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Enlarged Prostate Surgery: 
The Real Risks and Side Effects

Enlarged prostate surgery unfortunately has real risks and side effects that are often downplayed or minimized by urologists making you the guinea pig with very possible impotence and incontinence as a result.

Furthermore, you will often have to repeat the operation later on as your prostate continues to grow because the real causes of this prostate disease have not been addressed by radical surgeries.

Also known as a TURP surgery or BPH surgery, this is the gold standard of prostate surgeries for enlarged prostate symptoms.

TURP stands for Transurethral Resection of the Prostate. The surgery consists of passing a flexible instrument up your penis and into the prostate gland to shave off pieces of the prostate.

The bloody pieces are removed allowing more space for the urethra tube to pass urine from your bladder.

The operation is done under anesthesia... and you will usually spend a couple of days recovering. You will have to wear a catheter for some time while you heal, and then it can be removed.

It would be great if that was all there was to it. Yet, it's not so simple...

Side Effects of Conventional Prostate BPH Treatments and Enlarged Prostate Surgery

If you are very lucky you may well have an improved urinary function and few side effects after enlarged prostate surgery. Unfortunately, that is not the case overall.

If you think that BPH operations are harmless, think again. In my experience, side effects are not fully explained and are minimized. Why? Because doctors:

• think they are providing the best treatment based on what they know and what they have available to offer,
  
• often directly benefit financially from the procedures, and
  
• are unaware of any other options.

If they do know of alternative options, they could risk losing their medical license by offering those alternative treatments.

All of the conventional treatment options I mention on this page have consequences of:

• major discomfort to pain
  
• possible incontinence (you'll need to wear diapers)
  
• impotence and sexual difficulties
  
• retrograde ejaculation (no ejaculate comes out the penis—it goes back into the bladder);
  
• and often the treatment will need to be repeated at a future date with scarring occurring with each attempt, which makes each procedure less successful and exacerbates the side effects.

Enlarged Prostate Surgical Procedures

Here is a list of enlarged prostate surgery procedures:

• TUIP (transurethral incision of the prostate) widens the urethra by making a few small cuts in the bladder neck, where the urethra joins the bladder, and in the prostate gland itself.
  
• TURP surgery (transurethral resection of the prostate) is the procedure used for 90% of all prostate surgeries for BPH—it is the standard operation.

With TURP, an instrument called a resectoscope is inserted through the penis to remove the excess tissue. It is less traumatic than open forms of surgery.

It has a high risk (80%) of retrograde ejaculation, which is when semen works its way back into the bladder instead of coming out the tip of the penis when you come.

Other risks: impotence, incontinence, blood loss, and urinary tract infection. This procedure is now available using lasers.

• Simple or Partial Prostatectomy is the removal of the inner portion of the prostate through an incision in the lower abdomen. This is an invasive surgery used for very large prostate glands to remove the enlarged part of the prostate.

This BPH surgery procedure is open surgery performed while the patient is under general anesthesia. (This surgery should not be confused with a radical prostatectomy, in which the entire prostate gland is removed for men with prostate cancer.)

Read more about BPH and medical procedures here:

• Enlarged Prostate: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia
• Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia - Symptoms, Treatment and Prevention.

Read these industry-funded sites that explain all the different procedures in greater depth. Buyer beware as despite the claims to being superior, many of these private “state of the art” procedures have not been proven over time to be superior to the standard TURP:

• ProstateDisease.org
  
• BPH Treatment Options

All of these procedures have serious potential side effects that can impact your life as much as or more than your existing symptoms. Doctors downplay the side effects of enlarged prostate surgery, as they have a vested interest in the procedures AND are not informed about any alternative methods. (Do not be surprised if your doctor dismisses alternative treatments as useless.)

Conclusion: get castrated... no more prostate problems? Too bad there are other side effects like no more sex.

Nonsurgical Enlarged Prostate Procedures:

Doctors can now remove parts of the prostate during nonsurgical day procedures, which means no overnight stay, in a clinic or hospital. Thin tubes are inserted through the urethra to deliver controlled heat to small areas of the prostate. A gel may be applied to the urethra to prevent pain or discomfort. Several transurethral procedures (sticking a catheter instrument up your penis) are available for BPH:

• TUMT (transurethral microwave thermotherapy) destroys prostate tissue by using a probe in the urethra to deliver microwaves.
  
• TUNA (transurethral needle ablation) destroys excess prostate tissue with electromagnetically generated heat by using a needle-like device in the urethra.
  
• Prostatic Stents used occasionally to keep the urethra open.
  
• TUVP (transurethral electrovaporization) uses an electrical current to sculpt out part of the prostate.
  
• WIT (water-induced thermotherapy) uses hot water to destroy the tissue blocking the urethra to open the channel.
  
• ILC (interstitial laser coagulation) uses a laser to destroy tissue and reduce the size of the prostate.
  
• HoLEP (holmium laser enucleation of the prostate) uses a special laser wavelength that is highly absorbed by water and can cut soft tissue. This treatment can be used for very large prostates that would normally require surgery.
  

These procedures will often be highly advertised and promoted especially in the U.S. Be careful as they have not been proven to be superior to the standard TURP enlarged prostate surgery that is performed on 90% of men who suffer from enlarged prostate disease.

And they still are quite invasive with many potential side effects.

Prostatic Artery Embolization

This non-surgical procedure is the safest bet with limited risk and often very positive benefits.

Read more here: Prostatic Artery Embolization.

Watchful Waiting

If your symptoms are manageable, you may choose to live with them rather than take pills every day or have enlarged prostate surgery. To make sure your condition isn’t getting worse, schedule regular check-ups with your doctor. With watchful waiting, you can be ready to choose a treatment as soon as you need it.

My take on what to do about enlarged prostate surgery... stop the causes and allow your prostate to heal. The risks: time, as it does not change fast but you can quickly stop your extreme symptoms by stopping the things that trigger a prostate attack.

You then have more time to evaluate your options or to continue your healing.

Watchful waiting is often advised by urologists to see if your prostate symptoms improve so do not rush your enlarged prostate surgery. The side effects are what kept me away. And my symptoms have declined dramatically by prolonging my waiting!

Learn how to manage your symptoms and reduce them by Personal Testing all your food and supplement inputs.

Enlarged prostate non-surgery non-invasive BPH option...

Go from Enlarged Prostate Surgery to Causes of Prostate Diseases