An enlarged prostate should always keep you on your toes, especially if you develop urinary tract symptoms. But is an enlarged prostate a serious condition that should worry you much?
An enlarged prostate can be the hallmark of a severe issue, including prostate cancer. As such, it helps to be prompt with diagnosis and treatment. Nonetheless, your prostate can enlarge out of less concerning causes, in which case, a diagnosis by a professional should offer you proper insight.
This article explains how severe an enlarged prostate can be and why you shouldn’t always put your guard down when it inflames.
What Is An Enlarged Prostate?
Inside This Article
An enlarged prostate is usually as close as a golf ball size and balances between a ping pong ball. A normal prostate, however, should always be the size of a walnut, which indicates its healthy state. An enlarged prostate can be painful or mild, depending on the cause. However, pain is likely in most situations, which should tell you something is amiss.
Please note that your prostate may naturally enlarge as you age. However, it won’t nag you; it happens in virtually every man. Nevertheless, your prostate might be screaming for help if you develop urinary tract symptoms, including incontinence, frequent urge to urinate, and stabbing pain.
How Severe Is an Enlarged Prostate?
Prostate enlargement cannot always be severe. However, it depends on the underlying cause. Growth due to age or hormonal changes isn’t so concerning, save for the few nagging symptoms, including changes in your urinary system and increased discomfort.
Otherwise, you should be more worried if these symptoms go way overboard, including blood in urine and constant and unending abdominal pain.
Prostate cancer can manifest in such symptoms, which can be worrying. That is the peak severity you should expect, and act quickly. Remember, you only stand a chance to recover from prostate cancer if you’re early with treatment that late, as well find out more in the section below.
What Does Your Prostate Enlarging Mean?
Your prostate may enlarge without severe causes, but please be warier of any unusual symptoms. It should concern you that your prostate can enlarge due to malignant tissues developing, which is why you must always be sure of the cause. Here are the typical reasons your prostate may enlarge.
- Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH)
BPH is a typical condition that occurs in aging men and isn’t as severe. Your prostate naturally enlarges due to hormonal changes that happen later in the year, and it shouldn’t worry you.
However, while scientists and urologists might have established the cause, they still argue that the actual cause hasn’t been straightforward, as numerous issues could be valid precursors. Its symptoms might only be unsettling, but they should worry you much once you’re sure of the cause.
- Prostatitis
Prostatitis is another prostate problem resulting from bacterial attacks. Its symptoms are similar to BPH but have a few other causes, including previous prostatitis cases. Infections of the urinary tract also cause the condition, and medical experts believe that age can be a predisposing factor.
The severity varies in levels, with chronic prostatitis being the extreme of acute prostatitis. If left untreated, this condition can cause bacteremia (bacterial infection of the blood) and a pus-filled cavity in your prostate, called a prostatic abscess.
- Prostate Cancer
Prostate cancer is arguably the worst prostate issue you can have, as it can hinder its proper functioning. However, this condition is treatable in its early stages than later when the tumor spreads. Read: How To Keep Your Prostate Healthy?
Prostate cancer is highly dreaded among men and always needs specialized care to manage it. It’s also easy to manage its symptoms, which, besides inflaming your prostate, causes other urinary tract symptoms. Not treating your prostate cancer can even lead to death.
What Should You Do When Your Prostate Enlarges?
It would be best if you were keen on your body and quickly read any worrying signs to act as soon as possible. Prostate issues vary, and each has its degree of severity that requires you to be more attentive. Here’s what you should do if you notice any worrying signs of an enlarged prostate.
- Observe the Symptoms
Try to pay attention to your body and observe how you feel. Your body should offer you distress signals that should command your immediate attention. You don’t want to ignore them as it could be a prostate issue developing.
Therefore, it’d be best to monitor any developments in your urinary tract. Check your urge to urinate frequently and whether you can point out any abnormalcy. If so, please schedule a visit with your health provider.
- Schedule a Doctor’s Appointment for Screening
Some people resort to self-diagnosis at home to determine if their prostates are enlarged. Nonetheless, it’s always recommended that you get your doctor to assess the condition and determine the extent of your prostate enlargement.
These professionals know better and can conduct the procedure safely. They should seamlessly help you establish the root of the problem and recommend treatment and care.
- Follow Up with a Treatment
While some prostate enlargement scenarios may not be severe, others require quick medical treatment. That should help you avoid possible drastic complications and lead a healthy life. Sometimes, your enlarged prostate may go back to normal on its own. However, you may need treatment for quicker healing and to avoid getting yourself into a compromising situation.
The good thing is that you’re spoilt for choice for the numerous ways to approach your treatment, and you can resort to a proper diet, well-targeted exercises, and medications, among others.
Should You Go for a Prostatectomy If Your Prostate Has Severely Enlarged?
You don’t have to do a prostatectomy if you have an enlarged prostate. It should be your last option when other treatments don’t work. This process is wildly intrusive and involves surgery to remove a part or the entire prostate.
This option is only ideal for men with more advanced prostate cancer, seemingly terminal. If cancer threatens to spread to other body parts, your doctor would recommend it. Also read: Does Prostadine Really Work For Prostate Or A Scam?
But while you may sign up for prostatectomy, it’s not always a smooth ride in the aftermath. The process’s side effects can be nagging, with most men claiming erectile dysfunction issues and incontinence afterward. If your prostate enlargement gets severe, please resort to medications and figure out if they help before getting a prostatectomy.
Can You Reverse Severe Prostate Enlargement?
You can reverse severe prostate enlargement if you have an ideal treatment that works for you. However, that can depend on what causes it, which determines how challenging reversing it can be. Doctors recommend you try natural remedies if your condition isn’t so severe. Nevertheless, you can opt for medicinal treatments if they seem more practical.
You can also resort to a proper diet, be physically active, or take supplements. No matter your prostate enlargement severity, you always have a way out of it.
Conclusion
Prostate enlargement can be mild or severe. Nevertheless, it shouldn’t concern you if you don’t consider cancer the cause. You can reverse your enlarged prostate and restore it to functioning optimally. However, that needs a bit more care and adherence to treatment regimens. If any treatment solutions fail to work, you can turn to the last resort, surgery and removal of the gland.
