Enlarge Prostate

What is benign prostatic hyperplasia?

Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is a condition in which your prostate grows in size.

Your prostate is a gland that rests below your bladder and in front of your rectum. It’s about the size of a walnut, and it surrounds part of your urethra.

Your urethra is a tube that carries urine (pee) and sperm (ejaculate) out of your body.

If your prostate grows in size, it can prevent pee and ejaculate from passing through your urethra.

BPH isn’t cancerous. However, symptoms of BPH may indicate more serious conditions, including prostate cancer.

Does having benign prostatic hyperplasia increase the risk of prostate cancer?

Research shows that having BPH doesn’t increase your risk of developing prostate cancer. However, BPH and prostate cancer have similar symptoms. If you have BPH, you may have undetected prostate cancer at the same time.

To help detect prostate cancer in its early stages, every person with a prostate should get a prostate screening every year between the ages of 55 and 69. You have an increased risk of getting prostate cancer if you’re Black or have a family history of prostate cancer. If you have an increased risk of prostate cancer, you should start getting prostate screenings at age 40.

Who does benign prostatic hyperplasia affect?

BPH is the most common prostate problem in people assigned male at birth (AMAB). Almost all people with a prostate will develop some enlargement in their prostates as they grow older.

How common is benign prostatic hyperplasia?

Benign prostatic hyperplasia is common.

By age 60, about 50% of people with a prostate will have some signs of BPH. By age 85, about 90% will have signs of the condition.

About half of all people with BPH will develop symptoms that require treatment.

What are the warning signs of benign prostatic hyperplasia?

Your prostate surrounds your urethra. When BPH causes your prostate to grow, it can cause blockage in your urethra. As a result, early symptoms of BPH include:

• Slowness or dribbling when you pee.
• Difficulty starting to pee.
• Leaking (incontinence).
• Sudden need to pee (urgency).
• Need to get up at night to pee.
• Inability to completely empty your bladder.
• Pain after ejaculating or while peeing.
• Your pee changes color.
• Your pee smells.

What happens if you leave an enlarged prostate untreated?

Without treatment, BPH can cause further blockage in your urethra, and your symptoms may worsen. It may also cause:

• Urinary tract infection (UTI).
• Bladder stones.
• Blood in your pee (hematuria).
• Kidney damage due to pee backflow from your bladder up to your kidney. The pee backflow increases pressure on your kidney.

What causes benign prostatic hyperplasia?

Healthcare providers and medical researchers aren’t sure what causes BPH.

One theory is that, as you age, the amount of testosterone in your body decreases (low testosterone). At the same time, your estrogen levels remain the same. These hormone changes may cause your prostate cells to grow. However, people who take supplemental testosterone may develop or worsen BPH.

Older people AMAB also have higher levels of dihydrotestosterone (DHT). DHT is a more potent form of testosterone that increases the size of your prostate.

Is benign prostatic hyperplasia contagious?

No, BPH isn’t contagious. You can’t spread BPH to another person.

What type of doctor treats benign prostatic hyperplasia?

If your healthcare provider suspects you have BPH, they may refer you to a urologist. A urologist is a doctor who specializes in treating conditions that affect your urinary system.

How is benign prostatic hyperplasia diagnosed?

Your healthcare provider will review your medical history, ask you questions and perform a physical examination. Part of the physical exam involves a digital rectal exam.

During a digital rectal exam, your healthcare provider will carefully insert their gloved digit (finger) into your rectum. They’ll feel the edges and surface of your prostate, estimate the size of your prostate and detect any hard areas that could be cancer.

Your healthcare provider may also order:

• A survey to evaluate the severity of your symptoms.
• A urine flow test to measure the speed of your pee stream.
• A study to detect how much pee remains in your bladder after you’ve finished peeing.
• A cystoscopy to look into your bladder.