Are you finding that constant trips to the bathroom at night to pee are keeping you (and your partner) awake, leaving you both waking up in the morning feeling tired and irritable? It’s easy to point the finger of blame at your bladder, but it could be another common problem that affects men as they age – benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), also known as an enlarged prostate. Knowing the causes of prostate enlargement and exploring effective treatments like prostate artery embolization (PAE) can help you regain control and improve your quality of life.
An enlarged prostate is a condition that commonly affects men as they get older. It’s estimated that 50% of men are affected by the age of 60, and this percentage grows to 90% by the age of 85.
Located just below the bladder, the prostate is a small gland that helps make semen, playing a vital role in a man’s reproductive system. When the prostate enlarges, it presses against the urethra and restricts the flow of urine. It can also lead to problems with the bladder, urinary tract and kidneys.
Common symptoms of BPH include:
Less common symptoms include:
Sometimes, the symptoms slowly worsen, or they may remain the same or even improve.
The size of the prostate doesn’t always affect the seriousness of the symptoms. A man with a slightly enlarged prostate may experience severe symptoms, whereas a man with an overly large prostate may only have minor problems – and to complicate matters further, some men with enlarged prostates have no symptoms at all!
Here’s the thing: Nobody knows for sure what causes prostate enlargement. One theory suggests that hormones from the testis could be a primary cause. As men age, they experience a decline in the amount of active testosterone in the blood while estrogen levels remain the same. This hormonal change may trigger BPH.
It’s also thought that the male hormone dihydrotestosterone (DHT) may have a role to play. As men age, the cells of the prostate begin to multiply in response to the presence of a hormone called dihydrotestosterone, causing the gland to increase in volume. Fortunately, this growth is not cancerous – hence the name benign prostatic hyperplasia.
Other factors that may put you at a higher risk of developing BPH include:
The goal of most BPH options is to relieve urinary symptoms so you feel more comfortable and can get your life back on track.
Having BPH symptoms doesn’t always require treatment, in which case, your doctor is likely to recommend watchful waiting – regularly monitoring your symptoms without treatment.
If your symptoms are mild but uncomfortable, they can often be managed with a few lifestyle changes. These include:
If your symptoms worsen, your doctor may suggest medications like alpha blockers to relieve them, but these can cause side effects like dizziness and sexual dysfunction.
Traditional surgical options like TURP are effective but invasive with risks including bleeding, infection and sexual side effects.
If lifestyle changes and medications haven’t worked, and you don’t want to go down the route of traditional surgery and long recovery periods, then prostate artery embolization could be the answer.
It’s a modern, minimally invasive procedure carried out in an outpatient setting, which means that most men can go home the same day and avoid the cost of a hospital stay. This advanced procedure, performed by an Interventional Radiologist, relieves the urinary symptoms without the need for invasive surgery.
Here’s a brief overview of what’s involved in the PAE procedure:
You can read about PAE in more detail here.
Benefits of PAE
Hopefully, you now have a better understanding of prostate enlargement causes. If your symptoms are worsening and affecting your quality of life, then please reach out to the experienced team at MINT STL.
We specialize in providing cutting-edge, minimally invasive treatments like PAE. Our experienced team is dedicated to improving patients' quality of life through personalized care. Contact MINT today to schedule a consultation.
