Tired of planning your day around the nearest toilet? You are not alone. If you’re getting up five to six times a night, or taking longer and longer to pee, you might be tempted to dismiss it as a natural part of ageing. However, it’s not. One in two men aged 50 and over suffer from prostate enlargement. Although every man’s prostate is unique, the impact can range from a minor nuisance to life-debilitating.
As a Urology consultant at Nuffield Health Oxford, The Manor Hospital, I often treat men who describe visiting the toilet multiple times a night; always ensuring they’re a hair’s breadth away from the nearest loo; and struggling to urinate. For some, their symptoms have become such that they shy away from family, career and social gatherings, fearing the embarrassment of losing bladder control.
“It would often take me 10, 15, even 20 minutes to pee”, Steve Clarke explains. “This was embarrassing, but particularly if, for example, I was in a business meeting and needed to go to the loo. To be gone for that length of time was quite awkward.”
Although prostate enlargement occurs in many men, we don’t need to accept it. Medical advances have made this a fully treatable condition. BPH sufferers have a range of treatment options, such as medications like Tamsulosin, to surgical procedures that can relieve or even eliminate symptoms.
Historically, men had only a couple of surgical options, such as HoLEP, TURP and Rezūm. While these have aided many men, their reliance on heat has often carried longer recovery times and the risk of side effects, which can include male incontinence, erectile dysfunction and ejaculatory dysfunction (where semen flows into the bladder). This can affect a man’s confidence, fertility, family life and ability to travel.
Fortunately, more modern methods for overcoming BPH have been developed. Aquablation Therapy is a gentler solution for any sized prostate. It uses a precise robot-controlled water jet to remove excess prostate tissue, without using heat. This means 99% of men retain bladder control, 89% avoid ejaculatory dysfunction, and 100% can maintain an erection following treatment. Since offering Aquablation, my patients benefit from shorter hospital stays, minimal bleeding, and the preservation of their sex life. This has restored their confidence to live fuller lives with their friends, family and colleagues.
“I can pee fully within less than a couple of minutes now” Steve Clarke remarks, while reflecting on his recovery following Aquablation Therapy. “I’ve got back at least an hour a day of my life.”
The Manor Hospital is one of nine Nuffield Health hospitals in the UK offering Aquablation Therapy. If BPH is affecting you, the path to relief begins by exploring your treatment options.
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