Age changes everything – hair thins and grays, skin dries and creases, and gravity affects once-firm flesh. Internal changes, however, may be undetected until obvious signs emerge. The development of a larger prostate is a common symptom of these alterations in males. An enlarged prostate isn’t always cancer, but it might cause bothersome symptoms until it’s addressed.
If the prostate gland is unusually enlarged, the patient may have pain in the region of the bladder and urinary system. When the prostate gland grows too large, its weight might rise to 100 g. This illness, more prevalent in older males, can have severe consequences for the patient’s mental health and overall well-being.
Signs of Prostate Enlargement
Urinary issues are most frequently brought on by a man’s growing prostate as he reaches middle age and beyond. Let’s go through some of the most typical symptoms of an enlarged prostate, so you know what to look out for and when it’s time to make an appointment with a urologist.
1. Urinary Frequency and Urgency
Some of us have had our sleep interrupted by an overactive bladder, and while this may happen to anybody, men with an enlarged prostate will have to urinate more frequently. If you have an enlarged prostate and find that the need to urinate frequently prevents you from getting a good night’s rest, this could be one of the first symptoms you experience. Polyuria is defined as the need to urinate eight or more times daily.
The need to go to the bathroom can become intense at times. This occurs because the larger prostate gland exerts a greater force on the urethra and bladder, making continence increasingly problematic. You can learn more about what reduces BPH symptoms by reading blog posts and articles online.
2. Pain in Urination
The strain placed on the urine and genitourinary systems can be painful. There’s a lot of pain involved, and some guys make it worse by trying to force urine out. Pain from an enlarged prostate that hasn’t been treated can sometimes be traced back to an infection.
The obstruction of urine flow from the bladder is one of the problems associated with an enlarged prostate. A higher concentration of bacteria will flourish, raising the probability of an illness. Inflammation of the prostate, or prostatitis, is another type of urinary infection that needs to be treated.
3. Retention of Urine
The inability to entirely empty one’s bladder is known medically as urinary retention. It’s a sign of an enlarged prostate and a potential side effect. Get medical attention right away if you have this problem. Urinary retention can be either acute or chronic.
While acute urine retention resolves quickly, chronic urinary retention continues to cause problems. A catheter, a thin tube inserted by the doctor into the bladder, is used to remove urine. The urologist may propose surgery like a minimally invasive prostate resection to reduce the enlarged prostate’s size or make incisions in the prostate to increase urethral patency if the situation is severe.
4. Blood in Urine
One possible indicator of an enlarged prostate is blood in the urine. This could indicate the presence of further issues, such as an infection or even malignancy. There are two different names for this.
Having blood in the urine that can only be seen with a microscope is microscopic haematuria. When the blood in the urine is visible, called gross haematuria, the urine will appear red, pink, or brown.
5. Urinary Difficulty and Hesitancy
Difficulty or reluctance in passing urine is a common warning indication. When the prostate swells and presses on the urethra, it can prevent urine from the bladder from leaving the body via the genital organs. This makes it difficult to begin urinating, and you may be unable to do so altogether.
As a result, you may notice that your urine stream is weak or sluggish, particularly as you near the end of your pee. This is referred to as “urinary dribbling.”
