Stress and Urge Incontinence: Which Do I Have?
Millions of Americans struggle with urinary incontinence. This bladder problem can have more than one cause. Stress and urge incontinence are common types, but how do you know which one you have?
5 Signs You May Have BPH
Ejaculation is a natural result of releasing semen from your genitals during sex, and is actually performed in two phases. During the emission phase, sperm move up from your testicles into your prostate and mix with fluids to create semen through your vas deferens. From there it goes through the expulsion phase, in which the muscles located at the base of your penis contract and project the semen out of it.
This makes the prostate a rather important part of sex for men, and as you get older, the chances of conditions affecting it increase. Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH, an enlarged prostate), can cause various problems. To treat BPH as soon as possible, you should know what signs to look for.
If you live in the Fort Lauderdale, Pompano Beach or South Florida area and you’re struggling with signs of BPH or some other reproductive illness, Drs. Craig Herman and Steven Kester and their staff at the Urology Center of Florida can help.
Defining BPH
This is a gradual illness in which the prostate grows due to hormonal changes as you get older. These changes include decreased testosterone and the leveling of estrogen in your body, according to research. It’s also linked to higher levels of dihydrotestosterone (DHT), a more intense type of testosterone that affects your prostate size. As your prostate grows, it puts pressure on your urethra, which is where fluids leave your penis, affecting sex and urination.
It’s a condition millions of men deal with every year, with half of men over 60 and well over 90% of those over 85 showing signs of it. An enlarged prostate does not mean you have prostate cancer — but you can have both, and the symptoms are similar, which means you should be checked out as soon as possible.
Causes and risk factors
Several factors in addition to age determine your issues with BPH, such as:
- Diseases: Diabetes and heart disease increase your chances of developing an enlarged prostate.
- Genetics: If your family has a history of BPH, you have a higher chance of having it over time.
- Obesity: Weight gain can affect your risk of BPH and can also put undue pressure on your bladder.
Black men have a higher incidence of prostate problems. Reaching puberty earlier than other ethnic groups and showing symptoms at an earlier age are the major factors, according to experts.
Signs you have it
These are some of the signs of BPH to watch for:
1. Hematuria (blood in urine)
Whether it’s microscopic traces of blood that only show up on further analysis or you can see blood in your urine (called gross hematuria), the prostate pushing on your urethra can cause this to happen.
2. Urinary flow problems
When the urethra can’t flow freely, it leads to several issues, like dribbling, weak urine streams, slow or delayed urination, or even urinary incontinence.
3. Nocturia
This is the urge to urinate multiple times during your sleeping hours, and BPH is one of several reasons it can happen.
4. Painful urination (dysuria)
It shouldn’t hurt to go to the bathroom, but BPH can cause distress to your urinary tract that makes it uncomfortable to empty your bladder.
5. Problems emptying bladder
Additionally, BPH can make it hard to completely void your bladder when you go, meaning making multiple trips or leaking urine later.
If you’re showing one or more of these symptoms, make an appointment online or by calling to see Dr. Herman or Dr. Kester as soon as you can to get treated.
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