When talking to your doctor about enlarged prostate treatment options, the main options to be discussed will be: alpha blockers that make urination easier, Cislis, 5-alpha reductase inhibitors that shrink the prostate, Hytrin, Flomax (to relax prostate muscles), Avodart and Proscar (to reduce BPH symptoms and block the hormones that allow the prostate to grow). An enlarged prostate cannot be fully cured, but symptoms can be easily managed if they are not too sever and if there are no complications from BPH.
PAE (prostate artery embolization) is another one of the safe enlarged prostate treatment options that the doctor may recommend for BPH or an enlarged prostate. It carries low risks and very low costs. It is a minimally invasive procedure and there is very little operative pain and almost no hospital stay. As an alternative to PAE, TURP (trans-urethral resection of the prostate) is a surgical treatment during which a scope is inserted to remove the prostate piece by piece. Conversely, prostatectomy is the removal of the prostate gland all at once during surgery.
If the patient refuses medication and medical procedures as treatment, the doctor will most certainly recommend managing symptoms by: becoming physically active, limiting alcohol and caffeine intake, scheduling urination habits, performing Kegel exercises and dieting. The latter entails avoiding processed meats, red meat, sodas, soft drink, green and black tea. However, it also includes increasing the consumption of: avocados, fish, nuts, beans, olive oil, eggs and citrus fruits (grapefruit, orange, lemon and lime). The symptoms that can be managed by means of lifestyle changes are: dribbling urine, nocturia, weak urine streams and the inability to empty the bladder. Nevertheless, the doctor will advise the patient to, eventually, seek and accept medical treatment because an untreated large prostate can cause UTIs and blockage of the urethra as well as bladder and kidney damage.