BPH Treatment in Sugar Land, TX
Sugar Land’s Leading Enlarged Prostate Specialist
Enlarged Prostatic Hyperplasia, or BPH, is a non-cancerous enlargement of the prostate gland that affects more than 50 percent of men over the age of 60. When it occurs the prostate gland presses against and narrows the urethra making it difficult to urinate. Depending on the symptoms or the severity of one’s benign prostatic hyperplasia, your doctor will prescribe a number of treatment alternatives.
Dr. Ogletree is a board-certified urologist that specializes in treating BPH. Dr. Ogletree will take the time to thoroughly discuss your treatment options in order to help decide what is best for you. Call (281) 565-3569 to schedule an appointment at our urology office in Sugar Land today!
What Are the Symptoms of BPH (Enlarged Prostate)?
When the prostate gets enlarged, it begins to put pressure on the bladder and urethra. A lot of the symptoms of BPH tend to relate to urination. Here are the 7 most commons symptoms:
- Difficulty starting urination. The enlarged prostate messes with the pressure of your bladder to pass urine. This can have damaging effects on your kidneys.
- Weak urine stream. As the urethra becomes constrained, urine passes at a much slower rate.
- Urgent need to urinate. You may go from not needing to urinate to suddenly needing to go because of how the bladder gets constrained.
- Issues with sleeping. Pressure from the enlarged prostate can mess with nerve signaling in the middle of the night. This leads to you thinking you have to urinate when you don’t.
- Feeling the inability to completely empty your bladder. You may not be able to completely empty your bladder which can lead to UTI and stone issues.
- Urinary tract infection. This is caused by the urine that sits in your bladder which you can’t fully empty, creating an environment for bacteria to thrive.
- Bladder stones. The left over urine can also crystallize to create bladder stones.
BPH simply can cause these symptoms to happen, but having these symptoms doesn’t necessarily mean you have BPH. There are many reasons why you may have urinary issues. Talk to your urologist about proper diagnosis.
BPH (Enlarged Prostate) Treatment Options
Medication
Drug therapy is often used to provide relief from symptoms and to help reduce the enlargement of the prostate gland. These are especially helpful where the symptoms are mild. There may be side effects and the drugs must be taken regularly for the rest of one’s life. Additionally, the drugs may lose their effectiveness over time.
Surgery
The use of surgical intervention is recommended to relieve or eliminate symptoms and when symptoms are severe or other options haven’t worked. Procedures include:
TURP (Transurethral resection of the prostate) – the most common type of BPH surgery that generally provides long-term relief. Side effects can include erectile dysfunction and bleeding.
Prostatectomy
A prostatectomy is a procedure that is performed to remove large amounts of prostate tissue. This procedure is performed in a hospital and under general anesthesia. As with medication, there can be side effects that most notably can include erectile dysfunction or incontinence.
Minimally Invasive Treatments
By their nature, these treatments are not as invasive as surgery and can be performed in an outpatient environment. These can include:
- Thermography – for treating patients with moderate symptoms. This treatment uses heat to destroy prostate tissue. Microwave energy is a major approach for this treatment.
- Laser Therapy – to treat mild to severe symptoms. This approach most commonly uses GreenLight Laser Therapy together with TURP to provide effectiveness with fewer side effects.
- Urethral Stent – for use with patients who are not candidates for surgery. It involves placing a mesh tube to hold the urethra open at the point where it is obstructed by the prostate gland.
- Rezum Procedure – minimally invasive technology that utilizes the thermal energy in water vapor to shrink the excess tissue of the prostate that presses on the urethra and causes a variety of urinary problems.
Learn More About REZUM
Check out these videos for a more in depth look at REZUM and how it can help relieve your BPH symptoms!
Schedule an Appointment for BPH Treatment in Sugar Land, TX
If you are experiencing symptoms of BPH (enlarged prostate), Dr. Ogletree will take the time to diagnose your symptoms and discover the best treatment option for you. Contact Dr. Carl Wesley Ogletree M.D., F.A.C.S. at (281) 565-3569 today to learn more about your treatment options.