SIGNS & SYMPTOMS

The symptoms of BPH can be divided into those caused directly by urethral obstruction and those due to secondary changes in the bladder.

Typical obstructive symptoms are:

   difficulty in starting to urinate despite pushing and straining
   a weak stream of urine; several interruptions in the stream
   dribbling at the end of urination

Bladder changes cause:

   a sudden strong desire to urinate (urgency)
   frequent urination
   the sensation that the bladder is not empty after urination is completed
   frequent awakening at night to urinate (nocturia)

As the bladder becomes more sensitive to retained urine, a man, may become incontinent (unable to control the bladder causing bed wetting at night, or inability to respond quickly enough to urinary urgency).

Burning or pain during urination can occur if a bladder infection or stone is present. Blood in the urine (hematuria) may herald BPH, but most men with BPH do not have hematuria.