Hi there! Thank you for your question. The prostate gland produces a fluid that becomes part of the semen. Benign prostatic hyperplasia, or BPH, involves enlargement of the prostate gland causing obstruction of urine flow. The prostate enlargement in benign prostatic hyperplasia is not malignant (not cancer). BPH is completely benign. It is not a precursor or cause prostate cancer. BPH is extremely common and generally begins in a man’s 30s, and usually cause symptoms after 50.

The symptoms of benign prostate hyperplasia includes urine hesitancy, poor flow of urine, intermittent stream (flow that stops and starts during urination), dribbling after urinating, the sensation of not completely urinated eventhough there is no more urine, increase frequency of urination, unable to control your urination, peeing yourself without you realizing, increase urination at night, bone/joint pain, anaemia (dizziness, tiredness), loss of weight and appetite, genital swelling and most of the time its asymptomatic.

Complications include infection, stone formation, bladder distension and renal failure (due to backflow of urine). The treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia is usually reserved for patients with significant symptoms. The available medications include alpha blockers and 5-alpha reductase inhibitors.

Surgery or office procedures may also be used to treat BPH, most commonly in men who have not responded satisfactorily to medicine or those who have more severe problems, such as a complete inability to urinate. Examples of the surgical procedures are Transurethral resection of the prostate (The doctor then shaves away part of the inner prostate to relieve the outflow of urine from the bladder), laser procedures (these procedures also removes of obstructing prostate tissue.

They cause less bleeding and quicker recovery) and microwave therapy (this procedure is generally performed in the office and involves the use of microwave energy delivered to the prostate to kill some of the cells leading eventually to shrinkage of the prostate).

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