David L. Sobel, M.D.

Urologist at Dreyer Medical Clinic-Mercy Campus

If you're making three to four trips to the bathroom every night and neither you nor your wife are getting a good night's sleep, you may be experiencing the symptoms of an enlarged prostate gland. Known as BPH, or benign prostatic hyperplasia, an enlarged prostate is a relatively common problem that affects half of all men in their 60s and close to 80 percent of men in their 80s.

As much as women worry about breast cancer, men fret about their prostate gland, especially as they age. Unfortunately, many men are reluctant to seek help until there is major interference in their daily activities.

The prostate gland, which is about the size of a walnut in young men, is located below the bladder. As part of the male reproductive system, the prostate's main function is to produce fluids that protect and nourish sperm.

Enlargement of the prostate generally begins to occur when a man reaches his mid-40s. During this time, cells in the central portion of the gland begin to multiply and cause the prostate gland to grow. Pressure on the urethra, which is responsible for emptying urine from the bladder, and partial obstruction of urine flow can result as the tissues in the area enlarge.

Symptoms of BPH can include excessive urination at night, a weak urine stream, stopping and starting while urinating, a frequent urge to urinate, and a feeling that you never empty your bladder.

Sometimes making a few lifestyle changes can help control BPH symptoms. These would include not drinking after 7 p.m., trying to completely empty your bladder every time you urinate, limiting alcohol and caffeinated beverages, avoiding over-the-counter antihistamines and decongestants, staying active, and staying warm.

Men should seek treatment if moderate to severe symptoms are interfering with everyday activities or significantly disrupting sleep. Your doctor will probably want to rule out infection with a urine test and will most likely perform a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) blood test and a digital rectal exam (DRE) to help rule out prostate cancer. The DRE can also determine if your prostate is enlarged.

A wide variety of treatment options are available to men diagnosed with BPH. They include watchful waiting, medication, heat therapies, and surgery.

A fairly new outpatient laser treatment is also now available and quite effective in many cases. This laser treatment allows the physician to destroy excess tissue that causes urinary outflow obstruction by precisely directing the placement of a laser probe. The excess tissue is painlessly absorbed by the body and thus dissipated. This minimally invasive treatment can be a safe and effective alternative to life-long drug therapy and/or surgery in most cases.

Although BPH is a non-preventable, non-cancerous condition, it can have serious complications. Often, men wonder if an enlarged prostate is cancerous. BPH is not cancerous and will not lead to cancer. However, BPH and cancer have nearly identical symptoms, so all men over 50 who are experiencing prostate symptoms should seek the advice of a physician.

Untreated, BPH can lead to irreversible loss of bladder muscle tone, making urinary problems even more difficult to manage.