- [Presenter] If you have a prostate,
benign prostetic hyperplasia, BPH,
will most likely affect you at some point in your life.
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BPH is the most common prostate problem.
It pretty much means that you have an enlarged prostate.
When this happens,
it could press up against the urethra
and make it harder for pee or sperm to pass through.
BPH usually occurs between the ages of 50 and 60.
90% of those with a prostate
will experience symptoms of BPH by age 85,
and half of this population will need treatment
for those symptoms.
The good news is it's non-cancerous
and there are a variety of treatment options for it.
If your symptoms are severe,
your provider might suggest the following options.
Finasteride, Proscar, and dutasteride, Avodart.
These two medications slow down the production
of the hormone dihydro testosterone, DHT,
which causes the prostate to grow.
They work well if you have a larger prostate.
Drugs that relax the muscle in the prostate
are a more common treatment.
They work by reducing the tension on the urethra.
Some of these medications include terazosin, Hytrin,
doxazosin, Cardura, tamsulosin, Flomax,
and alfluzosin, Uraxatrol.
Going under the knife for BPH might seem pretty intense,
but there are quite a few options,
including minimally invasive ones to treat this condition.
Here are a few.
With transurethral resection of the prostate, or TURP,
a urologist will remove any tissue blocking the urethra
with a small tube-like tool
that uses an electric current to trim the tissue.
While TURP takes about an hour,
you'll have to stay in the hospital for one to two days.
Recovery time can be between four and six weeks.
The GreenLight laser removes extra prostate tissue with,
well, a laser.
The advantage of this procedure,
less bleeding during and after it's completed.
EroLift uses tiny implants to pin back any tissue
that's blocking your urine flow.
This option can be done in a doctor's office,
under light sedation.
Rezum is minimally invasive
and performed by going up through the urethra
with an instrument that turns water into steam.
The steam delivery lasts only seconds
and helps to shrink the prostate.
The tissue is destroyed and reabsorbed by the body
within a three-month period.
This procedure can also be done in a doctor's office
under light sedation
Holmium Laser Enucleation of the Prostate, or HoLEP,
is ideal for larger prostates.
A laser is used to remove tissue
that is blocking the urine flow.
Another device is then used to remove any tissue
that is left behind.
HoLEP requires no incisions
and recovery time seems to be much faster
than traditional surgery options.
Treatment doesn't have to be overwhelming.
Your doctor can walk you through the options
for managing BPH and answer any questions you may have.
And if you start to notice symptoms
like stomach or genital pain while urinating,
pain, fever, and/or chills while urinating,
blood in your urine, or not being able to pee at all,
contact your doctor right away.
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