Can You Treat BPH Without Sexual Side Effects?

While many treatments for benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) can cause sexual side effects, there are ways to shrink your enlarged prostate while minimizing the impact on your sex life. If you choose to undergo a surgery such as TURP (Transurethral Resection of the Prostate), you are at high risk for ejaculatory dysfunction following your procedure. However, you can treat BPH without sexual side effects with a minimally invasive procedure such as Prostatic Artery Embolization (PAE).

When to Treat an Enlarged Prostate

After turning 50, prostate enlargement is a common concern for most men. Even when the cause of enlargement is benign, you may choose to seek treatment when BPH symptoms such as nocturia or urgency begin to interfere with your daily life.

Initially, you may explore lifestyle adjustments or medications that can help manage an enlarged prostate. But when these options fail to provide sufficient relief, additional interventions may be necessary. And, at this point, you will have to ask: can I treat BPH without sexual side effects? Luckily, the answer is yes, you can!

Sexual Side Effects and Treatment for an Enlarged Prostate

For years, the TURP procedure was the gold-standard BPH treatment for men who could not find relief from medications such as Cialis for BPH or from lifestyle adjustments. However, that was a big problem, as this study reveals that the procedure causes retrograde ejaculation (semen flows back into the bladder instead of out of the urethra) in about 66% of patients. Naturally, this causes hesitation for many men.

Today, there are options such as PAE treatment that can address BPH while reducing your risk for sexual side effects. The procedure still shrinks your enlarged prostate, but it does so in a minimally-invasive manner, using small punctures wounds and guided cathethers to reduce blood flow to your gland. As such, this study reports that ejaculatory dysfunction impacts just 10% of men who undergo PAE. Moreover, the patients who experienced sexual side effects also experienced greater difficulty emptying the bladder (called post-void residual volume) before seeking treatment.

Now, not every patient is a candidate for PAE. But if you want to treat BPH without sexual side effects, it's worth learning more about this procedure. You can start your journey by requesting a consultation at one of our three convenient Georgia Prostate Institute locations.