BPH stands for Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia, or an enlarged prostate gland. Men who have an enlarge prostate often experience a difficulty with their urinary flow, causing embarrassing symptoms and discomfort. The goal of BPH treatments is to increase urinary flow while decreasing discomfort from symptoms and decreasing the growth of the prostate. Some treatment options include watchful waiting, prescription drugs, outpatient procedures, and surgery.
The best option to treat BPH when the conditions are mild and do not affect day-to-day life is known as watchful waiting. This involves being screened frequently for other prostate problems and notifying the doctor of any uncomfortable symptoms. Then, if symptoms start affecting the man’s quality of life, other treatment options can be pursued. Lifestyle changes will also be implemented to help control the condition naturally.
When the only symptom of BPH is mild urinary difficulty, drugs are often used to treat the symptoms. The prescriptions currently on the market for BPH either reduce the prostate gland’s size or slow down its growth. Common drugs used to treat BPH include Adovart, Cardura, Flomax, and Proscar. These drugs are often combined in a drug therapy plan that includes both alpha blockers, such as Flomax and Cardura, and 5-alpha reductase inhibitors, such as Avodart and Proscar. Drug therapy is usually the first treatment that doctors will try, but if prescription drugs do not work, more aggressive treatments will be needed. Also, if the symptoms are severe at the outset of the condition, such as when blood is seen frequently in the urine, then drug therapy is not used at all.
High Intensity Focused Ultrasound is an outpatient procedure that can be used to treat BPH. When HIFU is used to treat prostate cancer, the entire prostate gland is destroyed. When using HIFU to treat BPH, the doctor will target a small portion of the gland, usually the area near the urethra, for ablation. This leaves most of the gland intact, but relieves the symptoms of BPH.
The most extreme treatment option is surgery. To treat BPH with surgery, a doctor will remove some or all of the man’s prostate gland. Again, the area around the urethra is targeted whenever possible. BPH surgery carries a high risk of complications and side effects, particularly incontinence and impotence.
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