Large Prostate With Significant Symptoms
For patients who have moderate or severe symptoms that have failed medical therapy from very enlarged prostates, the optimal treatment is often surgery. For very enlarged prostates, there are four main surgical options:
Diagnosing An Enlarged Prostate
As with all incontinence conditions, a thorough diagnosis must be developed before action can be taken. You may have heard of some of these exams. And if you havent, now is a good time to familiarize yourself with them. Not only is knowledge power, but it also eliminates surprises.
Because those with BPH can experience symptoms from mild to severe, the treatment options featured here are organized from least invasive to more intense.
Can An Enlarged Prostate Be Cured
An enlarged prostatealso referred to as benign prostatic hyperplasia is a common condition among men as they grow older. It is characterized by the natural enlargement of the prostate, a small gland situated between the bladder and penis. The urethra, or the tube that carries urine from the bladder to the penis, is surrounded by the prostate, and often becomes squeezed and compressed as a result of prostate enlargement. This can cause a weakened urine stream and related issues like a frequent urge to urinate and difficulty sleeping through the night.
Prostate enlargement tends to come with age. While its difficult to completely reverse an enlarged prostate, there are several treatments that can relieve symptoms, reduce the size of the prostate and help restore normal urine flow. In fact, many men with prostate enlargement are able to achieve a positive quality of life with non-surgical treatments.
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What Causes Prostate Cancer
Experts have not been able to pinpoint the reason that cells within your prostate become cancerous. However, a number of factors appear to play some part in triggering the process.
Your cells have specific instructions regarding what theyre supposed to do: when to grow, when to divide and form new cells, and when to die. They get those instructions from your genes, which you inherit from your parents, and which are made up of DNA, a chemical within your cells. That DNA can be damaged, causing genes to send the wrong instructions to your cells. For example, genes that normally help prevent cells from growing out of control may stop working properly. And that may lead to cancer.
Why does this happen? In some cases, you inherit faulty genes from one or both of your parents, or you have a family history of other types of cancers.
What Does A Prostate Orgasm Feel Like
P-spot orgasms are said to feel similar to penile orgasms, only way more intense and felt through the entire body.
There are reports of people having super orgasms, which are a stream of fast, continuous orgasms that cause the body to shudder.
Not everyone ejaculates during a prostate orgasm, but some release a dribble of milky fluid from the urethra.
A little bit of prep can help make the experience a good one whether youre flying solo, or on the giving or receiving end of things.
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Study Raises Biological Questions
Researchers say the findings raise several questions about the biological role of sexual activity and ejaculation in the development of prostate cancer.
Leitzmann says that until now, sexual activity had been associated with prostate cancer risk due to the hormone hypothesis. The male sex hormone testosterone is known to spur the growth of prostate cancer cells and it also fuels the male sex drive. Therefore, it had been proposed that very sexually active men had a higher risk of prostate cancer because they had higher testosterone levels.
But he says this theory has its shortcomings because testosterone levels alone do not predict prostate cancer risk and they do not appear to correlate with sexual desire as much as previously thought.
Instead, researchers say ejaculation may protect the prostate through a variety of biological mechanisms that merit further research, such as:
- Flushing out cancer-causing substances. Frequent ejaculation may help flush out retained chemical carcinogens in the prostate glands.
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Reducing tension. The release of psychological tension that accompanies ejaculation may lower nervous activity associated with stress and slow the growth of potentially cancerous cells in the prostate.
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Promoting rapid turnover of fluids. Frequent ejaculation may help prevent the development of mini-crystals that can block ducts within the prostate gland, reducing cancer risk.
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Tips For Coping With An Enlarged Prostate
When a man reaches about age 25, his prostate begins to grow. This natural growth is called benign prostatic hyperplasia and it is the most common cause of prostate enlargement. BPH is a benign condition that does not lead to prostate cancer, though the two problems can coexist.
Although 50% to 60% of men with BPH may never develop any symptoms, others find that BPH can make life miserable. The symptoms of BPH include:
- a hesitant, interrupted, weak urine stream
- urgency, leaking, or dribbling
- a sense of incomplete emptying
- more frequent urination, especially at night.
As a result, many men seek treatment. The good news is that treatments are constantly being improved. Patients and their physicians now have more medications to choose from, so if one doesn’t do the trick, another can be prescribed. And thanks to some refinements, surgical treatments are more effective and have fewer side effects than ever before.
But there are some things men dealing with BPH can do on their own. When symptoms are not particularly bothersome, watchful waiting may be the best way to proceed. This involves regular monitoring to make sure complications aren’t developing, but no treatment. For more troubling symptoms, most doctors begin by recommending a combination of lifestyle changes and medication. Often this will be enough to relieve the worst symptoms and prevent the need for surgery
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Resistance And Aerobic Exercises
It is said that staying active is good for the prostate along with general health. So you should practice some simple exercises if you are serious about learning how to treat enlarged prostate at home. The fact is, inactivity leads to obesity, which is among the potential risk factors of enlarged prostate. Even a small amount of exercise such as resistance and aerobic exercise could help in reducing urinary problems resulted by an enlarged prostate and could even prevent this condition.
You can incorporate aerobic exercises such as jogging, running, walking, tennis, basketball, and rowing into your everyday exercise regime.
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When To Contact A Medical Professional
- Less urine than usual
- Back, side, or abdominal pain
- Blood or pus in your urine
Also call if:
- Your bladder does not feel completely empty after you urinate.
- You take medicines that may cause urinary problems, such as diuretics, antihistamines, antidepressants, or sedatives. DO NOT stop or change your medicines without talking to your provider.
- You have tried self-care steps for 2 months and symptoms have not improved.
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Its Complicated: Enlarged Prostate And Sex
BPH and sexual function
Prostate enlargement, also known as benign prostatic hyperplasia , and erectile dysfunction are separate problems. Both increase with age, but one causes problems in the bathroom and the other in the bedroom. However, the two are somewhat linked.
BPH happens when your prostate becomes enlarged, but cancer isnt the cause. A mans prostate continues growing throughout most of his adult life. This is why many older men are affected by the condition.
ED is the inability to get or maintain an erection. It can be caused by physical conditions such as:
It can also be caused by psychological issues.
These two conditions dont necessarily seem linked, but certain treatments that relieve BPH can cause ED and other sexual side effects. On the other hand, treating ED can improve enlarged prostate symptoms.
- inability to empty the bladder
- a weak urine stream
A surgery called transurethral resection of the prostate can help relieve these symptoms. Men who have this procedure often experience sexual side effects after surgery.
Between 50 and 75 percent of men experience retrograde ejaculation after TURP, according to Harvard Medical School. This means that semen released during orgasm enters the bladder rather than exiting the penis. Retrograde ejaculation is sometimes called dry orgasm. Its not harmful but can affect male fertility.
How Common Is Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia
BPH is the most common prostate problem in men. Almost all men will develop some enlargement of the prostate as they grow older. By age 60, 50% of men will have some signs of BPH by age 85, 90% of men will have signs of the condition. About half of these men will develop symptoms that need to be treated.
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Stay Clear Of The Cold
Cold temperatures can make you feel like you need the toilet so during the winter months , make sure you wrap up warm when going outside. Also, when you are outside try not to sit on any cold benches as the chill may worsen any existing BPH symptoms – a hat, scarf, warm jacket and gloves should help to counteract this further.
Persistent Ejaculation And Prostatitis
One study has found a connection between persistent ejaculations and the occurrence of chronic prostatitis, which is inflammation of the prostate over a period of time longer than 3 months.
Symptoms and signs of chronic prostatitis include the following:
- Post-ejaculatory pain is a hallmark of the condition.
- Perineal or pelvic pain without any evidence of a urinary tract infection, which lasts longer than 3 months.
- Pain can be present in the perineum, testes, tip of the penis and the pubic or bladder area.
- Pain which radiates to the back and rectum and makes sitting down uncomfortable.
- Arthralgia.
- Erectile difficulties.
- Sexual dysfunction.
The reason for this is because persistent ejaculation causes buildup of lactic acid and free radicals. These products are not cleared properly by the liver because its activity is suppressed by stress hormones released during the ejaculatory process. The buildup of these products then leads to inflammation of the prostatic tissue.
Masturbation and testicular size
Testicular size can be negatively affected by the following issues:
There are literally over a hundred conditions that can cause testicular atrophy but masturbation is really one activity that one shouldnt worry about causing this issue.
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Home Remedies For Enlarged Prostate
Enlarged prostate, also known as benign prostatic hyperplasia , is a disorder that generally affects men 50 years of age and older. BPH is not the same as prostate cancer.
The prostate is a small, muscular gland in the male reproductive system. It surrounds the urethra just below the urinary bladder and adds fluid to semen to allow sperm mobility.
With age, the cells of the gland begin to multiply, leading to an enlarged prostate. Although the exact cause is unknown, changes in male sex hormones with age may be a factor.
Other risk factors for prostate gland enlargement are family history, diabetes, heart disease and obesity. It tends to be more common in men of Asian heritage than other races.
Many men with BPH have either no symptoms or very mild symptoms. However, many men have severe symptoms that may even interfere with their quality of life.
Some of the symptoms of BPH are a frequent urge to urinate, increased frequency of urination at night, trouble starting a stream of urine, a weak urine stream, continued dribbling of urine, and a feeling of incomplete bladder emptying.
If left untreated, an enlarged prostate can block the flow of urine out of the bladder, leading to other complications like urinary retention, UTIs, bladder stones, and kidney damage.
There are several effective treatments for enlarged prostate, including medications, therapies and surgery. In addition, certain home remedies and lifestyle changes can help ease the symptoms.
Contents
Southern Cross Medical Library
The purpose of the Southern Cross Medical Library is to provide information of a general nature to help you better understand certain medical conditions. Always seek specific medical advice for treatment appropriate to you. This information is not intended to relate specifically to insurance or healthcare services provided by Southern Cross. For more articles go to the Medical Library index page.
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Risk Factors For Prostate Enlargement
Benign prostatic hyperplasia appears to run in families. Men who have a close relative diagnosed when still under the age of 60, have a 30% chance of developing BPH.
Other risk factors include:
- A lack of exercise. Research conducted at Harvard University Health noted that regular exercise could reduce your risk factor of BPH by up to 50%.
- Alcoholic drinks and high salt intake stimulate urine production and contribute to risks of prostate enlargement.
- A poor diet high in acidic foods such as red meat and full dairy may also be a risk factor.
- Fortunately, most of these risk factors can be substantially reduced by lifestyle and dietary changes.
Surgery For An Enlarged Prostate
For most men with very enlarged prostates, surgery can relieve symptoms — but there are both risks and benefits with each type of operation. Discuss them with your doctor. After a careful evaluation of your situation and your general medical condition, your doctor will recommend which is best for you.
TURP : This is the most common surgery for an enlarged prostate, and considered to bring the greatest reduction in symptoms. Only the tissue growth that is pressing against the urethra is removed to allow urine to flow easily. The procedure involves an electrical loop that cuts tissue and seals blood vessels. Most doctors suggest using TURP whenever surgery is required, as it is less traumatic than open surgery and requires shorter recovery time.
With the TURP procedure, patients can expect to have retrograde ejaculation afterwards, says Westney. This is a condition in which a man ejaculates backward into the bladder instead of through the urethra. “Retrograde ejaculation generally isn’t painful,” she tells WebMD. “It shouldn’t be an issue unless fertility is a concern.” Other possible side effects include blood loss requiring transfusion , painful urination, recurring urinary tract infections, bladder neck narrowing, and blood in the urine.
After TURP, the odds of erection problems range from 5% to 35%. However, this is often temporary — and the ability to have an erection and an orgasm returns after a few months.
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What Will They Give You To Relieve Your Prostate
Treatment options vary depending on the severity of the prostate issues, but they are typically as follows:
Additional Types Of Therapy For Prostate Cancer
A few other treatments exist for advanced prostate cancer or prostate cancer that has stopped responding well to other forms of hormone therapy. They are usually taken with one of the therapies discussed above.
Chemotherapy. For cases of very aggressive prostate cancer, or when hormone therapy isnât effective, your doctor may recommend chemotherapy. This class of anti-cancer drug, taken by mouth or injected, fights cancers that have spread beyond the prostate to other parts of your body. The schedule of your treatment will depend on the specific drugs you require, but chemotherapy is typically given in cycles that last two to three weeks. Once you finish a cycle, the next cycle begins. The length of your treatment hinges on how well it works and whether you can cope with the side effects. Chemotherapy drugs are used to help you live longer. They rarely cure prostate cancer, according to the ACS, and can cause unpleasant side effects, including hair loss, nausea, and fatigue.
Immunotherapy. This type of treatment harnesses the power of your immune system to fight cancer. While it has been used successfully in several types of cancer, it hasnt proved as effective in prostate canceryet. Researchers are working to discover the best ways to incorporate immune therapy into prostate cancer care, particularly for men whose cancer no longer responds to hormone treatment. In 2019, more than 100 such studies were underway.
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