You've Got BPH (Prostate Enlargement)- What Happens Next?

May is Better Sleep Month and Asian Pacific Islander Heritage Month. It is also a month where men get BPH (benign prostatic hyperplasia), the medical term for prostate enlargement. It's not that men get this problem in May, because they can get BPH at any time of the year, but perhaps now is the time for you to consider addressing your BPH if you haven't already. 

So what does it mean when your urologist tells you that you have BPH? Well, it could mean that you've been dealing with (or you may eventually deal with) frequent urination, especially at night. You may have also noticed when you go to the urinal that it's taking you longer to push out urine or to empty the bladder. You may even find that you don't feel as if you've emptied your bladder completely. These uncomfortable sensations going on with your urinary habits are medically referred to as LUTS (lower urinary tract symptoms) and they are commonly associated with BPH. However, because these symptoms also occur in other urinary and prostatic conditions, it is important not to self diagnose but rather go to your doctor. The older a man gets, the more likely he will experience BPH to a point that it interferes with urinary health. 

Getting a better night's sleep and looking into the low incidence rate of BPH in Asian men could be the key to helping men around the world with their BPH. What happens next is you get informed about BPH, raise awareness in yourself and other, and consider what lifestyle adjustments may need to occur so you can reduce the interruptions and interference of symptoms in your every day life. Better BPH management could mean no more getting up multiple times in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom. Finding relief does not have to be a pipe dream if you can work on a healthier nutritious meal plan; more physical activity like walking, jogging and swimming; drinking more water during the day to make urine less thick and less at night for less trips; reducing bladder irritants like spicy foods and diuretics; the safe practice of pelvic floor exercises; plant based therapies, and so on. If you have BPH, the next thing that can happen is a restoration of your quality of life, but that is up to you!