Home Remedies and Herbs for Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH)

Benign prostatic hyperplasia, or simply BPH, refers to non-cancerous enlargement of the prostate. The prostate is a gland below the bladder in males that is responsible for producing seminal fluid, or the fluid that transports and nourishes sperm. BPH is very common as men age, affecting approximately 60 percent of men over the age of 60 and 80 percent of the age of 80. The size of a man’s prostate does not necessarily equate to symptom severity, with some men having very large prostates but with few symptoms and vice versa.^1,2,3

What Causes Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH)?

It’s not clear what causes BPH, but it is known that the prostate gland enlarges as men age.4 It’s believed that BPH may occur due to a change in sex hormones.4 Risk factors that increase your chance of developing BPH include:

• Age - BPH rarely occurs in men under 40, and risk increases as you age.
• Family History - Men with other family members who have had prostate problems are more at risk.
• Ethnicity - White and black men are more at risk than Asian men.

Diabetes, heart disease, and lifestyle factors can also contribute to BPH risk. For example, obesity increases risk while exercise decreases risk.⁵

Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH) Symptoms

One of the more common benign prostatic hyperplasia symptoms is difficulty urinating. This is because the prostate gland sits below the bladder and around the urethra, which is the tube that allows you to empty your bladder. As the prostate enlarges, it squeezes on the urethra and makes urination difficult. Blocked urine flow can be very dangerous and lead to problems with the urinary tract, bladder, or kidneys.⁶ Other benign prostatic hyperplasia symptoms include:

• Feeling like you have to urinate often
• Waking multiple times to urinate each night
• Feeling incomplete emptying when urinating
• Pain while urinating
• Incontinence

Some men may feel like they have to stop and start again to completely empty their bladder or may have trouble stopping their urine stream once it has started.⁷ 

BPH symptoms tend to come and go, so treatment will depend on your age and severity of symptoms. Certain medications and BPH herbal remedies may help in reducing the swelling of the prostate gland or assist in reducing symptoms. In severe cases, surgery may be needed to help treat benign prostatic hyperplasia.¹

References

1. http://www.umm.edu/health/medical/altmed/condition/benign-prostatic-hyperplasia
2. http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/prostate-cancer/multimedia/prostate-gland/img-20006060
3. http://www.umm.edu/health/medical/reports/articles/benign-prostatic-hyperplasia
4. http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/benign-prostatic-hyperplasia/basics/causes/con-20030812
5. http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/benign-prostatic-hyperplasia/basics/risk-factors/con-20030812
6. http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/benign-prostatic-hyperplasia/basics/definition/con-20030812
7. http://www.uofmhealth.org/conditions-treatments/adult-urology/benign-prostatic-hyperplasia