Sunday, March 24, 2024

What Can You Do About Enlarged Prostate

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Talking To Your Doctor

4 Things to Avoid if You Have an Enlarged Prostate – Dr.Berg

Above all, if you have prostate gland enlargement, you need to be careful about the medications you use.

Avoid medicating yourself based on the information you find on forums and other similar platforms. The best thing to do is to talk to your doctor about medications you need to take.

Your healthcare provider will inform you about the most suitable prostate medicine you need to take. Or those less safe that you should avoid that may be bad for your prostate.

For some medications, its necessary to adjust the dosage. This is something only your doctor can .

If you feel like youre not getting better, express your concerns to a healthcare provider, and they may prescribe the most suitable medications for your condition.

Feel free to ask your doctor or dietitian for tips about the diet that is the best for you, the best foods to eat or drink to help you to feel better, and what to avoid.

Above all, regular checkups at the doctors office are important. The doctor may order a PSA test to evaluate for the presence of various problems ranging from prostate cancer to acute bacterial prostatitis.

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.

How To Prevent Enlarged Prostate In Dogs

Your dogs immune system is the key to good health. You need to support his immune system with a whole food, raw meat diet to prevent infections from prostate disease. When you remove processed food, you give your dogs other organs more opportunity to detox and fight bacteria instead of the chemicals and toxins from their food.

Antioxidants can assist the prostate in preventing infections along with improving the health of mucous membranes. Vitamin C is a natural anti-inflammatory and can help shrink the prostate to its original size.

Adding probiotics to your dogs diet increases the beneficial bacteria in your dogs gut, which is the foundation of 90% of his immune system.

If you notice your dog has difficulty in peeing or pooping, you can gather a urine or stool sample and have it tested for possible infection. Then you can use natural antibiotics to eliminate the infection before it becomes serious.

RELATED: Try these 10 natural antibiotics for your dog

If your dog has prostate problems it might not be obvious, or you might start to notice these things.

Also Check: What Is Perineural Invasion In Prostate Cancer

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.

How Might An Enlarged Prostate Affect My Life

Enlarged Prostate: Everything You Need To Know

Having an enlarged prostate affects men in different ways. Some men can manage mild symptoms and dont need treatment. Other men find they need to stay near a toilet. This can make it difficult to work, drive, be outdoors and attend social events. If you need the toilet a lot during the night, this can affect your sleep and make you feel more tired during the day.

Some men with an enlarged prostate find their symptoms improve over time without treatment. But for most, the symptoms will stay the same or slowly start to cause more problems over time unless they have treatment.

Recommended Reading: Does Prostatitis Go Away Without Treatment

What If I Can’t Have Surgery

Surgery isnt always an option you may not be fit or well enough for an operation, or you may not like the idea of it. If surgery isnt suitable for you and lifestyle changes and medicines havent worked, your doctor or nurse may suggest using a catheter. This is a thin, flexible tube used to drain urine from your bladder. The catheter may be permanent or temporary.

A permanent catheter is passed up into the bladder through your penis, or through a small cut in your abdomen. The catheter is usually attached to a drainage bag, which you strap on to your body under your clothing. Your doctor or nurse will usually change your catheter every 12 weeks.

A temporary catheter is where you put a catheter in yourself when you need to urinate, rather than leaving one in all the time. Your doctor or nurse will show you how to put the catheter in and tell you how often to use it. Some men can urinate quite well without a catheter and only use it once a day to make sure they empty their bladder regularly. Other men need to use a temporary catheter several times a day.

You can lower your chances of getting a urine infection by keeping your catheter and the area around it clean. You may find the following tips helpful.

Let your nurse know if your catheter isnt draining properly. If urine hasnt drained from your bladder for 2 to 3 hours, contact your GP or district nurse straight away.

Symptoms Of Enlarged Prostate

Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia, or BPH, is the enlargement of the prostate gland. About half of men over age 75 will experience symptoms of BPH. BPH is a very minor condition and is not related to prostate cancer. However, symptoms can cause discomfort and be inconvenient.

Read Also: Perineural Invasion In Prostate Cancer

Are There Any Risks And Side Effects To Prostate Massages

The anal mucosa and the anus itself are very sensitive,” Hong explains. Although the anus is built to stretch to a certain extent, it doesnt self-lubricate, meaning without proper precautions anal stimulation can cause pain and tearing . This means that its super important for everyone involved to prepare for giving and receiving a prostate massage . Its also worth mentioning that this might feel a bit uncomfortable at first. As SELF previously reported, making sure youre getting in sufficient amounts of foreplay is a big part of lowering the odds that youll deal with things like pain and tearing.

When Is Bph Treatment Necessary

Medications to Avoid with Enlarged Prostate | Reduce Symptoms and Risk of Prostate Enlargement

The course of BPH in any individual is not predictable. Symptoms, as well as objective measurements of urethral obstruction, can remain stable for many years and may even improve over time for as many as one-third of men, according to some studies. In a study from the Mayo Clinic, urinary symptoms did not worsen over a 3.5-year period in 73% of men with mild BPH. A progressive decrease in the size and force of the urinary stream and the feeling of incomplete bladder emptying are the symptoms most correlated with the eventual need for treatment. Although nocturia is one of the most annoying BPH symptoms, it does not predict the need for future intervention.

If worsening urethral obstruction is left untreated, possible complications are a thickened, irritable bladder with reduced capacity for urine infected residual urine or bladder stones and a backup of pressure that damages the kidneys.

  • Inadequate bladder emptying resulting in damage to the kidneys
  • Complete inability to urinate after acute urinary retention
  • Incontinence due to overfilling or increased sensitivity of the bladder
  • Bladder stones
  • Recurrent severe hematuria
  • Symptoms that trouble the patient enough to diminish his quality of life

Find a Location

Currently, the main options to address BPH are:

  • Watchful waiting
  • Medication
  • Surgery

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Other Points To Consider With Enlarged Prostate

Need for repeat procedures: With minimally invasive procedures for an enlarged prostate, there is a chance you will need to have a repeat procedure later on. Having the procedure when you’re young makes that a near certainty. However, that may be a risk you’re willing to take — to avoid surgery in the short term.

Side effects of treatments: Some BPH treatments cause erection problems, although that risk is low. Men who have normal erections before surgery will not likely have trouble afterward. Some treatments cause retrograde ejaculation . Fertility can also be affected, but is still possible with newer assisted reproductive techniques.

Multiple health problems: If you have other health problems, especially if you are on an anticoagulant and cannot stop taking this medication, your treatment options for enlarged prostate may be affected. For example, if you have had surgery for obstructive sleep apnea or pulmonary surgery in the past, having surgery with general anesthesia may be too risky. However, spinal anesthesia may be an option for you. Or you may wish to have a minimally invasive office procedure that doesn’t require anesthesia at all.

Talk to your doctor about your BPH symptom score, your concerns, and about the plan of treatment that works best for you.

When To See A Doctor

If you don’t see a reduction in symptoms or if your symptoms worsen, you may need to undergo a different treatment plan.

Prescription Medications

The first higher-level treatment is to begin taking prescription drugs for an enlarged prostate. One class of medication is an alpha blocker. These medications, such as Flomax, Rapaflo, and Cardura, work by relaxing the affected muscles around the prostate to encourage urine flow.

Another type of medication is a 5-alpha reductase inhibitor. Examples of these medications include Proscar and Avodart, which are long-term medications that help to block the production of dihydrotestosterone and shrink the size of the prostate.

Surgery and Minimally Invasive Procedures

For moderate to severe BPH, you may need a medical procedure to relieve your symptoms. There are a variety of procedures, including laser therapy, microwave heat, or prostate tissue compression. Partial prostate removal and full removal are more invasive but may be necessary for extremely large prostate glands.

Also Check: What Is Perineural Invasion In Prostate Cancer

Maintain A Healthy Weight

Being overweight can cause and worsen BPH symptoms so if necessary take some steps to reduce your weight. You can do this by incorporating moderate exercise and good dietary choices into your daily routine. This might seem easier said than done but it can make a big difference.

If youd like more advice on good nutrition Id recommend you have a look at our food hub. Also, our get active hub is a good place to find information and advice on incorporating more exercise into your routine. Some of my favourite blogs here include:

What Are The Risks And Side Effects Of Surgery

Prostate Cancer: A Guide for Aging Men

TURP has possible side effects, such as:

  • Retrograde ejaculation. This means that semen flows backward into the bladder instead of out through the penis. It isnt harmful, but it can affect your ability to father children.
  • Out of 100 men who have TURP, 25 to 99 have retrograde ejaculation. That means 1 to 75 out of 100 men do not.footnote 1
  • Erection problems.
  • Out of 100 men who have TURP, 3 to 35 report having erection problems. That means 65 to 97 out of 100 men do not.footnote 1
  • Incontinence. A small number of men say they are unable to hold back their urine after surgery.
  • Out of 100 men who have TURP, about 1 reports not being able to control urine flow. That means about 99 out of 100 men are able to control urine flow.footnote 1
  • A few men will need a second operation several years later, because their symptoms return. This can happen for many reasons, such as if:

    • The surgery doesnt remove enough of the prostate.
    • The prostate continues to enlarge after surgery.
    • Scar tissue from the surgery blocks the urethra.

    Your doctor may recommend surgery if:

    • You cannot urinate.
    • You have a partial blockage in your urethra that is causing repeated urinary tract infections, bladder stones, or bladder damage.
    • You have kidney damage.
    • You have too many side effects from the medicines.

    Read Also: Is Cranberry Juice Good For Prostate Infection

    Natural Ways To Treat An Enlarged Prostate

    Symptoms of an enlarged prostate gland are most of often mild at first, but usually will get more bothersome over time. It’s very reasonable and safe to just keep an eye on it until it becomes bothersome enough to justify further treatment.

    If the symptoms are getting worse, you and your doctor can then discuss medications. If you begin to have serious complications like urinary retention, it may be time to have a surgical procedure.

    In follow-up visits every six to twelve months, your primary care doctor or urologist will measure your symptoms and perform a physical exam . He or she may also do a bladder scan after you use the bathroom to urinate to be sure your bladder is emptying as it should. This test measures what is called “post void residual.”

    Your doctor also may order blood and urine tests. Blood tests could include a blood urea nitrogen and creatinine to check your kidney function and a prostate specific antigen . He or she might also ask for a urine sample to be sure there is not any prostate inflammation or infection.

    How Do You Give A Prostate Massage With Your Fingers

    If, after talking through a few specifics, youre still not sure where to start, Brown-James has some techniques. Bring your pointer, middle, and ring fingers together, then push up into , Brown-James explains. Stimulating this area with gentle but firm strokes also stimulates the prostate. It’s basically a playground down thereBrown-James recommends techniques like rubbing clockwise for 810 strokes, then going counterclockwise, stroking toward the scrotum or touching the penis while you massage your partners perineum. Even though youve hopefully discussed what youd both like beforehand, you and your partner should talk about what you think you might each like to do and feel and then, if you agree to test things out, try that next, making sure youre each being open about what feels good and what doesnt feel so good in the moment.

    Also Check: Prostate Cancer Perineural Invasion

    At What Age Should You Get Screened For Prostate Cancer

    The following prostate cancer screening guidelines apply to men expected to live at least ten years.

    Men ages 45 to 49 should have a baseline PSA test.

    • If the PSA level is 3 ng / mL or higher, men should talk with their doctor about having a biopsy of the prostate.
    • If the PSA level is between 1 and 3 ng / mL, men should see their doctor for another PSA test every two to four years.
    • If the PSA level is less than 1 ng / mL, men should see their doctor for another PSA test between the ages of 51 and 55.

    Men ages 50 to 59 should have their PSA level checked.

    • If the PSA level is 3 ng / mL or higher, men should talk with their doctor about having a biopsy of the prostate.
    • If the PSA level is between 1 and 3 ng / mL, men should see their doctor for another PSA test every two to four years.
    • If the PSA level is less than 1 ng / mL, men should see their doctor for another PSA test at age 60.

    Men ages 60 to 70 should have their PSA level checked.

    • If the PSA level is 3 ng / mL or higher, men should talk with their doctor about having a biopsy of the prostate.
    • If the PSA level is between 1 and 3 ng / mL, men should see their doctor for another PSA test every two to four years.
    • If the PSA level is less than 1 ng / mL, no further screening is recommended.

    Men ages 71 to 75 should talk with their doctor about whether to have a PSA test. This decision should be based on past PSA levels and the health of the man.

    Read Also: How To Massage Your Prostate Gland

    What Is Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia

    Best Foods to Eat with Enlarged Prostate | Reduce Risk of Symptoms, Enlargement & Cancer

    Benign prostatic hyperplasia , or benign prostatic hypertrophy, is an enlargement of the prostate, a walnut-sized gland that forms part of the male reproductive system. During ejaculation, the prostate secretes fluid into the urethra, the narrow tube that runs through the center of the prostate. When a man urinates, the bladder squeezes urine out through the urethra.

    As a man ages, the prostate can become enlarged. Because it surrounds the urethra right at the bladder exit, the prostate may squeeze or pinch the urethra as it gets larger over time. This may cause difficulty with urination such as a slow stream, the need to strain, increased frequency, urgency to urinate, incomplete emptying of the bladder, and intermittent flow or dribbling.

    BPH is the most common disorder of the prostate gland and the most common diagnosis by urologists for males between the ages of 45 and 74. More than half of men in their sixties and as many as 90 percent in their seventies and eighties have some symptoms of BPH.

    Although research has yet to pinpoint a specific cause for BPH, theories focus on hormones and related substances like dihydrotestosterone , a testosterone derivative in the prostate that may encourage the growth of cells.

    Read Also: Will Prostatitis Go Away On Its Own

    Your Quality Of Life With An Enlarged Prostate

    If your enlarged prostate symptoms are mild and not bothersome, there’s likely no need for treatment. One-third of men with mild BPH find that their symptoms clear up without treatment. They may just watch and wait.

    However, when enlarged prostate symptoms are bothersome or are affecting your quality of life or overall health, it’s time to talk to your doctor about the treatment options. Together you will determine if you would benefit most from medication, a minimally invasive procedure, or surgery.

    It’s important to talk with a doctor when you begin noticing changes in urinary function. You need to find out what’s going on so you can be treated for enlarged prostate if necessary. For many men, especially those who are young when the prostate starts growing, getting early treatment can head off complications later on.

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