Prostate Problems

You came to this page because you have an issue with your prostate. What is the prostate? The prostate gland is essential for a man’s reproductive system to work. It makes a lot of the fluid that comes out when he ejaculates. The fluid the prostate makes, ultimately helps get a woman pregnant. Prostates come in all sizes. It starts small and starts growing at puberty as it is exposed to androgens (male hormones like testosterone, DHT etc).

Why does this effect my urination?

The urine stream travels through the center of the prostate. Towards the end of the prostate is the Ejaculatory Duct. This is where the prostatic fluids, sperm and seminal emissions are pushed out. This is why both urine and ejaculate come out of the same opening. As the prostate enlarges it can squeeze off and obstruct the flow of urine. A large prostate doesn’t mean that you will have obstruction and occasionally a small prostate can cause obstruction. There is a trend that the bigger the prostate the more likely there will be obstruction.

What else can it be?

In order to pee normally your brain send relaxation signals down the spinal cord via pelvic nerves to the sphincter to tell it to relax. Your body has to sense this is happening and have a reflex that contracts the bladder. When the bladder contracts the urine has to travel out of the urethra without obstruction. So anything that interferes with this normal pattern can cause Pee Problems. It can be anything from neurologic issues (prior strokes, MS, nerve injury etc.), bladder dysfunction, to obstruction (prostate or scar tissue).

What can I do about it?

First, we need to find out what the problem is. Is there an infection (prostatitis), blood in the urine (hematuria), obstruction or is it just something you’re doing to yourself (too much caffeine)? We want to make sure it’s not something more sinister like prostate cancer so we will do a rectal exam and check your PSA. After your initial visit we usually can come up with a preliminary diagnosis and start treatment. We will usually order confirmatory tests and see you back to make sure things are working out. In complex patients, patients with multiple medical problems, neurologic issues or prior surgery we often want to test first to make sure we’re going in the right direction.

Prostate Treatment Glendale AZ

So I have a big prostate

So let’s say we work it up and you do have a big prostate. Our standard line up of options include behavioral modification, medications, natural remedies and if all else fails, minimally invasive surgery. At Arizona Urology Specialists we are fluent in all treatment options and will help direct you down the path you’re most comfortable with. Please go to our BPH page to see treatment options.