Patient information from BMJ

Enlarged prostate: questions to ask your doctor

Last published:Apr 29, 2025

As men get older their prostate can get bigger. When this happens doctors call it benign prostatic hyperplasia, or BPH. If you've been diagnosed with an enlarged prostate, you may want to ask your doctor some questions to find out more about this condition and how to deal with it.

Here are some suggestions:

• How do you know I have an enlarged prostate and not a more serious condition?

• Are there any lifestyle changes I can make to improve my symptoms?

• Do you think I should start treatment or wait and see what happens? (This is called watchful waiting or active monitoring). Why? 

• Will my symptoms get worse if I don't get treatment?

• When should I consider getting treatment?

• Is having an enlarged prostate likely to cause me other problems? Are there any serious complications?

• Will I need surgery? What does this involve?

• What are the side effects of surgery?

• Can I take medicines to help my symptoms?

• Are there other treatments I can try? What about herbal treatments?

• What side effects do these treatments have?

• Will I need to have regular check-ups? How often will my prostate need to be checked by a physical examination? Are there any other tests I will need?