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Cures
Surgery for BPH involves inserting a narrow instrument through the end of the penis under general anaesthetic. This lets the surgeon clear the blocked urethra by paring away the enlarged prostate tissue bulging into it.
After surgery:
- It usually takes several weeks for symptoms to settle down
- Some men will still have problems with intermittent dribbling of urine
- The prostate may continue to grow so symptoms recur
Some men develop retrograde ejaculation so that sperm pass backwards into the bladder during ejaculation: this Is not harmful but you may need medical assistance if you wish to father a child.
Shrinking the gland with drugs
Some drugs aim to shrink the prostate gland but need time to work - sometimes as much as a year. Treatment needs to be taken continuously as the prostate can start to grow within a few weeks of stopping the tablets. As the drug has a hormonal action and is present in the semen, you may need to use condoms to protect your partner from exposure.
Relaxing the gland with drugs
A number of drugs can improve BPH symptoms by relaxing the muscle cells within the prostate gland. The first drugs used to do this were originally developed to treat high blood pressure (hypertension). These drugs may cause an increase in side effects in those people who are already taking medication to control their hypertension.
As high blood pressure and BPH tend to strike in late middle age, many men do suffer from both conditions. Fortunately, a new class of drug, the alpha lA-adrenoceptor antagonists, has recently been developed specifically to treat BPH.
By targeting a specific receptor in the prostate tissue (the alphaiA-adrenoceptor), these drugs effectively improve the symptoms of BPH without affecting the blood pressure. This minimises the problems of dizziness and fainting that have sometimes been associated with previous drug treatments of BPH.
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