experiencing any issues,contact ustoday to schedule an appointment.
You Might Also Enjoy…
What You Can Do
The best thing to do is** create a bladder diary to log your symptoms**, and bring it to your doctor. If the onset of symptoms is acute or sudden, its less likely to be BPH. Gradual onset of symptoms, and weak or slow urine flow is more likely to be BPH, or related condition. OAB is usually associated with more urinary tract infections, although there is some overlap.
Read Also: Prostate Urine Risk Pur Test
Is It Hard To Achieve A Prostate Orgasm
As Lehmiller notes, there is limited research on prostate orgasms, so personal experimentation is important.
That trial and error process can be time-consuming. Some prostate owners achieve the big O on the first go-around, while others have to have a bit of practice before finding what works, Saynt says. It also doesnt help that some prostate owners feel ashamed or less manly when partaking prostate play: The internalized shame and feelings of inadequacy could cause mental blocks which prevent the free release of the natural sex drugs our brains release when we are at our most heightened sense of pleasure, he says. This fear is a trauma which many men will never get past, making enjoyable and healthy practices like prostate orgasm impossible.
Thus, its important for partnersespecially vulva-ownersto be supportive. If youre helping your partner achieve a prostate orgasm for the first time, take it slow dont use toys or fingers until your partner is ready, and have frequent conversations with your partner about what they do and do not like. You can even ask them to demonstrate how they masturbate with their prostate.
Behind An Enlarged Prostate
Before we jump into the signs of an enlarged prostate, lets quickly take a look at the location and role of this gland, which will help you better understand the side effects of BPH.
Your prostate gland surrounds your urethra, and its main responsibility is to produce semen. With BPH, the cells of your prostate begin to multiply, enlarging your prostate and placing pressure on your urethra, which is what accounts for the symptoms we discuss below.
Read Also: Prostate Cancer In Older Men
When To Seek Medical Advice
See a GP if you have any of the symptoms of an enlarged prostate .
Even if the symptoms are mild, they could be caused by a condition that needs to be investigated.
Any blood in your urine must be investigated by a GP to rule out other more serious conditions.
Page last reviewed: 10 February 2020 Next review due: 10 February 2023
How Is Bph Diagnosed And Evaluated
Early diagnosis of BPH is important because if left untreated it can lead to urinary tract infections, bladder or kidney damage, bladder stones and incontinence. Distinguishing BPH from more serious diseases like prostate cancer is important.
Tests vary from patient to patient, but the following are the most common:
Recommended Reading: Can Your Prostate Affect Bowel Movements
Should I Be Concerned About An Enlarged Prostate
Posted on by McIver Clinicin BPH, Enlarged Prostate
Benign prostatic hyperplasia or BPH is what is known as an enlarged prostate. It may sound scary, but should you be concerned about an enlarged prostate? This depends on your age, whether you are symptomatic, and how severe those symptoms are. Heres a bit more detail!
Signs And Symptoms Of An Enlarged Prostate
An enlarged prostate presses, pinches or causes a blockage in the urethra. The urethra carries urine from the bladder to outside the body. The direct effects of an enlarged prostate are manifested by difficulty in the discharge of urine. These difficulties could be in the form of:
1. Frequent and sudden urges to discharge urine
2. Difficulty starting a urine stream
3. Weak urine stream and
4. Dribbling urine.
If left untreated, the effects of an enlarged prostate can cause the following complications:
1. Acute Urine retention. This is a complete inability to pass urine. Medical attention must be sought immediately if this occurs
2. Urinary tract infections
Also Check: Best Cancer Center For Prostate Cancer
Diagnosing Benign Prostate Enlargement
You might have several different tests to find out if you have an enlarged prostate.
A GP may do some of these tests, such as a urine test, but others might need to be done at a hospital.
Some tests may be needed to rule out other conditions that cause similar symptoms to BPE, such as prostate cancer.
How Do I Know If My Prostate Is Enlarged
If your prostate is enlarged, it may not be a sign of cancer, but it is something that you should discuss with your doctor. Many of the symptoms of an enlarged prostate tend to relate to urination. If you are concerned about an enlarged prostate, here are 7 symptoms to look for:
Don’t Miss: How Dangerous Is Prostate Surgery
What Are The Symptoms Of Enlarged Prostate
When the prostate becomes enlarged, it can block the urethra and impair bladder function. Symptoms that may indicate this is happening include:
- Urinating many times a day and being unable to hold off urination
- Problems starting a urine stream or a weak or interrupted stream, followed by dribbling at the end
- Waking at night to urinate and accidental loss of urine
When To See A Doctor
Consult with your doctor if you experience any of the symptoms discussed on this page particularly if they have been going on for a while. You will need a thorough work-up to determine the underlying cause, which may or may not be prostate cancer.
Its important to understand that other diseases or disorders can share these same symptoms. Benign prostatic hyperplasia , also called enlargement of the prostate, and are quite common. Men with these benign conditions can experience symptoms more often and more severely than men with prostate cancer.
Erectile dysfunction is relatively common, especially as one ages, and can also have causes unrelated to prostate cancer, such as smoking or cardiovascular disease. Experiencing a lower amount of fluid during ejaculation can be related to something as simple as diet or dehydration.
Its important to keep track of your symptoms, determining whats normal or abnormal for your own body. If you are worried about a particular symptom, or if its interfering with a relationship, you should discuss your concerns with your primary care physician.
Prostate Cancer | Bills Story
Also Check: What Supplements Are Good For The Prostate
Frequent Urination Especially At Night
You might also feel the need to pee more often. This can happen because your urine stream stops before your bladder has emptied, so you quickly feel the need to go again.
Youre never really getting all the pee out, Dr. Linehan explains, because the enlarged prostate can block the urinary channel. Since your bladder isnt empty, you wont get the sensation of having just voided it. And you may start to get up at night to go, Linehan adds. Usually if thats happening, the prostate has some type of involvement.
What Is The Prostate
The prostate is a walnut-sized gland that rests just below the bladder. It surrounds the urethra, the tube that carries urine from the bladder out of the body. The prostate plays a critical role in the male reproductive system by helping to nourish sperm and direct it from the testicles when a man ejaculates.
You May Like: Monoclonal Antibody Therapy For Prostate Cancer
How Serious Is My Cancer
If you have prostate cancer, the doctor will want to find out how far it has spread. This is called the stage of the cancer. You may have heard other people say that their cancer was stage 1 or stage 2. Your doctor will want to find out the stage of your cancer to help decide what types of treatment might be best for you.
The stage is based on the growth or spread of the cancer through the prostate, and if it has spread to other parts of your body. It also includes your blood PSA level and the grade of the cancer. The prostate cancer cells are given a grade, based on how they look under a microscope. Those that look very different from normal cells are given a higher grade and are likely to grow faster. The grade of your cancer might be given as a Gleason score or a Grade Group . Ask your doctor to explain the grade of your cancer. The grade also can helpdecide which treatments might be best for you.
Your cancer can be stage 1, 2, 3, or 4. The lower the number, the less the cancer has spread. A higher number, like stage 4, means a more serious cancer that has spread outside the prostate.
If your cancer hasnt spread to other parts of the body, it might also be given a risk group. The risk group is based on the extent of the cancer in the prostate, your PSA level, and the results of the prostate biopsy. The risk group can help tell if other tests should be done, and what the best treatment options might be.