What is benign prostatic hyperplasia?
Benign prostatic hyperplasia or BPH means that your prostate is enlarged but is not cancerous. According to experts, the following factors could contribute to the development of BPH:
- 40 years and older men
- Men with a family history of BPH
- Men with medical conditions, such as obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart, and circulatory disease
What is Prostate?
It is a gland in the male reproductive system located between the penis and the bladder. Its size is similar to a walnut and is located in front of the rectum. The urethra running through the middle of the prostate, from the bladder to the penis, allows urine to flow out of the male’s body.
Moreover, the prostate secretes fluid, which protects and nourishes sperm. It is responsible for squeezing this fluid into the urethra, which is expelled with sperm as semen during ejaculation. As the male ages, it’s a normal part of aging that his prostate gets bigger.
How Does BPH Start?
When you reach 40, your prostate may grow the size of an apricot from a walnut. By the time you become 60, it might become the size of a lemon. Because the prostate surrounds part of your urethra, the enlarged prostate can squeeze the tube. This then results in problems when you pee. Normally, you don’t experience these issues until you’re 50 or older but can start earlier. This is BPH (benign prostatic hyperplasia), though it’s not cancerous.
Symptoms of BPH
- Dribbling at the end of urination
- Inability to empty the bladder completely
- Difficulty in starting to urinate
- Increased frequency to urinate at night or Nocturia
- Frequent or urgent need to urinate
- UTI (urinary tract infection)
- Inability to urinate
- Blood in the urine
REZUM for Enlarged Prostate or BPH
What is REZUM?
REZUM is a procedure that offers multiple benefits to many men with enlarged prostate or BPH. Though it works for some patients, it doesn’t guarantee treatment for all men. Its success depends on the patient’s characteristics, including the size of the prostate, severity of symptoms, and how serious the enlarged prostate causes the blockage.
If you’re looking for a private urology clinic in Toronto, check out DYNAMiQ Urology. They offer REZUM treatment after identifying if you’re eligible for the procedure.
What to Expect During REZUM
On the day of your treatment, you are advised to have light meals and plenty of fluids. Depending on how big your prostate, the procedure requires two to seven injections, which last nine seconds long each.
First, you will be instructed to eliminate urine, and your bladder is checked. If there’s still more urine in the bladder, it’s drained to avoid draining during the procedure.
Your prostate and penis are numbed before the REZUM device is inserted. A needle is deployed, and vapor is injected into your prostate for nine seconds. This steam or vapor disperses between cells, then cools, releases heat, and slowly disrupts the prostate’s cells.
The procedure causes swelling, so medical personnel inserts a catheter, which will remain for two to five days. It is hooked to a bag, which stays on the leg and is covered by pants.
Can REZUM Help Treat an Enlarged Prostate or BPH?
After the procedure, inflammation occurs that completely subsides within two to four months. Expect difficulty and frequency of urination that worsen before returning to normal similar to how it was before the procedure at four weeks. At six weeks, you start to get off your medications.
According to studies, REZUM offers good results, with no effects on ejaculation. DYNAMiQ Urology also offers REZUM treatment in Ontario, if you’re closer to the area.
