What Is BPH?
Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH), also called an enlarged prostate, is one of the common prostate health concerns. This is non-cancerous prostate growth. Unfortunately, since the prostate is wrapped around the urethra, when it increases in size it sometimes pinches or obstructs the urethra.
When that happens, it can make urination difficult while also causing the feeling of having to urinate frequently. It can also feel like the bladder isn’t completely empty, even after urination. Further, since the bladder muscles have to work harder against the resistance of the prostate, muscular strain can make the bladder become weakened, and that makes it even harder to empty the bladder. This results in stagnant urine being left in the bladder, which makes bladder infections more likely.
While the causes of BPH are unclear, age is a factor. Most men who have symptoms are at least 50 years old and increasing age makes it more likely. That’s because the prostate has a few growth spurts over a man’s lifetime. In boys, the prostate is very small and underdeveloped. There’s one growth spurt at the start of puberty, and another in the mid-20s. After that, the prostate continues to grow slowly over the lifespan. As a result, BPH is common among older men and some older men’s prostates feel less regular, larger than average, and have less clearly defined lobes. All men experience some prostate growth as they age, but not all men will have the kind of growth that results in urine obstruction and BPH symptoms.
There are different treatments for BPH, including medications and surgeries. Speak with your doctor to decide what on your best way to proceed.