Enlarged Prostate Treatments
The prostate gland is responsible for secreting fluid that aids in discharging sperm. It is located below the bladder and surrounding the urethra – the tube that transports urine from the bladder through the penis. When the prostate gland enlarges, it gives stress on the urethra, narrowing the passage of the urethra. As a result, men with enlarged prostate glands experience problems associated with urination.
A male’s prostate gland commonly starts to enlarge upon reaching the age of forty. Considered as the most common prostate treatment performed among men aged at sixty and older, this condition is called BHP, which stands for benign prostatic hyperplasia.
When the prostate starts to grow, muscles of the bladder powerfully push urine into the narrow urethra. Because of this, these muscles become relatively thicker and more sensitive, causing patients to urinate more frequently. Without proper prostate treatments, the patient’s condition can lead to kidney problems, repeated urinary tract infection and bladder damage.
Majority of patients suffering from enlarged prostate reported no symptoms. Some men had trouble starting and stopping the flow of urine, leaking or dribbling urine, frequent urination, blood in the urine and a feeling that the bladder does not empty.
Surgical and Non-Surgical Enlarged Prostate Treatments
Choosing between surgical and non-surgical prostate treatments depend on the level of inflammation, defects associated with the prostate enlargement and other factors. For earlier stages of enlarged prostate, one of the most used non-surgical treatments is thermotherapy.
This therapy uses different kinds of energy for heat to destroy tissues of the enlarged prostate. Before recommending other enlarged prostate treatments, most doctors prescribe medication to alleviate the symptoms and reduce swelling. Unfortunately, drugs used for treating enlarged prostate should be taken each day for the patient’s entire life. The large costs of medication and associated side effects like dizziness, fatigue, headache, loss of sex drive and impotence can be a problem to most people.
When the swelling of a patient’s prostate gland do not respond to non-invasive treatments, a surgical prostate treatment is the best option. Although surgery is the most effective treatment for prostate inflammation, not only is it costly, but it comes with possible risks like incontinence, erectile dysfunction, blood transfusion and retrograde ejaculation. Two most common types of surgical prostate treatment include transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) and laser surgery.
Both treatments are very effective, but traditional TURP requires the patient 2 to 3-day hospitalization and restriction of activities for weeks. Because of this, laser surgery is now commonly used because since the tissues are removed using laser, only a day of hospitalization is needed with the same results provided by TURP. Prostate treatment to cure inflammation is important to decrease the risks of kidney or bladder damages, defects of prostate glands and prostate cancer. If you are having problems with urinating, it is best to seek medical attention and undergo examinations to check if your prostate gland is free from unwanted swelling.
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