An enlarged prostate is a common condition for men as they get older, and the risk increases the older you get. You may not have symptoms in the early stages, but later, your symptoms may be bad enough that you need surgery. Here's a look at the symptoms of an enlarged prostate and treatments your urologist might try.
Signs You Could Have An Enlarged Prostate
When your prostate gland gets larger, it presses against your urethra. This causes the urine passageway to get narrow, and that could make it more difficult to urinate. You might have symptoms such as a weak urinary stream, difficulty urinating, feeling like you haven't emptied your bladder after urination, frequent urination, and urinary incontinence. More serious symptoms include blood in your urine, inability to urinate, and urinary tract infections.
These symptoms can impact your life by making you want to avoid social situations. Plus, your sleep is disrupted when you have to urinate several times at night. A lack of sleep can affect your job performance and put you in danger of falling asleep when you're driving or doing other hazardous tasks.
If you have these signs of an enlarged prostate, see a male urologist for an examination and treatment. Seeking treatment is important since complications of an enlarged prostate include kidney damage, bladder damage, and bladder stones.
Lifestyle Changes That Might Help
Your urologist might recommend some changes you can make at home to help relieve symptoms of your enlarged prostate. These include losing weight if you're obese, limiting use of caffeine, alcohol, and cigarettes, exercising, and changing the way you urinate.
Your urologist might advise you to urinate and then immediately urinate again so you can empty your bladder completely. They might also recommend that you schedule bathroom visits so you urinate on a schedule throughout the day and night when possible, although you don't want to hold urine too long.
Medical Treatments Your Urologist Might Try
A male urologist is familiar with the latest treatments for an enlarged prostate. You may not need any treatment or you might just need medications. There are different classes of medications to try for an enlarged prostate. Some shrink your prostate and others relax your urethra. If medications don't help, and you need relief from your symptoms, surgery might be indicated.
Surgery for an enlarged prostate can be done in a few ways that include removing part of your prostate or treating it with a laser that destroys part of your prostate gland. The goal is to make your prostate smaller so it no longer presses against your urethra. That puts an end to problems with urination.
To find out more, contact or visit a clinic like Nashville Healthcare Center.