Why Is an Enlarged Prostate a Health Concern?

The prostate is a key part of the male reproductive system. It can also become a problem, especially as time ticks on. When a man is 20, his prostate is usually about the size of a walnut. By age 60, it might be as big as a lemon. While this prostate growth is normal, it can create issues.

An enlarged prostate — also called benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH) — can cause unwelcome symptoms. That’s where we come in. 

At Vascular & Interventional Associates in Crestview Hills, Kentucky, our team has extensive experience helping men with BPH. If you live in northern Kentucky or the Cincinnati, Ohio, area, we offer options to help you get relief from your symptoms and prevent a larger health issue. 

When an enlarged prostate becomes a problem

While the prostate normally grows through the years, it can develop too much tissue. Your doctor will diagnose BPH when your prostate grows too big and, as a result, starts causing problems. Those include:

• Difficulty fully emptying your bladder
• A stream of urine that starts and stops
• Increased urinary frequency, including at night
• Increased urinary urgency

If you feel as though you need to press to get urine out or you have a stream that dribbles, the problem could lie with your prostate. 

These issues arise because of your prostate’s location. Your prostate surrounds your urethra, the tube your body uses to move urine out of your bladder. When your prostate becomes too large, it can press on the urethra and cause a number of unwelcome urinary changes. 

On their own, these symptoms can make daily life challenging. An enlarged prostate can become an even bigger health concern, too. 

These urinary difficulties can lead to bladder and kidney problems. Complications of BPH include bladder stones and urinary tract infections (UTIs), which can both develop because you can't fully empty your bladder. An infection in your bladder can reach your kidneys, too, causing issues there. 

What to do about BPH

At Vascular & Interventional Associates, our team has a number of treatments we can explore with you to alleviate your symptoms and protect your bladder and kidneys.

You can often address early-stage BPH with medication. Some medications work by shrinking prostate tissue, while others allow your muscles to relax, making it easier to empty your bladder.

When medication doesn’t bring you relief, we can explore prostate artery embolization. With this minimally invasive procedure, we limit blood supply to your prostate, which causes it to shrink. This gives you a more targeted way to address BPH than traditional surgeries. 

If the symptoms of an enlarged prostate sound familiar, come in to consult with our team. Make an appointment at Vascular & Interventional Associates by calling our office or by booking your visit online today.