Enlarged prostate (BPH) care near Marietta
With age, the prostate tends to grow. When that growth is benign, doctors call it benign prostatic hyperplasia, or BPH. Because the gland surrounds the urethra just below the bladder, extra tissue can pinch the channel urine needs to leave by.
Signs men mention
- A weak stream, or one that stops and starts
- Trouble getting started
- Getting up at night to urinate
- Needing to go often or urgently
- Dribbling at the end
- Feeling the bladder hasn't fully emptied
Size isn't the whole story
How big the prostate is and how much it bothers you are two separate questions; a slightly larger gland can be very bothersome while a much larger one stays quiet. Infection, inflammation, a narrowed urethra, bladder stones and some cold and allergy medicines can produce similar symptoms, so they are part of the workup.
What a plan can include
Some men get relief from simple adjustments, such as drinking less in the evening, easing off coffee and alcohol, and staying active. Prescription medicine is often the next step. For men who want more relief, outpatient procedures are chosen by prostate size, symptoms, overall health and personal priorities, such as protecting sexual function. Our urologists explain the trade-offs of each option before anything is scheduled.
What is UroLift?
UroLift is one of the BPH procedures our urologists offer at our Marietta Clinic & Surgery Center. During UroLift, tiny implants are positioned through the urethra to pull the enlarged lobes apart, widening the channel for urine. It is done as a short outpatient procedure with IV sedation. We measure your prostate's size and shape first, because those details decide whether UroLift makes sense for you. Read about UroLift from Advanced Urology.
A note on Rezum
If you've searched for Rezum: Advanced Urology doesn't offer Rezum. Our urologists offer other BPH treatments.
Where to be seen
Evaluation happens at any of the four offices. Procedures take place at our Marietta Clinic & Surgery Center, where our exam rooms sit in the same building as the surgical suites.
More on this topic from Advanced Urology: enlarged prostate (BPH)
Educational information, not medical advice. Every treatment has risks, benefits and alternatives to discuss with your clinician.
When should you see a urologist about an enlarged prostate?
Book a visit when urinating at night breaks up your sleep, when a slow or stop-start stream changes your routine, or when prostate medicine no longer gives enough relief. Being unable to pass urine at all needs the ER.
How do our urologists evaluate an enlarged prostate?
We start with your symptoms and a short symptom questionnaire, a urine test and a check of how much urine stays in the bladder after you go. A PSA blood test and a measurement of the prostate's size and shape help decide which treatments fit.
What about prostate artery embolization (PAE)?
PAE treats an enlarged prostate through the blood vessels instead of through the urethra. An interventional radiologist guides a thin catheter from an artery in the wrist or upper thigh to the arteries feeding the prostate and releases tiny beads that reduce its blood supply, so the gland shrinks over the following weeks. Advanced Urology performs PAE at its Alpharetta and Decatur locations, not at our Marietta, Canton, Dallas or Jasper offices. Men from our area are evaluated here by our urologists first, and our PAE page explains who it may suit and how the referral works.
What is recovery usually like?
Lifestyle steps and medicine involve no procedure at all. UroLift is a short outpatient procedure with IV sedation. Recovery after Aquablation, TURP, ThuLEP or robotic surgery differs from one procedure to the next, and our urologists explain what to expect before anything is scheduled.
More questions we hear
Does BPH raise my risk of prostate cancer?
BPH does not turn into cancer, and having it isn't thought to raise your cancer risk. The two are common in the same age group, though, and one can mask the other: both can push PSA up, and medicines such as finasteride or dutasteride bring the PSA number down. That is why we check PSA and examine the prostate before treating urinary symptoms, and why it helps to tell us about every prostate medicine you take.
Can an enlarged prostate affect my sex life?
It can, in a few ways. Broken sleep and urgency wear on energy and desire, and BPH and erection problems often turn up in the same men. Some prostate medicines reduce the fluid released at ejaculation or, less often, dampen desire or erections. If you notice a change, tell us: adjusting or switching medicine, or choosing a procedure with sexual function in mind, are options we can talk through.
Will I need prostate pills for life?
Not necessarily. Some men stay on medicine for years; others choose a procedure when pills stop helping or cause side effects.
Which procedures do our urologists offer?
Options include UroLift, Aquablation, TURP, ThuLEP and, for very large glands, robotic simple prostatectomy. The right choice depends on prostate size and shape, symptoms and your priorities.
How do I know which procedure fits?
We measure the prostate with imaging, check how well you empty and score your symptoms. A smaller prostate often suits UroLift, very large glands suit Aquablation, ThuLEP or robotic simple prostatectomy, and protecting ejaculation steers some men toward UroLift or PAE.
Can a BPH procedure change sex or ejaculation?
Yes. TURP, ThuLEP and Aquablation can reduce or stop fluid at ejaculation, while UroLift and PAE usually leave it unchanged. Erections are rarely affected by these procedures.
Where are BPH procedures done?
At our Marietta Clinic & Surgery Center. Evaluation and follow-up can happen at any of our four offices.
Which articles go deeper on enlarged prostate (bph)?
These short reads answer questions patients often bring to us.
- Should I keep taking prostate pills for life or have a procedure?
- Aquablation vs TURP: what is the difference?
- What is TURP surgery?
- Robotic Simple Prostatectomy: why single port (SP)?
- I can't pee at all: what should I do?
- Robotic Simple Prostatectomy: will I have ejaculation changes?
- How is non-obstructive retention different from retention caused by an enlarged prostate?
- UroLift: am I a candidate?
- What is ThuLEP laser enucleation of the prostate?
- Can prostate cancer be found during ThuLEP?
All 10 articles on enlarged prostate
Clinicians whose Advanced Urology profiles list this area: Jason Lomboy, MD, Andy Ostrowski, MD, Daniel Roberson, PA-C, Amanda Boulos, PA-C, Ionela Turcin, PA-C, Britany Howard, FNP.
Videos from Advanced Urology
Videos play here from Advanced Urology’s YouTube channel, using YouTube’s privacy-enhanced mode.
Noticing symptoms? Our plain-language guide, Weak urine stream, trouble urinating or up at night: is it your prostate?, explains what to do next.
Let's sort this out together. Our offices in Marietta, Canton, Dallas and Jasper share one phone line and one caring team.