BPH: Treatment options when Lifestyle Changes and Medications do not work!

Most men stop getting taller around age 18, but after 40, their prostate glands often begin to grow. About 50 percent of men aged 51 to 60 and up to 90 percent of men older than 80 are affected by this Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH).

Before surgery, the two ways that can help to treat BPH are:

1. A combination of lifestyle changes like Exercising, Preventing dribbing and avoiding fluids in the evening hours
2. Certain medications like Uroxatral, Flomax, Avodart, Proscar and Cialis.

In a few months, you will get to know if these lifestyle changes or these medicines are working for you or not.

What happens if the lifestyle changes and medicines don't work in treating BPH?

When other lines of treatment are not effective in treating the BPH symptoms, and if the enlarged prostate keeps causing medical problems such as urinary tract infections, surgery may be the best option.

Which is the most common form of surgery for BPH?

Transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) is considered to be the standard surgical approach for BPH. This procedure involves inserting a resectoscope (a thin tube) into the urethra (the tube from which the pee comes out) and guiding it through to the prostate. This resectoscope has a tiny camera and an electrical loop that is used to remove prostate tissue mechanically. At the same time the loop produces heat, which quickly seals off the blood vessels. This procedure, TURP, takes about 90 minutes and is done under local or general anesthesia.

Transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) is effective in about 85% to 90% of men.

Transurethral electrovaporization (TUEVP), transurethral vaporesection (TUVRP) and plasmakinetic enucleation of the prostate (PkEP) are some other variations of TURP which have similar outcomes.

Source:- 1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK481492/#:~:text=Surgery can very effectively reduce,such as urinary tract infections. 

                 2. http://www.health.harvard.eduwww.health.harvard.edu/mens-health/treatment-for-an-enlarged-prostate#:~:text=If you have a large,some less invasive than others.