Are you or someone you love an extreme bathroom planner? If you’re a man over the age of 45 experiencing urgent or frequent urinary symptoms, or if you feel like you’re spending a lot of time planning your next bathroom trip, it might be time to talk to your doctor about your prostate health. Urinary symptoms in aging men could signal a common men’s health condition called benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), also known as an enlarged prostate. BPH affects over 40% of men in their 50s and 80% of men in their 70s. Men with BPH often experience bothersome urinary symptoms, such as an urgent or frequent need to urinate, which can significantly impact their quality of life. Whether they limit the amount they drink to plan for interrupted sleep, or purposefully seek out and stay close to the bathroom, extreme bathroom planning to accommodate their urinary needs can impact their normal daily activities.
Teleflex Incorporated (NYSE:TFX) sponsored a survey of approximately 1,000 U.S. men, age 45+, with at least one urinary symptom common with BPH. Survey results show men with urinary symptoms:
Ø Avoid events and activities they enjoy: Nearly half of men surveyed* (45.49%) have avoided events or activities they enjoy because of their urinary symptoms.
Ø Limit how much they drink: Nearly 62% of men surveyed* have limited the amount they drink throughout the day even when they have access to a restroom to avoid a frequent or urgent need to urinate.
Ø Seek out and stay close to the bathroom: About 1 in 5 men surveyed* (19.02%) say that locating the closest bathroom is the first thing they do when they go somewhere new.
Ø Prepare for interrupted sleep: Over 70% of men surveyed* said their energy level has been impacted during the day because they get up frequently at night to urinate. Some men (~22% of men surveyed) are even sleeping in a different room than their significant other to avoid waking them up, too.
Ø Feel medication may not be enough: Nearly 1/4 of men with BPH surveyed* who have taken medicine to treat their condition feel their medication was “not very effective” or “not effective at all” in helping them reduce their need to plan their next bathroom trip to urinate.
If left untreated, BPH can lead to permanent bladder damage. Conventional treatment options, such as medication and invasive surgery, may have bothersome or harmful side effects (two common BPH medications were recently linked to heart failure) and can lead to sexual complications. The UroLift® System, a minimally invasive approach to treating enlarged prostate may enable men to get off BPH medications and avoid major surgery. The UroLift System provides rapid symptom relief and recovery with low risk of permanent side effects.
Gregg R. Eure, MD, FACS, Urology of Virginia, offers expertise in adult urology with special interest in BPH, prostate disease, erectile dysfunction and men’s health. Dr. Eure is research chairman for the Urology of Virginia Research Department and a worldwide leader in investigating minimally invasive treatments for BPH. He is an expert in the use of the UroLift System. Dr. Eure is a paid consultant of NeoTract | Teleflex Interventional Urology.
