Prostate Basics: What the Gland Does, What BPH Is and When to See a Doctor

BPH is a benign enlargement of the prostate. “Benign” means it is not cancer, and “hyperplasia” means the tissue has grown in number of cells. The NIDDK reports that BPH affects 5 to 6 percent of men aged 40 to 64 and 29 to 33 percent of men 65 and older (NIDDK, Enlarged Prostate (BPH)).

Scientists do not fully know why it happens, and the NIDDK says aging and hormone changes are suspected. It adds that researchers have not linked diet or nutrition to causing or preventing BPH, and that symptom severity does not always match prostate size (NIDDK, Enlarged Prostate (BPH)). A man with a large prostate can have mild symptoms, and a man with a modest one can be bothered a great deal.

That last point matters for anyone judging a supplement by how they feel. Symptoms swing for many reasons, which is why a score and a log are better than a hunch.

• Take the seven-question symptom check and write down the score.
• Read what a doctor visit usually covers on the doctor visit guide, and bring the score and your medicine list.
• If you take, or are thinking of taking, any supplement for the prostate, read the medicines page first.

The aim is not to talk you out of anything. It is to put a diagnosis before a purchase, which is the order that serves you best.

1. Enlarged Prostate (Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia). National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIH), 2024.BPH is a benign enlargement; it affects 5% to 6% of men ages 40 to 64 and 29% to 33% of those 65 and older. Scientists do not fully know why it occurs; aging and hormone changes are suspected. Researchers have not linked diet or nutrition to causing or preventing BPH. Symptoms include trouble starting a stream, weak or interrupted stream, nighttime urination and urgency, and symptom severity does not always match prostate size. Seek care right away if you cannot urinate at all, have painful urgent urination with fever and chills, see blood in the urine, or have significant lower abdominal or urinary tract pain. Treatments: watchful waiting, alpha blockers, 5-alpha reductase inhibitors, procedures and surgery. The page does not mention supplements.
2. Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH): Symptoms, Diagnosis & Treatment. Urology Care Foundation (American Urological Association), 2024.Doctors often start with a symptom questionnaire, the AUA Symptom Score Index, also called the International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS), to rate symptoms as mild, moderate or severe. Mild cases may need only monitoring; other options are prescription drugs, office procedures and surgery. A balanced diet rich in fruits and vegetables, weight loss and staying active may help. Check with a health care provider before starting or stopping treatments or supplements. Seek care promptly for blood in the urine, pain or burning, or inability to pass urine.
3. Prostatitis: Inflammation of the Prostate. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIH), 2014.Prostatitis is inflammation of the prostate and can be acute bacterial (sudden, severe, with fever and chills), chronic bacterial, chronic pelvic pain syndrome, or asymptomatic. Seek immediate care for a complete inability to urinate, painful and urgent urination with fever and chills, blood in the urine, or severe lower abdominal or urinary pain. Some symptoms can also signal more serious conditions, including prostate cancer, so a proper diagnosis matters.