BPH Symptoms You Need To Stop Ignoring!

Enlarged prostate or BPH (Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia) affects the entire system of a man who suffers from the disease. Generally, men after 50 years of age are more at risk of being diagnosed with an enlarged prostate.

What is an enlarged prostate or BPH?

The enlarged prostate is a benign (noncancerous) condition of the prostate. This is why it is also called Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia. The prostate is a walnut-sized organ located between the bladder and the urethra, contributing to multiple functions of the organism. Once the prostate cells multiply, it starts to increase its volume and presses on the urethra, blocking the urine flow. Even though benign prostatic hyperplasia is a noncancerous prostate condition, its symptoms can affect a man’s quality of life, including the sexual function.

In the following video, Dr. David Samadi explains what are the signs and symptoms of an enlarged prostate.

What are the BPH symptoms?

The leading cause in America was always heart disease. Now, with all the advances that we have made in America, cardiac by-pass, cholesterol medications, encouraging the men and women out there to really go out and exercise, eating better, diets, knowing about our weights and all the health awareness and all the programs that are out there have reduces the risk of heart attack and heart disease.

So, men and women are now living longer. And, as a result of this, the next player in the field that is going to be an issue for us is cancer. We see cervical cancer, ovarian cancer, bladder cancer, prostate cancer and so and so forth. So, this is one of the reasons why we need to be aware of screening. 

BPH Statistics

In the field of prostate and prostate health, we see men in their 50s who will suffer from an enlarged prostate.

Enlarged prostate or another term for that, benign prostatic hyperplasia or BPH, is something that will affect about 14 million to 20 million American men out there. That is an incredible number of men out that are going to the bathroom in the middle of the night, they are having a lot of symptoms but they think that this is part of getting older or of the aging process.

But, you know, there are a lot of treatment options that are available. But, the first thing for you to know is your symptoms.

Benign prostatic hyperplasia or an enlarged prostate affects men in their 50s and 60s. About 50% of them. Once we get to our 70s and 80s, 80% of men will have BPH.

So how do you know you have this?

Well, you will be going to the bathroom frequently.

You are not gonna be emptying your bladder well.

If you are the type of person that sits by the dinner and all your friends are there and you will have to get up in the middle of the dinner and have to go to the bathroom all over again that means you have an enlarged prostate or some form of urinary issue that we need to treat or deal with.

Is there any burning when you urinate?

Do you have a urinary tract infection (UTI)? There could be some hesitancy, you know, that it takes some time for you to start and in the end, there could be some dribbling. All these are signs and symptoms of an enlarged prostate. 

Take the BPH quiz on BPH Symptoms Checker and find out the severity of your symptoms.

What is nocturia?

The ones I am very concerned about are the ones that make you get up in the middle of the night. This is something called nocturia. What that means is that every 2 hours you are getting up to go to the bathroom. Do you know what that doe to you? It will affect your entire system.

It will not only affect your stress level but also you will not sleep well. New studies are showing that an enlarged prostate and lack of sleep may affect your sexual function. So, you see how this is all becoming like a circle and is affecting your health. When you are not sleeping enough, you will crave for more carbohydrates, you will get hungry and you will wake up in the morning and you want that bagel and cream cheese and you stuff yourself with that and hence the circle of obesity and sleep apnea. The sooner we break this cycle, the better it is.

Now, understanding that you have the symptoms, that you have to see a doctor, a urologist, is the first step. 

That is my message to a lot of women out there: If your man is waking up in the middle of the night, it is not necessarily a part of aging and if it is, we need to find out what it is and we need to treat it.