Diagnosing Benign Prostate Enlargement
You might have several different tests to find out if you have an enlarged prostate.
A GP may do some of these tests, such as a urine test, but others might need to be done at a hospital.
Some tests may be needed to rule out other conditions that cause similar symptoms to BPE, such as prostate cancer.
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Treatments Options For High
As a result of family history, lifestyle, diet, and natural hormonal changes, the prostate begins to grow in size as men age, starting in their mid-30s. When the prostate becomes more enlarged over time, it might press against the urethra and block urine flow . This condition is called benign prostatic hyperplasia, or BPH.
Enlarged prostates differ in size. The size can be estimated on digital rectal exam or prostate imaging like an ultrasound. People with very enlarged prostates have several treatment options. However, size is not the only factor used to choose a treatment.
When doctors evaluate the prostate, symptoms are just as important as size. In addition, size and symptoms dont always correspond. For example, one person might have a mildly enlarged prostate with noticeable symptoms, while another person could have a very large prostate with no symptoms.
All of this information is the basis of a personalized treatment plan. Here are the options for patients with very enlarged prostates, with or without symptoms.
Bladder Problems In Aging Women
Bladder problems in women occur post-menopause due to reduction in oestrogen levels and also post-birth as a result of pregnancy.
Urinary tract infection : In the postmenopausal stage of life, women are susceptible to UTIs because of reduction in the hormone estrogen, as a result the unhealthy bacteria such as E.Coli grow in the tract and number of healthy bacteria like lactobacilli drop. Dehydration, a weakened immune system, kidney problems, immobilization, and catheterization are other factors that lead to UTIs.
Urinary incontinence: Excess weight, aging, pregnancy, childbirth, and the number of children a woman has are the main factors associated with urinary incontinence.
Researches have shown that urinary incontinence while linked to aging, can also be associated with pregnancy, delivery and the number of children one has. Studies also show that women can experience incontinence after menopause due to a drop in estrogen hormone levels.
Urinary incontinence come in different forms:
- Stress incontinence
- Overflow incontinence
- Mixed incontinence
Prolapsed bladder: Muscles supporting the bladder weaken with age, causing it to collapse. This is associated with a low production in estrogen hormone levels, responsible for keeping the muscle strong.
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Common Bladder Problems And When To Seek Help
Bladder problems can disrupt day-to-day life. When people have bladder problems, they may avoid social settings and have a harder time getting tasks done at home or at work. Common bladder problems include urinary tract infections, urinary incontinence, and urinary retention.
Some signs of a bladder problem may include:
- Inability to hold urine or leaking urine
- Needing to urinate more frequently or urgently
- Pain or burning before, during, or after urinating
- Trouble starting or having a weak stream while urinating
- Trouble emptying the bladder
If you experience any of these symptoms, talk to your health care provider.
Treatment for bladder problems may include behavioral and lifestyle changes, exercises, medications, surgery, or a combination of these treatments and others. For more information on treatment and management of urinary incontinence, visit Urinary Incontinence in Older Adults.
Time Your Bathroom Trips
Based on the information from your voiding diary, come up with a comfortable interval between bathroom trips. Then set an interval timer or stopwatch and keep to this schedule during your waking hours.
This is known as timed voiding. If the time is up and you dont have to go, empty your bladder anyhow. You should also empty your bladder when you wake up in the morning. At night, only go if you wake up and feel the urge.
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What Are The Treatments For Urinary Incontinence
Treatment depends on the type and cause of your UI. You may need a combination of treatments. Your provider may first suggest self-care treatments, including:
- Lifestyle changes to reduce leaks:
- Drinking the right amount of liquid at the right time
- Being physically active
- Staying at a healthy weigh
- Avoiding constipation
If these treatments do not work, your provider may suggest other options such as:
- Medicines, which can be used to
- Relax the bladder muscles, to help prevent bladder spasms
- Block nerve signals that cause urinary frequency and urgency
- In men, shrink the prostate and improve urine flow
How To Improve Bladder Health
Many factors related to bladder care, lifestyle, and nutrition can help to maintain and improve bladder health, including:
- Bladder related:
- Empty your bladder regularly and whenever needed . A normally functioning bladder needs to void every 3 to 4 hours.
- Do pelvic floor exercises
- Try to avoid conditions that favor bacterial growth
- Lifestyle related:
- Drink adequate amounts of fluids, especially water
- Eat a healthy diet with plentiful fruit and vegetables
- Limit caffeine and alcohol intake
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What Causes An Enlarged Bladder
An enlarged bladder is a relatively common condition. There are many possible causes.
One of the most common causes is an obstruction of the urinary system. This can occur in the ureters that connect the kidney to the bladder, or in the urethra which passes urine from the bladder to exit the body. When there is an obstruction, the bladder has to work hard to pass the urine past the obstruction. This can lead to a loss of elasticity in the bladder walls. Typical forms of obstruction are kidney stones and tumors. Prompt recognition of these conditions can prevent the bladder from becoming enlarged.
Some people have trouble urinating. They produce a large volume of urine, but they never fully empty their bladders. This prevents the bladder from returning to its usual size and leaves it stretched out.
Some babies are born with enlarged bladders, although they may not present symptoms until later in life. If an enlarged bladder is discovered in a child, but they are not suffering any negative consequences, then simply monitoring them closely is an appropriate course of action.
People who are both obese and have diabetes may be more likely to develop enlarged bladders.
Some neurological conditions, such as multiple sclerosis and paralysis, can lead to an inability to empty the bladder regularly enough.
What Are Foods That Irritate The Bladder
Foods and drinks that have been associated with bladder irritation include tomatoes and tomato juice, vinegar, chili and spicy foods, chocolate, sugar and other sweeteners , caffeine, carbonated beverages, alcohol, and some fruits and fruit juices .
Note that if bladder symptoms are related to a dietary component, an elimination diet may help to identify the problematic food or drink. This involves adhering to a diet that eliminates common bladder irritants if a dietary component has been contributing, marked improvement in symptoms is expected within approximately 10 days. Foods can then be slowly added back into the diet one at a time if symptoms return, this enables the specific irritant to be identified.
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Apple Cider Vinegar Is One Of The Best Natural Remedies For Enlarged Prostate
Apple cider vinegar is very good for your prostate. The unfiltered, raw apple cider vinegar features astringent properties, helping shrink the swollen prostate glands. Also, it aids weight loss and helps prevent complications of an enlarged prostate such as UTIs.
You simply need to mix 1-2 tablespoons of raw, unfiltered apple cider vinegar with 1 tablespoon of honey in one glass of warm water. Drink this at least twice per day.
Another option with apple cider vinegar is adding about 1 cup to a bathtub of cool water and soaking in it for about 10 minutes.
Researchers have found that you can shrink your prostate naturally by regularly using apple cider vinegar. Apple Cider Vinegar has many health benefits and it can be used to treat BPH symptoms or even prostatitis. Many prostate cancer patients have also tried this method of naturally shrinking the prostate, pre or post-operative.
According to scientists, the caffeic acid found in apples acts as a cancer inhibitor, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory substance. Regarding to prostate enlargement, caffeic acid helps prevent cell proliferation. Even if there has not been any particular study on the effects of ACV on BPH, the data that is already available suggests that it may have high efficiency in shrinking the prostate.
How Do You Retrain An Overactive Bladder
To retrain your bladder, your doctor will advise you to follow a regular bathroom schedule. Try holding off for 10 minutes after the initial urge to go. Your doctor may encourage you to gradually increase the length of time between each bathroom visit. Try to avoid emptying your bladder between visits.
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How To Handle Urinary Incontinence After Childbirth
Women who expect to leave all the pregnancy aches and pains behind them after childbirth soon find that postpartum symptoms can be almost just as bad.
These effects can take their tole in different ways and can last up to 6 weeks or longer. Soreness, depression, bleeding, fatigue, and constipation are just a few of the unpleasant outcomes women may experience after giving birth. One of the most common complaints from women is how to handle symptoms of urinary incontinence in the weeks following childbirth. Lets explore some answers.
Tips For Relieving Bph Symptoms
Four simple steps can help relieve some of the symptoms of BPH:
For more on advances in the diagnosis and treatment of prostate diseases, read the Annual Report on Prostate Diseases from Harvard Medical School.
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Exercise And Lose Weight
Exercising and losing weight are some of the best things you can do to promote prostate health. Many studies show that moderate or vigorous exercise reduces risk of BPH and urinary tract symptoms and helps with prostatitis as well. Exercise also benefits your cardiovascular health and can help prevent other health and sexual problems such as erectile dysfunction.
If you are overweight, losing weight is one of the most important natural changes you can make in improving your prostate health, whether your concerns are cancer, BPH or prostatitis. A study published in the Journal of Urology found that overweight men, especially men with a high amount of abdominal fat, have an increased risk of BPH. If you are looking to shrink the prostate, losing weight can help you reduce your prostate size and help relieve annoying and frustrating urinary symptoms. On top of that, weight loss can reduce your risk for prostate cancer and help relieve prostatitis, too.
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What Tests Will Be Done To Diagnose Overactive Bladder
A healthcare provider may order tests to help diagnose overactive bladder. These tests may include:
- Urinalysis. A urinalysis examines the visual, chemical and microscopic aspects of your pee. A provider will look for red blood cells, white blood cells and bacteria. If you have any of them in your pee sample, you may have an infection that causes OAB.
- Urodynamic testing. Urodynamic tests measure how much pee remains in your bladder after you go to the bathroom, how much you pee, how fast you pee and how much pressure is on your bladder as it fills with pee.
- Ultrasound. An ultrasound is a noninvasive imaging test that allows a healthcare provider to take a detailed look at your bladder.
- Computed tomography scan. A CT scan is a noninvasive imaging test that produces 3D images of your bladder.
- Cystoscopy. A healthcare provider will use a special instrument to look inside your bladder from your urethra. The provider typically uses a numbing gel so you dont feel pain in your urethra. In rare cases, they may use general anesthesia, so you arent awake, wont move and wont feel any pain.
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Drink Plenty Of Water
Drink 6 to 8 glasses of fluid a day unless your doctor advises you otherwise.
Many people with urinary incontinence avoid drinking fluids, as they feel it causes more problems. However, limiting your fluid intake makes incontinence worse, because it reduces your bladders capacity.
Not drinking enough fluid can also cause constipation or make it worse.
Find out which are the healthiest drinks.
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The Link Between Weak Bladder And Oab
When the smooth muscle within the bladder becomes overactive, it can lead to improper contraction and relaxation of the muscle. Problems in the nerves that stimulate the bladder, as well as some neurological conditions, may lead to OAB.
According to the Urology Care Foundation, as many as 30% of men and 40% of women in the United States have OAB symptoms.
The muscles in the lower abdomen that support the bladder and urethra are known as the pelvic muscles. For women, these muscles often stretch and weaken during pregnancy and childbirth, which can cause organs in the abdomen to shift.
A lack of muscle support around the bladder can cause sagging, which can lead to leakage. This can lead to stress incontinence, which often results from a mix of OAB and urge incontinence.
If a person is experiencing frequent urination or having urine leakage after a sudden urge to urinate, it may be time to talk with a doctor about treatment options to help with OAB.
However, there are also several lifestyle changes that a person can make to help to calm the bladder muscle, which may help improve OAB symptoms. Read on to learn more.
The sections below provide suggestions for ways to help manage a weak bladder, which may also improve OAB symptoms.
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Myth: Drinking Less Is Best
Waving off the waiter when they try to refill your glass may help a little. But doctors say a healthy bladder should be able to handle a normal amount of fluid. You might want to think more about what you drink. Caffeine is a bladder stimulant. Consider downsizing that morning cup of joe or skipping the cola.
The Mechanics Of Retraining Your Bladder
Its all well and good to talk about bladder retraining, but what exactly does it entail? One of the first retraining methods we recommend are Kegel exercises that strengthen your pelvic floor to provide more support for your bladder and to control your stream of urine. If youre unfamiliar with Kegels, simply click here for a quick tutorial.
Kegel exercises are a great way to combat stress incontinence as you beef up the support systems surrounding your bladder and urinary tract.
Another great bladder retraining technique is to delay urination when you feel the urge. You can start off slowly by delaying your trip to the bathroom by a few minutes. The goal here is to gradually increase the amount of time that you delay urination, so that you only urinate every three to four hours.
Another great way to increase your control over your bladder is to create a schedule. You can start by making a trip to the bathroom every two hours . Gradually, you spread your schedule out so youre only making trips every three to four hours.
While this exercise may seem similar to the urination delay exercise above, the scheduling aspect adds a powerful psychological component that can help you better control your incontinence. Its important to note that you need to stick with your schedule and go to the bathroom whether you feel you need to or not.
If you have more questions about bladder retraining, please contact one of our offices in McAllen or Edinburg, Texas.
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How Is Overactive Bladder Diagnosed
A healthcare provider can diagnose overactive bladder by reviewing your symptoms and conducting a physical examination of the organs around your pelvis and rectum. They may ask you questions such as:
- What are your symptoms?
- How long have you had these symptoms?
- Do you have a family history of overactive bladder?
- What over-the-counter and prescription drugs do you take?
- What kinds of fluids do you drink during the day?
- What time of day do you drink certain fluids?
- What do you eat during the day?
They may also refer you to a urologist. A urologist is a doctor who specializes in diseases and conditions that affect your urinary tract and reproductive system.