BPH Medical Treatment Options
You and your doctor choose a treatment
The treatments to relieve the symptoms of enlarged prostate (BPH)
are medications (pills), office-based minimally invasive
treatments (MITs), laser surgery, and traditional surgery. No one treatment
works for every situation. Generally, after consulting with you, a urologist will
recommend one treatment, evaluate the results over time, and, if they aren't satisfactory,
suggest another treatment.
Every treatment has potential side effects. Some side effects are more troublesome
than others. As the patient, you will need to weigh these side effects against the
overall benefits of the treatment.
Sexual side effects of treatment are of special interest to many men. The medication
(pills) called 5-alpha reductase inhibitors commonly causes less semen to be ejaculated
and the inability to get an erection (impotence). Pills called
alpha blockers may cause failure to ejaculate, retrograde (or internal)
ejaculation, and less semen to be ejaculated. Traditional surgery, also known as
transurethral resection of the prostate
(TURP), may cause the inability to get an erection and
retrograde ejaculation.
Click here for an article on sexual function
and BPH by Neal D. Shore, MD, Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Dr. Shore is
a clinical urologist and principle investigator of the
Prolieve Thermodilatation® System, who specializes in prostate
disease and has performed more than 200 office-based
minimally invasive treatments for the symptoms of BPH. This article is based
on Dr. Shore's clinical experiences and opinions. Dr. Shore is a paid consultant
of Boston Scientific.
BPH Patients' Goals for Treatment*
Next page: Medications
Disclaimer: This material is provided for information purposes only and is not a substitute for a consultation. You should talk with a urologist regarding your specific symptoms or medical condition.
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