Treating a growing prostate gland.

A digital rectal exam can often confirm an enlarged prostate, and your doctor may take a urine sample to check for a bladder infection that can be treated with antibiotics.

If your prostate is causing symptoms, your doctor will likely offer you medication to improve and manage them. Two main classes of drugs are used: alpha blockers and 5-alpha-reductase inhibitors (5-ARIs). Your doctor may prescribe one or both types, depending on your symptoms and the size of your prostate gland.

Alpha blockers. These drugs relax the muscles around the prostate and the opening of the bladder, so urine can flow more easily. Common BPH symptoms often improve within two days. They are most effective for men with normal to moderately enlarged prostates. Commonly prescribed drugs in this class include alfuzosin (Uroxatral), doxazosin (Cardura), silodosin (Rapaflo), tamsulosin (Flomax), and terazosin (Hytrin).

5-ARIs. Drugs in this class slowly shrink the prostate so it stops pressing on the urethra. Treatment often reduces the prostate's size by one-quarter after six months to a year. The two common drugs are finasteride (Proscar) and dutasteride (Avodart).

Men might opt for surgery to remove excess tissue from the prostate if medications do not relieve symptoms sufficiently or cause undesirable side effects, or if there are complications like urinary retention or recurring urinary tract infections, adds Dr. LeWine.

For men who have both erectile dysfunction and symptoms of BPH, once-daily low-dose tadalafil (Cialis) is another option.