What Are My Other Options?

With so many men diagnosed each year, there are quite a few. They range from minimally invasive procedures to moderately complex surgeries and each come with their own risks.

Get it Out

 A small, spring-like device is inserted into the portion of the urethra that is surrounded by the swollen prostate in order to keep it open. It's generally only used for people who cannot have surgery because it can cause serious complications like incontinence or stone formation on the stent. Another option is catheterization. 

The patient inserts a flexible tube into the urethra, maneuvering it past the constricted area and up to the bladder to allow urine to drain. Catheterization can be intermittent (done around the clock), short-term (a special catheter that can be left in place for up to three months), or long-term (a catheter is actually inserted through a puncture made up above the pubic bone).

Shrink it Down

There is a wide variety of options in this category. The most complicated is a transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP), which is performed under anesthesia.  

The pieces that are cut away are flushed into the bladder, then out the urethra. Afterwards, a catheter is left in place and the bladder is continually flushed with fluid for the duration of a one to two day hospital stay. 

Newer treatments use lasers, microwave thermatherapy, or high-frequency radio waves to apply focused heat to areas of the prostate, effectively burning the tissue away. These procedures can be performed as outpatient surgeries or even within a doctor's office. Photoselective vaporization of the prostate (PVP) is quickly becoming the best option for BHP. A high-powered laser vaporizes prostate tissue with minimal bleeding and side effects and works just as well as traditional surgical procedures.

What Else Can I Do?

If you're a man, you will probably end up with a BPH diagnosis at some point in your life. There are some things you can do to help stave off the inevitable, though.  

Read More: Enlarged prostate: Prostate Laser Surgery

Alcohol consumption should be minimized. It all sounds very disheartening, but be aware that there is one rather enjoyable thing you can do to minimize BPH: regular sexual intercourse actually helps relieve congestion in the prostate.

Of course, your doctor can't write a prescription for that.