What are the symptoms of prostate enlargement?
As the prostate enlarges it may cause narrowing of the first part of the urethra. This may partially obstruct the flow of urine. This can lead to ‘obstructive’ symptoms such as: • Poor stream. The flow of urine is weaker, and it takes longer to empty your bladder. • Hesitancy. You may have to wait at the toilet for a while before urine starts to flow. • Dribbling. Towards the end of passing urine, the flow becomes a slow dribble. • Poor emptying. You may have a feeling of not quite emptying your bladder. The enlarged prostate may also make the bladder irritable which may cause: • Frequency (passing urine more often than normal). This can be most irritating if it happens at night. Getting up several times a night is a common symptom and is called ‘nocturia’. • Urgency. This means you have to get to the toilet quickly when you ‘need to go’. Usually the symptoms are mild to begin with. Perhaps a slightly reduced urine flow, or having to wait a few seconds to start passing urine. Over mont
