Signs of an Enlarged Prostate or Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BHP)
Benign prostatic hyperplasia (or BPH) refers to an enlarged prostate gland. BPH stands for benign prostatic hyperplasia, or enlarged prostate gland, a common condition among aging males. In fact, BPH occurs in 50% of all men between 51- and 60-years of age, while approximately 90% of males 80-years and older have enlarged prostates. An enlarged prostate can be troublesome in nature because it squeezes and narrows the urethra and causes the bladder to become weak, sensitive, and unable to empty completely, leading to urinary retention and frequency.
Benign prostatic hyperplasia, hence the name, although benign in nature (or non-cancerous) doesn’t increase the risk of cancer development, even though BPH and cancer can develop in patients simultaneously. Throughout a man’s life, the prostate gland will undergo 2 growth periods —the first occurs during puberty when the prostate typically doubles in size. The second growth period (when BPH can also develop) occurs at approximately 25-years of age and can continue to growing with age.
Urinary retention (when the bladder doesn’t fully empty) should be considered extremely concerning because it can leave a patient at risk for several health issues, including:
- Urinary incontinence
- Acute urinary retention (or the inability to urinate)
- Blood in the urine
- UTIs (or urinary tract infections)
- Bladder stones
- Permanent bladder damage
- Damage to kidneys
Therefore, the following symptoms of an enlarged prostate or BPH should be brought to the attention of a medical professional as soon as possible:
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Issues with urination
This could include trouble when starting to urinate, or urinary strain to complete urination (i.e., continued dribbling).
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Bladder retention
This is the inability to drain the bladder completely and may feel heavy, create urinary urgency when you don’t have to go, or weight in the bladder because it isn’t completely drained.
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Urinary frequency
Urgency to urinate that occurs without warning during the night, and reoccuring moments after just urinating.
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Compromised urination
Can present in a urine stream that starts and stops, or a too slow or weak urine stream.
