What is an enlarged prostate?

If you have an enlarged prostate, or benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), the prostate enlarges around the urethra-the major road of fluid from your internal organs to the outside world. That enlargement causes the prostate to squeeze down on the urethra like a farmer's hand around a goat's udder to disrupt typical urine flow.

Men with BPH end up getting up frequently throughout the night to urinate, but they have difficulty initiating a stream of urine. As the disease gets progressive, the difficulty worsens-and you can never get all of the urine out of your bladder. (The fear is that the urine can get backed up in the kidneys, which leads to renal failure because the urine slowly kills the kidneys over time. So keep getting up to urinate.)

The way men decide to treat BPH treated is very personal. Some opt for aggressive treatments that remove part of the prostate around the urethra; others opt for more conservative treatments like medication and alternative therapies that decrease swelling and help relax the muscle that's clamping the urethra down.

Enlarged prostate, also known as benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), is a very common condition that occurs when a man's prostate gland grows beyond a normal size. This typically begins to happen in middle aged men past the age of 50. The prostate grows large enough that it presses against the urethra, restricting the flow of urine. This can lead to damage to the kidneys, bladder, and urinary tract.