Understanding prostate enlargement

A natural sign of aging, an enlarged prostate eventually shows up in most men. The good news is that it doesn't necessarily signal prostate cancer; doesn't lead to cancer; and you only need to treat it if you are bothered by frequent trips to the bathroom. Here's more about it.

There’s no cause to panic if your doctor just told you that your prostate is enlarged and that you have a condition called benign prostatic hyperplasia, or BPH.

• For starters, "benign" means that your prostate is not cancerous. "Prostatic" refers to your prostate, the walnut-sized gland nestled below your bladder that supplies fluid for your sperm. "Hyperplasia" means an "excessive formation of cells."
• In short, you have a non-cancerous enlargement of your prostate gland, the most common prostate problem found in men.

Like gray hair and sagging skin, BPH is simply part of the male aging process.

BPH symptoms occur because the tube that drains urine from your bladder, called the urethra, passes through the prostate gland to your penis.

• When the prostate enlarges, it compresses the urethra and affects urination — making it difficult, too frequent or even painful.
• No one knows exactly why the prostate enlarges, but it typically happens after about age 50.

The main culprit seems to be the hormone dihydrotestosterone (DHT), which the body converts from the male hormone testosterone at an increasingly higher rate as you age.

• This increase in DHT production rate is thought to trigger the proliferation of prostate cells, leading to BPH.
• Because researchers are not positive about its cause, doctors are unable to prevent BPH or eradicate it completely once it becomes a nuisance.
• Although it’s often very irksome and inconvenient, an enlarged prostate is not usually considered life threatening.

Common symptoms — which include a frequent, urgent need to urinate day and night, a "stopping and starting" urine flow, difficulty starting urination, dribbling or a feeling you can't fully empty your bladder — need to be treated only if they become so bothersome that they interfere with your quality of life.

• BPH symptoms are common in about one in four men by age 55. And if you make it to your 80th birthday, nine out of 10 of your contemporaries will have the ailment to some degree as well.

After a doctor has made the diagnosis, he or she may recommend one of several courses of action

• Wait and watch. With mild symptoms, this may be the least bothersome approach.
• Take medications to help relieve your discomfort, as prescribed by your doctor.
• Investigate minimally invasive procedures. Certain problems could possibly be solved in less than 30 minutes.
• Use TURP surgery as the last resort. Your doctor can help you decide if this procedure would be to your benefit.

Go to a specialist
To benefit from the latest treatments, see a urologist and not just your family doctor. Urologists specialize in the diagnosis and treatment of BPH and other prostate disorders.

• Your family doctor will need to write a referral for you to see a urologist

Say no to zinc.
Currently, there is no evidence that supports the use of zinc in the management of BPH, but countless men are still taken in by marketing hype for various over-the-counter prostate products that don't work.

• Zinc is not absorbed by the prostate gland and is quickly excreted.