Enlarged prostate treatment

The treatment choice for an enlarged prostate depends on the severity of the problem

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An introduction to the treatment available for the enlarged prostate

There are a variety of ways of treating prostate enlargement (BPH). Decision on the best treatment for each individual depends on how long your prostate has been enlarged and the level of prostate symptoms you are experiencing.

In general, the following treatment options are used:

  • Watch and wait. This is the option for mild cases with few symptoms
  • Prescribed medication. Used for moderate or troublesome symptoms and before surgery is considered
  • Surgery. Used for moderate or severe symptoms, ranging from minimally invasive to open surgery
  • Herbal remedies. Whilst not always accepted by the medical profession, Saw Palmetto herb is increasingly being considered as an option by doctors, including urologists.

Your doctor should be in a position to discuss the range of options and offer advice on which option is best suited to you.

Watch and wait

Known by doctors as 'watchful waiting', it is the treatment of choice for men with few or no symptoms, or symptoms which do not interfere with their daily lives. It is not about ignoring the problem.

Even when the prostate gland is confirmed to be enlarged, the level of symptoms experienced might vary from day to day and these can sometimes disappear if left alone, for months or years.

With watchful waiting, the patient is asked to report back to the doctor if mild symptoms worsen. In this way, symptoms become ‘worth treating’ – the cost of treatment in terms of risks and side-effects will be outweighed by the benefits.

If symptoms worsen, the patient will generally be advised to move onto one of the prescribed medicines used for prostate enlargement.

Prescribed medicines

Prescription drugs may be recommended by your doctor if your enlarged prostate symptoms are of moderate severity. These generally belong to two classes (types) of medicines:

  • 5α-reductase inhibitors (eg. finasteride, dutasteride, Proscar). These work as antiandrogens, decreasing the amount of 5α-reductase in the body
  • α-blockers (eg. tamsulosin, alfuzosin, Flomax). These work by blocking receptors and nerve impulses, relaxing muscles in the prostate and bladder

Both of these drug treatments reduce symptoms by interfering with the chemical pathways leading to prostate enlargement. They are well-known to doctors and urologists, widely used, but can have the tendency to give rise to a variety of side effects.

Surgery

This is the option considered when a man is unable to tolerate prescribed medication, if symptoms worsen or are severe. With modern technology, prostate surgery has become increasingly less invasive and there are now a variety of methods of treating an enlarged prostate using fibre optic cameras, with few or no incisions made in the abdomen.

The main types of surgery used are:

  • Trans-urethral resection of prostate (TURP). The prostate is removed using a small instrument (with attached camera) introduced through the penis
  • Trans-urethral incision of prostate (TUIP). Here the same instrument is used to make small cuts in the prostate and urethra. It is used when severe symptoms are caused by a small prostate
  • Trans-urethral microwave thermotherapy (TUMT). Unlike TURP or TUIP which uses a small scalpel, this method applies heat to prostate tissue, causing cell death
  • Trans-urethral needle ablation (TUNA). Just as with TUMT, this destroys prostate tissue using heat – but instead of microwaves, high frequency radio waves are used
  • Open prostatectomy. This is conventional surgery where the prostate is removed following an incision made in the lower abdomen.
  • Prostate Artery Embolization. This involves blocking some of the arteries that feed the prostate to reduce blood blood flow and shrink the gland.

Herbal remedies

An alternative to watchful waiting is the use of Saw Palmetto products licensed for the treatment of enlarged prostate symptoms.

These herbal extracts have the advantage of not being associated with the level of side effects seen with prescribed medicines for the prostate. Saw Palmetto extracts are available without prescription from many high street outlets so are a convenient form of treatment to try. The only requirement is that the diagnosis of an enlarged prostate has been confirmed by your doctor.

Saw Palmetto extracts can be used at the watchful waiting stage, at any level of symptom severity, before or after surgery. However, they may not be used if you are already on conventional or prescribed medicines for your prostate.

Prostasan® – Saw Palmetto capsules for enlarged prostate

30 caps

£ 19.99

find your local stockist

Treatment for men with an enlarged prostate (BPH). Also in 90 capsules - £53.99
More info

What's being asked

Hi, I had a blood test a few weeks ago to check for prostate cancer, which came back as negative. Would this test tell me if I had an enlarged prostate?

No, blood tests are not part of the diagnosis for an enlarged prostate.
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I have an enlarged prostate. I take Saw Palmetto with other ingredients including zinc etc. Any other ideas please?

Zinc is a good supplement to take, as it is thought to benefit the prostate gland generally. You ...
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I have an enlarged prostate and have had a biopsy. All is ok but is there a herbal or other type of product I can take to reduce the size of my prostate?

If you have a diagnosis of enlarged prostate then you can take Prostasan Saw Palmetto capsules to ...
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Here's what I recommend

As the A.Vogel Men’s Health advisor, I recommend Prostasan® Saw Palmetto capsules to help relieve symptoms arising from enlarged prostate.

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Did you know?

BPH is a very common problem that increases the older men get, and around half of all men have an enlarged prostate by the age of 50. At the age of 80, this has risen to 80%

What you need to know about BPH

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