05/07/2025
PROSTATE ENLARGEMENT
An enlarged prostate (sometimes called benign prostate enlargement) is when your prostate gets bigger. It's common and is not usually serious, but there are treatments that can help if you need them.
Symptoms of an enlarged prostate
The main symptoms of an enlarged prostate are problems with p*eing, such as:
difficulty starting to p*e, or having to push or strain to p*e
a weak flow of p*e, stopping and starting, and taking longer than usual to empty your bladder
feeling like you cannot fully empty your bladder
dribbling p*e after you finish p*eing
needing to p*e more often or urgently, including getting up to p*e during the night
The symptoms usually develop slowly, and may gradually get worse as you get older.
Treatment for an enlarged prostate
An enlarged prostate does not always need treatment. It depends on your symptoms and how they're affecting you.
If your symptoms are not causing many problems, doctors will usually recommend trying lifestyle changes first.
If your symptoms get worse you may need medicines or surgery.
Medicines for an enlarged prostate
If you have moderate or severe symptoms you may be offered medicines for an enlarged prostate, including:
medicines that help you to p*e, such as tamsulosin, doxazosin or alfuzosin
medicines that help with needing to p*e more often or more urgently, such as oxybutynin or tolterodine
medicines that help stop your prostate growing, by reducing hormone levels, if you're at high risk of your condition getting worse, such as finasteride or dutasteride
Complications of prostate enlargement
Left untreated, an enlarged prostate may lead to a number of complications, including:
1. Pain in the lower abdomen due to the urethra becoming too narrow. Urine cannot flow through the urethra normally, which leads to a painful build-up of urine in the bladder;
2. Bladder infections due to stale urine sitting in the bladder which becomes infected with bacteria;
3. Bladder stones – small, hard, gritty lumps that form in the bladder, due to the build-up of stale urine in the bladder. The stones don’t usually cause any problems when they are in the bladder, but if they pass into the urethra, they may become stuck and cause sudden severe pain;
4. Interrupted sleep because of the need to get up several times during the night to urinate;
5. A lower quality of life because of the inconvenience and embarrassment of problems with urination; or
6. Serious kidney problems if the flow of urine out of the bladder becomes blocked and causes a build-up of pressure all the way back to the kidneys.
Surgery for an enlarged prostate
You might be offered surgery if medicines have not helped, or your symptoms are severe.
The most common surgery you may be offered for an enlarged prostate is called transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP). This involves removing part of your prostate through a thin tube that's passed up your p***s to your prostate.
Sometimes you may be offered a different procedure, but they may not be suitable for everyone. They include:
removing or destroying part of your prostate using lasers, an electrical current, steam or a jet of water
holding part of your prostate open and widening your urethra, using a small implant
making small cuts in your prostate around the opening to the bladder
removing part of your prostate using surgery
