Living With BPH

Meet Mike. He lives an active lifestyle. Between hanging out with his buddies and spending time with his wife, life is good. Except Mike started noticing problems with his urination in the past year, like having to wake up several times a night and always needing to find a bathroom when he is out. Mike was making too many pit stops. These symptoms could mean that Mike has an enlarged prostate, a condition called benign prostatic hyperplasia, or BPH. A man's prostate grows over time and can compress the urethra, blocking the passageway and preventing normal urine flow. This progressive condition is very common among men as they age. In fact, over forty percent of men in their 50s have BPH, and the number grows to over seventy percent of men in their 60s. BPH has nothing to do with prostate cancer, but it can greatly affect a man's quality of life. As the prostate grows, it can block the urinary channel and cause bothersome symptoms, such as an urgent and frequent need to urinate. Men suffering from BPH often make multiple trips to the bathroom during the night, which can affect their sleep and relationships. Control. The good news is the symptoms of BPH are usually treatable. Talk with your urologist about which treatment option is best for you. In diagnosing your enlarged prostate, your doctor may evaluate your condition by performing some diagnostic tests. Your urologist will determine which tests to perform based on your symptoms and other health conditions. If your symptoms are mild, your urologist may suggest watchful waiting, which involves modifying behavior and lifestyle as symptoms worsen. It can include drinking less before bedtime and making sure there's a bathroom nearby. Physical discomfort and symptoms typically get worse over time, making it harder to reduce symptoms later. BPH medications may relieve and slow symptom progression, but can take several weeks to work and require continual use. For some patients, they can become less effective over time and sometimes fail to provide adequate relief. They may cause unwanted side effects like dizziness, fatigue, and sexual dysfunction. BPH medications do not fix blockage caused by an enlarged prostate, which if left untreated can lead to bladder obstruction, deterioration, and loss of function. Surgery to remove part of the prostate is generally recognized as an effective treatment for BPH. However, it may come with discomfort and long recovery time, erectile and ejaculatory dysfunction, and frequent need for the use of a catheter. Mike's doctor told him about the system, the number one minimally invasive BPH procedure chosen by urologists and their patients in the US. The system is typically a one time outpatient procedure that can provide rapid relief and recovery while preserving sexual function. The procedure uses small implants to hold open the obstructed pathway, unblocking the urine flow. With the system, Mike has discovered an option that can free him from his BPH medication without the potential downsides of more invasive surgery, so he can get back to what matters most. More than half a million system treatments have been completed worldwide, providing durable results and lasting relief from BPH symptoms. Ask your urologist if you are a candidate for the UroLift System. Click the physician finder on urolift dot com to find a board certified urologist who performs the UroLift System procedure near you. Most common side effects are temporary and can include discomfort when urinating, urgency, inability to control the urge, pelvic pain, and some blood in the urine. Rare side effects including bleeding and infection may lead to a serious outcome and may require intervention.