Which BPH treatment is right for you? With all of them—even watchful waiting—there’s a risk of complications. Be your own advocate; learn as much as you can. Before committing to one of these treatments, you owe it to yourself to find answers to some basic questions, including: What are the odds that my symptoms will improve?
*How long will the effects of the treatment last—will I need to do this again? *What are the risks of complications, and which complications are likely to result?
Symptom Improvement. The top row of table 10.3 shows your best odds for symptom improvement lie in the TURprocedure. But even the TURis not an ironclad guarantee; the ranges for all of these are pretty wide. One surgical rule of thumb: Generally, the worse your symptoms before treatment, the more dramatic the improvement—if the treatment works.
Incontinence. As the third row of table 10.3 indicates, over the short run, the risk of uncontrollable urine leakage is extremely rare, even with surgery.
However, over time, BPH itself can cause incontinence; that’s one long-term risk of watchful waiting. And men taking alpha blockers or finasteride may run some risk of incontinence over the long run.
Impotence. Discussed in the table.
Need for Future Treatment. The ranges indicated in the fifth row of table 10.3 are so wide because doctors really don’t know the long-term success of some treatments. Some men who opt for nonsurgical treatment wind up getting surgery later to relieve bothersome symptoms. And some men who do get surgery may need it again after several years if the prostate grows back.
Loss of Work and Activity Time. The sixth row of the table includes time spent at the doctor’s office and in the hospital.
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