Enlarged Prostate Questionnaire

Enlarged Prostate Questionnaire

A common cause of prostate distress for many men is benign prostatic hyperplasia, or BPH. As men age, their prostate gland often grows larger, putting pressure on the urethra, which in turn interferes with urine function.

Symptoms

There are various symptoms of an enlarge prostate, but typically they involve urinary obstruction or irritation or inflammation. These symptoms often begin to appear after when a man reaches his fifties. Symptoms associated with irritation are often a combination of the actual obstruction and the effects of the obstruction. Among the symptoms you may experience:

  • A weak or hesitant urine stream
  • Incontinence (uncontrolled leaking or dribbling)
  • More frequent urination, especially at night
  • Trouble starting a urine stream or only dribble a little
  • Sensation that the bladder has not completely emptied
  • A strong or sudden urge to urinate

The American Urological Association has developed a BPH Symptom Index Questionnaire that may indicate if you may have a prostate problem. This list of questions calculates the AUA BPH Symptom Index Score that is often used by urologists to determine the severity of prostate problems.

Answer the questions with the following number scale:

Not at all = 0

Less than 1 time in 5 = 1

Less than half the time = 2

About half the time = 3

More than half the time = 4

Almost always = 5

The Questionnaire

During the last month:

  1. How often have you had the sensation of not emptying your bladder completely after you finished urinating?
  1. How often have you had to urinate again less than two hours after you finished urinating?
  1. How often have you found you stopped and started again several times when you urinated?
  1. How often have you found it difficult to postpone urination?
  1. How often have you had a weak urinary stream?
  1. How often have you had to push or strain to begin urination?
  1. How many times did you most typically get up to urinate from the time you went to bed at night until the time you got up in the morning?

A total score of 0-7 may indicate mild BPH, 8-19 can be moderate BPH, and anything over 20 is points to severe BPH.

Your doctor may recommend surgery if you have an extremely enlarged prostate. One of the down sides of surgery is something called retrograde ejaculation. Instead of the semen coming out of the penis, the semen travels back up into the bladder. More dramatically, you could suffer permanent erectile dysfunction and an increased risk of heart attack.

A swollen prostate may also become infected and inflamed and create more serious health problems, such as prostatitis. You should see your doctor immediately if you notice your urinary output is much less than usual or you experience fever and chills, unusual pain in your back, side or abdomen. Also watch out for painful urination or blood or pus in your urine.

Prevention

There are a number of steps which have been shown to help prevent or relieve BPH. You should try to:

  • Load up on servings of fruit and vegetables
  • Work on following a low-fat diet
  • Try plant protein rather than animal protein
  • Enjoy green tea
  • Keep hydrated
  • Enjoy some cranberry juice.

Although modern medicine has many solutions for men with BPH, most are full of potential side effects. Drugs designed to lower DHT levels can also lead to loss of sex drive, erectile dysfunction and a decrease in semen volume. In rare instances, it can even cause a man’s breasts to enlarge

Prostate problems are a common part of growing older for many men. You can, however, take a very comprehensive formula that includes Saw Palmetto, Zinc, Lycopene, Beta-Sitosterol, Pygeum Africanum and Stinging Nettle, a total of over 30+ ingredients; a very comprehensive formula; Prostate Health Essentials (click here to view). Prostate Health Essentials contains 30+ natural ingredients shown to support prostate health.

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