Benign Prostate Enlargement - What is it?

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BPH is Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia. Benign means non-cancerous, hyperplasia means enlarging. Therefore BPH is a noncancerous enlargement of the prostate gland that affects most men, as they get older. Even though the prostate enlarges, however, it does not necessarily cause symptoms or bother in all men.

When BPH does cause symptoms, these can present as one or a combination of the following:

  • Hesitancy - having to wait for a few seconds before the urinary flow starts
  • Poor flow – reduction in the strength of urinary flow
  • Terminal dribbling – bothersome dribbling when you think you have finished urinating
  • Incomplete bladder emptying – the feeling of not completely emptying the bladder when you urinate
  • Frequency – needing to urinate more frequently than normal, day and /or night
  • Urgency – having to rush to go to the toilet

BPH is not usually a dangerous condition, but can cause a lot of bother and nuisance. Occasionally, BPH can lead to problems such as bladder stones, infections or even kidney problems.