Enlarged prostate (benign prostatic hyperplasia)

The prostate gland sits below the bladder and surrounds the urethra (tube that urine flows through) and produces semen. It begins growth when a man hits puberty and when gets enlarged can cause pressure on the urethra, obstructing the flow of urine. This can make it difficult to urinate, cause a weak flow, cause you to not empty your bladder and make you go more frequently. An enlarged prostate can also cause your stream to start and stop (intermittency) and make it difficult to start your urine stream. Urinating a lot at night (nocturia) may be a sign of an enlarged prostate.

If you are already on prostate medications and are not satisfied with the results, Dr Mutter can discuss with you minimally invasive surgical options. These consist of a transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP), Urolift or a laser procedure to unblock the flow of urine through the prostate. This is either a same day surgical procedure or a brief overnight hospital stay. The majority of men are catheter free in 3 days, no matter the procedure they choose.