Which Treatment Option Is Right For Me?

The right treatment depends on the severity of a man's symptoms.

If Your Symptoms Are Mild

Individuals with mild symptoms of BPH usually elect "watchful waiting," which is careful monitoring without active treatment. About a third of all patients with mild symptoms improve on their own, without any other treatment, when followed with the watchful waiting option.

If Your Symptoms Are Moderate To Severe

Depending on how the symptoms are affecting quality of life, men with moderate symptoms may:

• Elect watchful waiting

• Opt for medical treatment with an alpha blocker or enzyme blocker

• If possible, select a minimally-invasive surgical procedure such as balloon urethroplasty, TURP, or TUIP

• Require open surgery because of need, as determined by the surgeon in consultation with the individual

Who May Need Surgery?

A man may be a candidate for surgery if he has any of the following significant complications:

• Inability to urinate because of an enlarged prostate gland

• Recurring urinary tract infections

• Noticeable blood in the urine, either persistent over time or reappearing from time to time

• The presence of bladder stones because of stagnating urine

• A condition called renal or kidney insufficiency, which occurs when an inability to urinate causes the concentration of potentially toxic urea in the bloodstream, resulting in a poisoning of the body

• Backward pressure of the urine on the kidneys causes them to swell