A snapshot on BPH

BPH stands for benign prostatic hyperplasia, an enlarged benign prostate, which can cause urinary problems. This condition is very common, and a large number of men will suffer with symptoms affecting their waterworks as they get older – finding that they can’t go, have difficulty peeing, or are peeing far more often than normal. Men sometimes refer to the cause of their urology problems as having a ‘dodgy prostate’ and many find that the call of nature can be stressful when they visit the loo. This situation can be exasperated when public toilets are involved, they need to rush to the nearest loo, or can’t find a toilet quickly.

The symptoms caused by benign prostatic hyperplasia are known as lower urinary tract symptoms or LUTS. LUTS are often caused by prostate problems which affect the normal urinary flow, and thereby cause problems in peeing. Urination problems are one of a number of men’s health issues that are often not addressed adequately due to the associated embarrassment towards man problems and the male anatomy, specifically the prostate gland.

Many men describe their urological condition in terms of the impact it has on their life. For example, the frequent toilet trips and the fact that they can’t wait to go. Too often, these men can experience the feeling of needing the toilet to wee, having an almost constant urge to go and, once they have found their nearest loo they either can’t wee or have difficulty with flow problems. Problems with emptying the bladder, or constant peeing, are also classic symptoms.

One of the most troublesome symptoms is known as nocturia, where men have to get up at night driven by a desperate urge to go and visit the loo. As they can’t wait, they lose sleep with their frequent need to pass urine and excessive peeing caused by their enlarged prostate gland. These toilet interruptions don’t just cause suffering for men peeing at night – many partners also lose sleep because of their partner’s night time toilet trips.

It’s often when men find their urination problems are getting them up at night to pass urine that they decide to seek professional help. The constant peeing and excessive peeing is usually something they find they can deal with – many think it’s was just one of those man problems that are inevitable with age – but these problems, especially irritating interruptions throughout the night, often get too much for their partners to stand, driving the men to see their GP.

Many men who have the need to wee a lot more than they used to, or have difficulty in emptying their bladder, find their frequent urination and flow problems to be frustrating and debilitating. Some will resort to desperate and potentially damaging measures to help combat their need to urinate frequently, such as significantly restricting their fluid intake. Whilst this may help overcome the need to pass water so often by reducing the quantity of pee, it will not be a long term solution to the prostate help that sufferers need. In fact, men who try these steps may still experience an urgent need to urinate as well as side effects caused by dehydration. Therefore, it would be advised to maintain a healthy intake of fluids overall, but consider restricting drinks at particular times of the day – such as just before bed or before going on a long trip.

Many patients describe their struggles with a ‘weak bladder’ in the same way: their prostate problems will often begin quite innocently enough, they’ll joke that they have a ‘dodgy prostate’ with their mates in the pub as they have to rush to the loo or find they can’t wait to have a wee even after a short drive. The call of nature can begin to get stronger over time, and the need to wee a lot results in frequent toilet visits when they go out. This can then cause additional embarrassment having had to rush off to find the nearest toilets, only to find that they can’t wee and are having to stand there for ages whilst attempting to pass water.

The recommended solution is to talk to a healthcare professional (HCP) about their bladder problems. The HCP will usually explain to the patient that he’s suffering from a really common men’s health issue probably caused by having an enlarged prostate. They will discuss the options that are available to the sufferer, to help with the increased peeing, excessive urination and toilet interruptions, as well as the night time pee problem known as nocturia.

Men can experience difficulty peeing, increased peeing frequency and ‘weak bladder’ over a long period of time before they seek help. Many sufferers say that they would definitely recommend anyone suffering from similar problems, such as peeing all the time and having problems whilst urinating, to seek help sooner rather than later – there’s no need to suffer in silence.