Most men know they need to pay attention to their prostate health as they get older. A common problem for many men as they age is that their prostate gets bigger. This can lead to a condition that affects more than 40 million Americans and more than 500 million men worldwide – but it’s not prostate cancer. It’s a condition called benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), and it can greatly affect a man’s quality of life. It’s the top reason men visit a urologist.

Symptoms of BPH

When the prostate enlarges, it presses on and blocks the urethra. That can cause the following symptoms:

*Frequent need to urinate, both day and night

*Week or slow urinary stream

*A sense that you can’t completely empty your bladder

*Difficulty or delay in starting urination

*Urgent need to urinate

*A urine stream that starts and stops

If you suffer from these symptoms, know that you’re not alone. More than 40% of men in their 50s and more than 70% of men in their 60s have BPH.

How can BPH be treated?

One method for treating BPH is the UroLift® System, which uses a minimally invasive approach to provide fast relief from BPH symptoms. Two advantages of using this earlier treatment option are that men can stop taking BPH medications and avoid major surgery. The goal of the UroLift System treatment is to relieve symptoms so you can get back to your life and resume your daily activities.

The UroLift® System treatment has demonstrated a significant improvement in quality of life for patients compared to medications. The UroLift® System is the only BPH procedure shown not to cause new and lasting erectile or ejaculatory dysfunction, while being a safe and effective treatment of lower urinary tract symptoms due to BPH.

How does UroLift work?

The UroLift® System uses a revolutionary approach to treating BPH that lifts and holds the enlarged prostate tissue so it no longer blocks the urethra. It is the only available BPH treatment performed by a urologist that does not require heating, cutting or removal of the prostate tissue.

What happens during the procedure?

In general, the UroLift System is a minimally invasive treatment that entails minimal downtime. Your doctor will use the UroLift Delivery Device to deploy permanent implants that will relieve the enlarged prostate from pressing on your urethra. It only takes 10 to 20 minutes, and it is typically performed with anesthesia to keep you comfortable. Oftentimes, no catheter and no overnight stay is required after treatment.

What is the recovery time?

Many patients experience symptom relief in as early as two weeks. Patients may experience some urinary discomfort during the recovery period. The most common side effects are mild to moderate, and include pain or burning with urination, blood in the urine, pelvic pain, an urgent need to urinate and/or the inability to control the urge. Most symptoms resolved within two to four weeks after the procedure.