And when patients finally do seek help, it can be difficult to diagnose this health condition. "When men start having urinary problems, it's hard to know the reason. They should see a doctor when anything changes because there can be bladder cancer, stones, prostate cancer…” Slawin adds. “BPH is often a diagnosis of exclusion…after we make sure nothing more serious is going on."

To diagnose BPH, doctors use something called the BPH Impact Index. This is a list of questions created by the American Urological Association. In this process, urologists can gauge symptoms are to see if further action is required. When patients receive high scores on the index, symptoms are considered severe. 

Treating Enlarged Prostate Conditions

The good news is that there are things that can be done for BPH. According to the Mayo Clinic, there are several treatments available. The first involves taking alpha blockers to make urination easier. These medications relax the muscles of the bladder as well as the muscle fibers in the prostate. 

Another option is 5-alpha reductase inhibitors, which counter hormones to keep the prostate gland from growing larger. Sometimes doctors will prescribe a combination of these two types of medication to reduce symptoms as much as possible if one medication isn’t working well enough on its own. 

Minimally invasive surgery is also available. The first type of procedure in this respect is called transurethral resection of the prostate, or TURP. In this procedure, a surgeon uses a lighted scope to remove everything but the outermost area of the prostate. The good thing about this procedure is that symptoms subside in an expedient manner, with urination beginning to return to normal almost immediately after the procedure is performed. However, a catheter is often needed, and activity is restricted until the body recovers.

Another option is called transurethral incision of the prostate, or TUIP. This treatment also involves a lighted scope, but for this procedure, the surgeon makes incisions in the prostate itself. This helps restore normal function of the urethra.