UNDERSTANDING BPH AND HOW IFS DIAGNOSED: DO YOU HAVE BPH?
Do you have BPH? There are some telltale symptoms. These include: A weak urinary stream, hesitancy in starting to urinate, and difficulty maintaining and stopping the stream (this can include a small amount of “dribbling” afterward). Also, many men with BPH have to urinate ffequentiy, especially at night, and often with a strong sense of urgency. If not treated, these symptoms can lead to some serious problems, including urinary retention—when the bladder stays completely or partly full—and even kidney damage.
Men who have any of these symptoms should see a doctor to determine exactiy what the problem is. It’s important to know if you have BPH. It’s equally important to make sure you don’t have a more serious condition such as prostate cancer, urinary tract infection, bladder cancer, bladder stones, a neurogenic bladder (a bladder affected by a neurological disease), or a urethral stricture (scar tissue that blocks the urethra); all of these can mimic BPH.
The doctor’s evaluation will include a detailed medical history, a physical, including a digital rectal exam; a urinalysis (examination of urine for bleeding and infection); and blood tests to check the level of PSA (an enzyme produced by the prostate) and to evaluate kidney function. Depending on your symptoms, you also may need other tests including a measurement of urinary flow rate (uroflowmetry), a check for residual urine in the bladder, an evaluation of the upper urinary tract with ultrasound or X-rays, cystoscopy (a “periscope” view of the urethra and bladder), and, for some men, bladder pressure tests to rule out neurological conditions.
After the diagnosis of BPH has been confirmed, the next step is to decide, with your doctor, what to do about it.
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