Urinary Symptoms Common Questions

It becomes more common with age and affects around half of both men and women in large population surveys. That does not mean it must be accepted. A bladder diary — recording when and how much you drink and pass urine over a few days — often shows whether the cause is the bladder, the prostate, or simply the body producing too much urine overnight, each of which is treated differently.

No. Benign prostatic enlargement is a normal part of ageing and does not turn into cancer. However, both are common in the same age group, so a man can have both at once. An enlarged prostate can also raise the PSA level, which is one reason a raised result needs careful interpretation.

Many men do not need treatment. If symptoms are mild, simple measures and regular review may be all that is required — adjusting when you drink, reducing caffeine and alcohol, bladder training, and pelvic floor exercises. Treatment is considered when symptoms become bothersome or complications develop.

Yes, and this matters. Finasteride and dutasteride lower the PSA reading by roughly half. If you take either, tell any doctor interpreting your PSA, because the result needs to be read with that in mind.

UroLift and Rezum preserve normal ejaculation in the majority of men, which is an important consideration for men of sexually active age. TURP and robotic simple prostatectomy usually cause retrograde ejaculation, where semen passes backwards into the bladder. This is permanent but not harmful, and the sensation of orgasm is preserved.

Mainly by the size and shape of the prostate, alongside how much the symptoms bother you and whether complications have developed. UroLift suits smaller prostates without an obstructing middle lobe; Rezum also handles a middle lobe; TURP suits prostates up to around 80 mL; HoLEP and robotic simple prostatectomy are used for larger glands.

No — women do not have a prostate. In women these are usually storage symptoms, often related to an overactive bladder. They are assessed with a urine test, a bladder diary and sometimes a flow rate and bladder scan, and there is a range of effective treatments from bladder training and pelvic floor exercises to medication.

You pass urine into a special toilet or funnel that measures the strength and pattern of your stream. It is quick and painless. A weak flow can suggest the urinary channel is narrowed, or that the bladder muscle is not squeezing strongly. It is often combined with an ultrasound scan afterwards to see how much urine is left behind.

See a doctor without delay if you have blood in your urine, are unable to pass urine, have pain or a fever with your symptoms, or your symptoms are getting rapidly worse. Being unable to pass urine at all is painful and needs same-day attention.

They usually are not — an enlarged prostate and an overactive bladder are far more common explanations. But blood in the urine always needs investigating, and new symptoms that are getting worse deserve assessment rather than waiting. Being checked is quick, and finding nothing is a good outcome.