Can You Shrink an Enlarged Prostate Naturally?

If you have benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), you may hope to shrink an enlarged prostate naturally. Now, some men may find relief for BPH symptoms with simple lifestyle changes. But other men will need medical intervention to treat their enlarged prostate.

Key Takeaways:

• Most men experience prostate growth with age, for reasons we don't fully understand. Often, growth of this gland leads to symptoms that affect your urinary health.
• Surgical treatments for an enlarged prostate can result in sexual side effects, so many men prefer to seek natural alternatives. While there are natural treatments that can relieve some enlarged prostate symptoms, they will not shrink a gland that's already enlarged.
• Many men find a middle ground in Prostatic Artery Embolization, a minimally invasive procedure that shrinks the prostate with a reduced risk for side effects or complications.

Table of Contents

1. Causes of Prostate Enlargement
2. Enlarged Prostate Symptoms
3. Natural Treatments for an Enlarged Prostate
4. Comparing Medical Interventions that Shrink and Enlarged Prostate

What Causes an Enlarged Prostate?

For many men, prostate enlargement is a natural part of the aging process. As you get older, your hormone levels change, and that appears to contribute to growth in your prostate gland. (This cause of enlargement is known as Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia, or BPH.) In some cases, prostate enlargement could be the result of an infection or cancer. For that reason, it's important to see a healthcare provider if you start experiencing BPH symptoms.

Symptoms

As mentioned above, symptoms of an enlarged prostate often impact your lower urinary tract. They include, but are not limited to:

• Frequent urination
• Urgency, or the sudden need to pee with little to no warning
• Difficulty starting or stopping the flow of urine
• Weak urinary flow, often described as dribbling pee
• Nocturia, or waking up to pee in the night, two or more times
• Rarely, blood in the urine. (This symptom could also be a sign of other health issues, and should be discussed immediately with your healthcare provider.)

Shrink an Enlarged Prostate: Natural Treatment Options

While you can't shrink an enlarged prostate without medical interventions, some lifestyle measures can help manage symptoms of this condition such as urinary frequency, waking in the middle of the night to pee, and struggling to start urinary flow. Together, these relieving measures will make it easier to get through your day and sleep at night.

To help relieve symptoms of BPH, try:

• Avoiding liquids for several hours before bedtime
• Limiting your intake of caffeine and alcohol, since both can make you need to urinate
• Following a low-fat diet
• Eating lots of vegetables and fruits, especially citrus fruits
• Getting physically active on an almost daily basis
• Maintaining a healthy weight

Again, these measures will not shrink your prostate gland if it's already enlarged. However, you may be able to find symptom relief through diet, exercise and carefully monitoring your fluid intake.

Comparing Different PAE Treatments

When lifestyle measures fail to relieve your BPH symptoms, and you wish to avoid surgery, there are other treatment options you can explore. Some men can manage their symptoms with medications such as Cialis for BPH, a drug that can be particularly effective for men experiencing weak urinary flow. However, this treatment will only adress symptoms; it will not shrink an enlarged prostate.

To shrink the prostate gland, you will have to choose between a surgical procedure such as a prostatectomy or PAE, prostatic artery embolization. This procedure physically shrinks your prostate gland by reducing its blood supply. In turn, you experience symptom relief without surgery. And that allows you to avoid overnight hospital stays, extended recovery periods, and serious side effects.

Additional benefits of PAE include a reduced risk for incontinence following your procedure, and the ability to preserve sexual function. Unlike prostate surgery, PAE does not cause sexual side effects. There is also a reduced risk for blood loss and all other surgical complications, meaning even high-risk patients may be eligible for this procedure, which is not the case with surgical treatment.

Do you want to learn more about PAE and how it can help you relieve BPH symptoms? Our interventional radiologists are here to help. Click here to request an appointment today at one of our seven locations in the greater Houston and Dallas areas!