As men get older, many suffer from benign prostatic hyperplasia or BPH, a non-cancerous enlargement of the prostate gland. This condition results in multiple symptoms. In particular, can BPH affect your sex life?
Symptoms Of BPH
The tiny prostate gland is part of a man’s reproductive system. It contains the fluid produced during ejaculation. A man’s prostate continues to grow and as he ages, BPH becomes more commonplace. An enlarged prostate can lead to many urinary symptoms.
They include the following:
- Frequent need to urinate
- Increasing urination at night
- Stopping and starting during urination
- Weaker urine stream
- Dribbling
- Difficulty emptying the bladder
In addition, sometimes men have increased urinary infections, have blood in the urine, or they can’t urinate, but how large your prostate is has no bearing on how severe the symptoms can be.
The Elephant In The Room
Let’s get to the point. Yes, BPH can affect your sex life.
It can cause a reduced sexual drive, there can be a reduction in sexual satisfaction, and thirdly, it can cause ED or erectile dysfunction. Erectile dysfunction is defined as the inability to attain and maintain an erection for intercourse at least 25% of the time.
Some drugs used to treat BPH can lead to ED. They can also reduce sperm count, lower sperm movement and sperm volume.
At the same time, certain ED treatments like Viagra, Cialis, and Levitra can improve BPH and reduce those urinary symptoms.
Yes, it’s complicated.
To continue, specifically, Proscar, an anti-testosterone drug prescribed for BPH has been linked to ED in 3.7% of men using it, with 3.3% having diminished libido, whereas alpha-blockers like Flomax can improve the symptoms of BPH with a lower risk of sexual side effects.
Talk With Dr. R. Clay Williams
With all of these conflicting and complicated circumstances, it is always best to consult with your doctor if you are experiencing BPH, especially with sexual side effects.
