Treating An Enlarged Prostate

Christine Webb, Your Health And Fitness

Millions of men suffer from a prostate condition that is easily treated.

Wayne Saker is a busy financial investor, so getting a good night's sleep is important.

But his routine was disrupted when he experienced symptoms of an enlarged prostate.

“Once you experience it, it's a very serious condition because if you get up four to six times a night, it definitely effects your next day you're tired, you're drawn out,” said Saker.

Wayne's problems cleared up in a couple of days after he took a prescription medication.

He also learned this is something millions of men suffer from.

“It's fairly common for most men over 50. In fact we even see some cases of men in their 30s and 40s have some degree of what we call BPH or Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia,” said Dr. Jacques Carter, from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.

Aging and hormonal stimulation cause the prostate gland to swell, which in turn squeezes the bladder and urethra.

“On occasion the symptoms are bad enough that you have significant obstruction. You have people who can't void at all,” said Carter.

But Carter said medication helps most patients, as does watching your weight, eating a healthy diet and limiting fluid intake at bed time.

By age 50, about half of all men have some form of enlarged prostate.