10 Enlarged Prostate Symptoms
Just below their bladders, men have a small organ that is known as the prostate. The urethra passes through this gland and, as semen is passed through the gland on ejaculation, the prostate releases a fluid that protects and nourishes semen.
This gland is, unfortunately, prone to becoming swollen from time to time. This can cause various symptoms, many of which revolve around how men are able to urinate. The good news is that a swollen prostate is not necessarily dangerous and is relatively easy to treat.
Here’s a look at some of the most common symptoms of the condition.
Symptom #1: A Weak Flow
When in the wild, it is fairly important for animals to pass urine as quickly as possible. This is because it is a time when they are vulnerable, and urine could also potentially leave a trail that will lead predators directly to them. For this reason, our muscles help to push urine out quickly to make the process faster than usual.
In the case of an enlarged prostate, however, this system is not always as effective as it would otherwise be. This can mean that the patient will experience a weaker than usual stream. While it may not present a danger to them as it might in the wild, it can still be rather frustrating for the patient.
Symptom #2: Difficulty Starting
Usually, we are able to time urination at just about the right time so we don’t have to wait for too long to get started. This is helped with muscles that help to keep it in, giving us some flexibility in terms of when to go. This helps to speed up the process of urinating, but things don’t always go as smoothly as we would like them to.
Another often frustrating symptom of an enlarged prostate is that the patient will find it difficult to begin urinating. It is not necessarily harmful but it can be very irritating, especially when you are in a rush. The symptom should hopefully clear up once the underlying cause has been dealt with.
Symptom #3: Dribbles
When we have finished urinating, it is important that nothing else is allowed to come out involuntarily. As we were evolving, this was because a trail of urine could reveal our location to predators, and this could be catastrophic. Nowadays, such a mishap would be quite embarrassing even if is not dangerous.
As such, when we stop urinating, we do so fairly abruptly. Quite abruptly. In cases of an enlarged prostate, however, this may not happen and the patient is left dribbling urine after they have finished. It is obviously inconvenient and potentially embarrassing but should hopefully only be a relatively short-term problem.
Symptom #4: Straining
Urinating is usually one of the easiest things we can do. Just stand or sit there and let nature do the rest for you. A combination of voluntary and involuntary muscles contract to help squeeze the urine out of our bladder, and out from the body. It is not always as easy as it should be, however.
Sometimes, especially among people with an enlarged prostate, the urine just does not seem to want to come out. As such, we can end up straining to do what we can to squeeze it out from the body, often with limited success. It is important not to strain too much, though, because you could otherwise cause yourself an injury.
Symptom #5: Stopping and Starting
When we urinate, it is usually one continuous flow. As mentioned before, this is quite important because in the past, urinating was a time when we were at risk from potential predators so we needed to finish the process as quickly as we could. However, this process is not always easy.
Patients with an enlarged prostate can find that they are always stopping and starting when trying to urinate. Again, it is a symptom that can be very frustrating. Fortunately, though, the symptom should clear up completely once the enlarged prostate has been dealt with.
Symptom #6: Blood in Urine
The color of your urine can tell you a lot about your health and can be a giveaway when it comes to recognizing or diagnosing ailments. You might sometimes notice blood in your urine and this is usually something to take notice of. It might sometimes be down to a minor trauma in the genital area, while it could also mean a problem internally.
This symptom is not a common one and it is seen mostly as a complication related to bladder outlet obstruction (BOO) in patients suffering from benign prostatic hypertrophy. If you see blood in your urine, you should seek medical attention right away.
Symptom #7: Urinary Frequency
When we relieve ourselves, our bladders are more or less emptied of the urine inside. We then don’t usually feel the need to urinate again until our bladders are full again, which usually takes a few hours or so. However, people that have an enlarged prostate can find that they feel the need to urinate even after they have been to the bathroom.
An enlarged prostate will press against the adjacent bladder. This has the effect of reducing the capacity of the bladder, and this can make us feel as though we are full. This can be a difficult symptom for the patient because they can find it difficult to relax, and this can make it difficult for them to sleep at night.
Symptom #8: Nocturia
Those who are fortunate enough will go to bed at night and wake up 8 hours or so later feeling refreshed. It is important that we get enough sleep and if we don’t then the following day can be very difficult to get through. This is not always easy, though, and our own bodies can sometimes be the problem.
Patients with an enlarged prostate can sometimes find that they keep on waking at night because of the need to urinate. This is a condition known as nocturia, and it can play havoc with somebody’s sleeping habits. As such, you will find that many people with an enlarged prostate will often be feeling tired.
Symptom #9: Feeling of incomplete bladder emptying
Our bladders are basically a type of bag that holds a limited amount of fluid: urine. The bladder will slowly fill drip by drip as urine is produced by the kidneys from impurities in the body. When this bag is full then it will need to be emptied. The liquid is passed out through the body through the urethra, and this is a process we call urination.
Patients with an enlarged prostate may feel like they still have urine left inside their bladders even after urinating. This symptom is due to the compression of the bladder by the enlarged prostate gland. It can be annoying and sometimes may lead to unnecessary straining.
Symptom #10: Urgent Urination
As the bladder gradually fills, so we have an increasing urge to urinate. This sensation will gradually intensify until it becomes unbearable, and there will come a point when we are no longer able to hold it in, no matter how hard we try. Regardless, we are still able to hold it in for a while, though, and it is not often that we need to use the bathroom urgently.
For patients with an enlarged prostate, however, an urgent need to find a bathroom can happen at any time, and without warning. Of course, it is not practical for the patient to always be near a bathroom, and this can result in some awkward moments.
