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If you’ve been diagnosed with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), you’re certainly not alone. The National Institutes of Health reports that more than half of men over age 50 have an enlarged prostate due to BPH, with the number rising to more than 90% in men over age 80.
Even though the “b” in BPH stands for benign, meaning harmless, the condition does cause symptoms. And one of the most common issues associated with BPH is frequent urination — so frequent that it can even disrupt a good night’s sleep.
As a top-rated urology practice with locations in Forest Hills, New York, and Manhattan’s Midtown East neighborhood in New York City, NY Urology provides patient-centered men’s health services for men of all ages, including men with prostate issues like BPH.
If you’re experiencing frequent urination, here’s what urologists David Shusterman, MD, and Chong-Min Kim, MD, want you to know about the link between BPH and urinary symptoms.
Your prostate gland produces semen, the liquid part of ejaculate. The gland encircles your urethra, the tube that carries urine and semen out of your body. In BPH, the prostate becomes enlarged, often due to an age-related decline in male hormone levels.
Even though BPH causes your prostate to enlarge, it’s not the same as prostate cancer, and it’s not a tumor. Your prostate changes size naturally during your lifetime; in many men, that change means the prostate grows much larger.
Some men have an enlarged prostate and don’t even know it. However, when symptoms do occur, a change in urination is very common.
Because the prostate and urethra are so closely positioned, it’s no surprise that when the prostate grows, it squeezes the urethra. This change causes symptoms like a weak urine stream or urinary flow that stops and starts or dribbles at the end.
Sometimes, the pressure on your urethra makes it difficult to empty your bladder completely, so you may need to urinate more frequently. Other times, you might feel the need to urinate even when your bladder isn’t full.
Over time, these changes can wind up weakening your bladder muscles and altering bladder function, leading to additional symptoms like:
If BPH makes it difficult to empty your bladder completely, you could wind up with urinary tract infections (UTIs) or bladder stones. In extreme cases, problems with urinary flow could cause kidney damage.
When BPH interferes with normal urination, those symptoms can take a big toll on your quality of life, your sleep, and even our self-confidence. We offer several minimally invasive treatment options that can help. Our team recommends the best option for you based on your symptoms, medical history, and other factors.
TUMT uses waves of microwave energy to gently heat the prostate gland, causing a reduction in the size of the gland.
Treatment with Resūm uses steam to carefully remove excess prostate tissue, relieving pressure on the urethra.
Urolift uses tiny implants designed to restrain the prostate, holding it back from the urethra so urine can pass normally.
This cutting-edge procedure uses focused laser energy to remove part of the prostate gland, alleviating pressure on the urethra and restoring normal urination.
Performed by an interventional radiologist who uses advanced imaging, PAE involves a special technique to inject microspheres into the vessels that supply the prostate gland with blood. This reduces blood flow, which causes the gland to shrink over time.
NY Urology is the only center in the tristate area that works with a skilled interventional radiologist to perform PAE as a treatment for BPH. It’s an outpatient procedure that doesn’t require general anesthesia.
Frequent urination and other symptoms of BPH aren’t just annoying — they can take a toll on your life and your well-being, too. To learn more about how to manage BPH and to find out about other possible causes of urinary problems, call 212-991-9991 or book an appointment online with the team at NY Urology today.
