Age is the number one risk factor for BPH. People over the age of 50 are at a high risk of developing BPH. As the prostate keeps growing throughout your life the risk of an overgrown prostate looms over your head from as early as 25-30 years of age. The risk only increases as you age and doubles if you have conditions like diabetes. BPH is certainly a difficult condition to tackle because it affects your sexual health more than your physical health.

While the causes for BPH are not clearly understood, one of the only ways to diagnose is to get regular health check-ups and be aware and wary of the common symptoms. Quick and early diagnosis can help you get rid of the symptoms quickly without it getting the chance to affect your life. So, let’s learn more about BPH treatment for older adults, how to self-diagnose the initial symptoms, when you should visit a doctor, and the importance of regular check-ups.

Why Do You Need Regular Check-Ups To Screen BPH?

BPH screening is especially important because it can affect other parts like your kidneys. It can also cause urinary tract infections, which can use kidney stones and other conditions alike. And lastly, the most important reason you should consider getting regular check-ups is that BPH increases the risk of prostate cancer. Patients with an overgrown prostate are at a higher risk of prostate cancer and can develop a more aggressive form of prostate cancer.

Regular check-ups can keep the risk at bay and treat the symptoms quickly before they can affect the other parts of your body. Treating BPH in the elderly is not that difficult, but diagnosing the problem earlier can keep the symptoms in check and help you get treated without surgery and other costly medical treatments. Early diagnosis also keeps the risk of kidney problems, prostate cancer, and UTIs in check. While BPH doesn’t cause many serious symptoms, early detection can protect you against problems like erectile dysfunction and retrograde ejaculation, because you will be able to avail of easier treatments that don’t affect your sexual health.

These are some of the reasons you should definitely opt for regular check-ups to screen BPH, however, what is the frequency at which you should be screening? And how to go about the screening process? Let’s answer both those questions.

How To Screen For BPH & How Frequently Should You Do It?

BPH screening can’t generally be performed at home unless you are experiencing the symptoms. A regular health check-up is a great way for you to screen for BPH and other health concerns. The frequency does depend on your age, but over the age of 30 men should get an annual physical health check-up. For people over the age of 50, screenings once every six months should be enough to keep you safe from the risk of BPH. 

Another major reason why you should perform regular screenings is that an enlarged prostate can indicate both towards BPH and prostate cancer. So, unless you regularly screen for the condition, you won’t be able to know if you are being affected by cancer or not. And as mentioned previously, though BPH is not cancer, it can increase your risk substantially. So, do take this advice seriously. Now, to answer the question, of how BPH screening is done. There are two methods generally used, let’s look at that.

Prostate Examination: A prostate examination is the most common way doctors diagnose if your prostate is overgrowing or not. The test involves inserting a lubricated finger into the rectum of the patient. The doctors then use their fingers to check the back of the prostate for any lumps, or bumps, or just to get an average idea of the prostate size. Any discrepancy at this stage would tip your doctors to get a better understanding of your condition using more advanced diagnostic tests.

Blood Work: Blood tests are a great way to keep a check on your prostate too. These tests check for the levels of a specific protein in your body, prostate-specific antigen. The excess amount of this protein can indicate that you have an enlarged prostate. Blood tests that indicate vastly disproportionate levels of this protein can ensure you have BPH, even with small discrepancies, it can be a great indicator that your prostate may be growing too much.

Now that you know about the ways doctors can diagnose your problem, here are the best ways to keep a check on the condition yourself as you age. Keep a lookout for these symptoms and report it to your doctors if you see they are consistent after a while.

BPH Symptoms You Should Keep An Eye On

• Frequent urination includes having to wake up at night more than twice or thrice to urinate.
• Having difficulty maintaining a steady stream of urine.
• Not feeling complete relief after urination as you have difficulty emptying your bladder.
• Having problems starting the stream when urinating.
• Having pain or burning sensation in your urethra when urinating.
• Seeing blood or unnaturally dark brownish color urine regularly.

These are some of the symptoms you need to check out when you approach your 50s. If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, you definitely need to go for a check-up with your doctor.

Conclusion

Having an enlarged prostate in old age is not uncommon, but living with it is. You can get treated very easily especially when you have expert care available at your fingertips with MASSH. We pride ourselves in our expertise in BPH treatment which offers quick and easy relief from your symptoms without significant side effects and a quick recovery. We specialize in minimally-invasive surgical procedures that ensure your enlarged prostate can be reduced in size. To learn more about our treatment processes, check out our website or visit us today.