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How Can You Shrink Your Prostate?

As men get older, they are at an increased risk of an enlarged prostate, something that can result in a number of problems, from frequent urination to increased risk of urinary infections and bladder stones. These symptoms are, at the very least uncomfortable, and at the worst, a bit dangerous to a man's health. If you do suspect that you're suffering from an enlarged prostate, your best bet is to talk to your doctor about it and have some tests run. But if you're wondering what to expect for treatments, here are some of the things your physician may try in order to treat you.

Medication

The first step your doctor is likely to take in order to shrink your prostate is medication. Some drugs, such as finasteride or dutasteride, work to reduce hormones in your body that have been found to result in an enlarged prostate. Using these drugs will either halt the swelling of the prostate or reduce the size, making it a good therapy if the enlarged prostate symptoms are caught early. Alpha blockers, such as doxasozin or tamsulosin, will help to relax muscles around the prostate and bladder, which will lesson some of the symptoms of an enlarged prostate, such as frequent urination. A combination of both the hormone-reducing drugs and the alpha blockers is common to provide strong results in those who need to shrink their prostates.

Surgery

If medication is ineffective or doesn't shrink the prostate enough, chances are you're looking at some sort of surgery to correct the problem. Many of these treatments involve removing part of the prostate tissue by utilizing surgical procedures performed through the urethra. Many of these therapies involve using a catheter to transfer some small amount of heat to the prostate in order to destroy small amounts of tissue in localized areas. Many of these surgeries can be done on an outpatient basis, which means you'll be in and out of the hospital in the same day.

If the outpatient procedures don't work, doctors may resort to transurethral resection of the prostate to remove excess tissue. Similar to the outpatient procedures, a small electrical loop is inserted through the urethra that both cuts tissue and seals blood vessels, with the removed parts flushed out at the end of surgery. This is a simple procedure with short recovery time, and the only main side effect is that it may result in ejaculation into the bladder during sex, though this is not considered to be a harmful side effect.

Doctors are still exploring ways to shrink an enlarged prostate, so by the time you reach an age when you may suffer from it, there may be new treatments available. Remember, trust your doctor's judgment on what is needed to help you shrink your prostate and you'll end up staying healthy without much fuss.