AUDIO NEWS RELEASE
EMBARGOED: 12:01AM AEDT, TUESDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2024
New research breaking the silence on a serious but treatable
prostate condition affecting 1 in 2 Aussie men aged 50+
Click on link download and listen to broadcast quality audio grabs:
drive.google.com/drive/folders/1L0kJyxg0Xw49L-DcgRuuZafMR5U04VLN?usp=sharing
Professor Henry Woo, Urological Surgeon and Head of Department of Urology, Blacktown, Mount Druitt and Sydney Adventist Hospitals; and Director of Uro-Oncology, Chris O’Brien Lifehouse Comprehensive Cancer Centre, SYDNEY
Grab A
What is benign prostatic hyperplasia, BPH, or an enlarged prostate?
Benign prostatic hyperplasia, also known as BPH, is a benign, non-cancerous condition, commonly seen in the ageing male. For most men, it doesn't cause a problem. But if it starts to cause a blockage to the passage of urine, men can get a lot of urinary symptoms that can really impact on their quality of life.
Grab B
What are the symptoms of enlarged prostate?
Men might experience urinary frequency, an urgent need to pass urine, difficulty getting started to urinate, a weak urinary flow, and also getting up at night.
Grab C
Who is at risk of developing an enlarged prostate?
BPH is an incredibly prevalent condition in the ageing male. It's been argued that, if all men were to live long enough, they would all get it. Those at risk of having a large prostate are obviously going to be men, and in particular, those men who are over 50 years of age.
Grab D
What is one of the impacts of having symptoms from an enlarged prostate?
One of the impacts of having symptoms from enlarged prostate is the need to have a toilet on hand. It can often get to the stage where a man's life is completely ruled by the location of toilets.
Grab E
How does living with an enlarged prostate affect a man’s partner/spouse?
A man who is suffering from urinary symptoms is not the only person who's suffering. The partners who have to endure the difficulty in watching their loved one, literally suffering from symptoms, as well as having to get up at night, and waking both of them, is a much bigger deal than people realise.
Grab F
Will an enlarged prostate improve if not treated?
It's interesting how in some men, they have this idea that if you have a problem, it'll eventually go away if you leave it alone. But we know that the natural history of urinary symptoms associated with an enlarged prostate, is that it will get worse over time. And as it gets worse, it's going to impact even more so on your quality of life.
Grab G
What do men living with an enlarged prostate have to look out for?
When men are getting symptoms associated with an enlarged prostate, they often complain about ‘FUN’ which stands for frequency, urgency and nocturia. Now nocturia means getting up at night, but it is anything but fun.
Dr Jo Schoeman, Specialist Urological Surgeon, The Wesley Hospital, BRISBANE
Grab A
What is benign prostatic hyperplasia, BPH, or an enlarged prostate?
BPH or Benign Prostate Hyperplasia is the non-cancerous enlargement of the prostate.
Grab B
How many men in Australia are estimated to be living with an enlarged prostate?
More than 2.8 million men suffer with lower urinary tract symptoms. Fifty per cent of these men are over the age of 50, and up to 80 per cent of men over the age of 80 suffered, or suffer with these symptoms on a daily basis.
The normal size of a prostate is the size of a walnut, and this is where most of the sizes stay at.
Grab C
What is the average size of a prostate that you see in your practice and how large can a prostate grow?
The average size of prostate that I see in my practice is the size of a mandarin, but they can get as large as a lemon.
Grab D
How do men living with an enlarged prostate present to you?
Men are quite alarmed by the fact that they have urinary symptoms, especially the younger blokes.
They are totally in a conundrum when they come in where they think they're gonna die, they've got cancer, and it's always a, a gratifying, consultation to tell them that they are only suffering with enlarged prostate and we have caught it in time and we can do something about it.
Grab E
What are the mental consequences of living with an enlarged prostate?
Sometimes most guys, or some of the guys, uh, just stick their head under the sand, and ignore it, and hope that it would go away. But it's not always the case. And, uh, it escalates, and it becomes worse.
Grab F
At what age did you realise you had symptoms of an enlarged prostate?
I hit 50 – 50 is the big number. And, I started realising that I have troubles with urinating. I can't focus, I have to run the toilet all the time. I have urgency symptoms with a slow stream. It takes me ages to get rid of my flow, and having to get up at night, it just led me to become tired. I couldn't concentrate properly.
Grab G
How did living with an enlarged prostate affect the quality of your life?
For me, it was more the overactive bladder symptoms, the frequency, urgency, and getting up at night to urinate. In a busy job like mine where I'm, I need to focus, and have long surgeries, I found that I had to starve myself, or dehydrate myself from fluid, so that I could actually get through a surgical procedure without having to run to toilet.
Grab H
How did living with an enlarged prostate affect your partner?
My wife and I have an open relationship, and she knew my symptoms from the start. I think she could have picked that I had the symptoms if she had, if she had to go delve deeper into it.
So from the start, I expressed to her my irritation with my voiding symptoms, my urinating symptoms. And, she has been a, a major support in my journey through my surgery and recovery.
Grab I
Why do you think one in four Australian men are yet to seek treatment or information about their enlarged prostate?
New Australian research has indicated that they have refrained from seeking help for their benign prostate enlargement. Reasons being, well, it can't happen to me. It happens to older blokes. I, I'm not bad enough. I can live through this. I can, I can ignore this. I can, I can push through. I'll be alright. She’ll be right.
Dr Ethan, 60, S100 General Practitioner who wrestled with symptoms of an enlarged prostate for two years, BRISBANE
Grab A
How did it feel to live with an enlarged prostate?
Living with an enlarged prostate was a very distressing time in my life. I was getting up every two hours to go to the toilet in the middle of the night, and during the workday, I had to go to a toilet every two to three hours, which impeded the flow of my, my workday. And it, I became very fatigued and was very, very cranky.
Grab B
Do you have a family history of an enlarged prostate?
I have 10 uncles in my family from both sides, uh, of my parents, and almost all of them experience some sort of lower urinary tract symptoms, uh, associated with benign prostatic hypertrophy. Their most distressing symptoms were initially difficulties with, uh, going through the toilet, taking a, a long time to empty their, their bladder. But the, it was the, uh, difficulties in staying asleep, the nocturia, getting up in the middle of the night, uh, to go to a toilet, distress them the most.
Grab C
How did living with an enlarged prostate affect your quality of life?
As a doctor, I'm required to give my patients a hundred per cent attention. Living with a large prostate and having very little sleep meant that I was tired at the beginning of the day and giving them my attention meant that I exert all my energies into caring for my patients, such that when I went home, I wasn't able to give my family the time that they need to be with them because of my exhaustion.
Grab D
Do enlarged prostate symptoms improve over time?
Unfortunately, the symptoms of benign prostatic hypertrophy do not get better in time. And in fact, they worsen, because as the prostate enlarges, the urethra is compressed further, causing the bladder to work even harder and eventually failing.
Grab E
New Australian research reveals that two in five men aged 50 – 64 years living with an enlarged prostate, are yet to seek treatment, or information about the disease. Why do you think this is the case?
We know from statistics that 50 per cent of men by age 50 would experience lower urinary tract symptoms as a consequence of an enlarged prostate. And by time they get to their seventies and eighties, nearly 70 and 80 to 90 per cent of men would experience this. So, as a community, we should be aware of the symptoms of BPH, and be brave to seek advice from your medical team, so that you can receive treatment and that way you can enjoy, um, your life as we age together.
Grab F
What is your message to men living with an enlarged prostate?
Please don't suffer in silence. Help is available. And with proper treatment, you can lead a perfectly healthy, and active life, and enjoy the relationships you have with your spouses and partners.
Barry, 65, Online business owner, father & grandfather who wrestled with symptoms of an enlarged prostate for 25 years, ORANGE
Grab A
For how long were you living with symptoms of an enlarged prostate before your diagnosis?
I was living with the symptoms of enlarged prostate for five years before I was diagnosed when they found it on a scan.
Grab B
How large was your prostate?
So a normal prostate is the size of a walnut, and then most prostate enlargement is double or maybe triple the size of a walnut. Mine was the size of a softball, and that freaked me out also. You just don't expect that, especially when you live a healthy life.
Grab C
How did you feel when you found out your prostate was the size of a softball?
It makes you feel like you're losing your manhood type of thing. And it starts affecting intimacy, and pushing on different nerves and your bladder. And, for me, I had an unusual symptom that it gave me, severe constipation, um, and it was just. I mean, there was times I nearly had to go to the hospital in an ambulance that, it was that bad.
Grab D
How did you feel when you were diagnosed with an enlarged prostate?
I was fairly stressed initially because I thought, oh, why am I getting this so young? Why am I getting this period, when I've taken care of my body, and done everything that I thought I was, took supplements, and researched the supplements, and it was just quite a shock.
Grab E
Can you reflect on becoming a slave to the nearest toilet?
When I went out to social events, restaurant-like things, I would use the restroom nine or 10 times and everybody else would not use it at all. But because I talked about prostate to everybody, they all were tired of hearing me talk about it, and they knew that I had the prostate problem. So everybody was okay with it. But it still bothered me. And because you only have seconds to go when you get the urge, even at the restaurant, if someone was in the toilet, I would have to go into the women's toilet. And if someone was in the women's toilet, I'd have to go in the handicap.
Grab F
How did living with an enlarged prostate affect you mentally?
You don't normally worry about where's the toilet? When can I get there? What happens if I don't make it, and I don't have another set of clothes with me? How embarrassing is that going to be walking out of a restaurant? It brings in self-doubt and it's ah, just not a happy place.
Grab G
How does living with an enlarged prostate affect a man’s overall confidence?
Living with an enlarged prostate affects men’s quality of life – mostly confidence. Confidence in the bedroom; confidence in their toilet habits; confidence in being able to do what a man does without having to stop every 20 or 30 minutes, and having to use the bathroom.
Grab H
New Australian research reveals many men living with an enlarged prostate are suffering in silence. Can you reflect on this?
As a man, you're full of testosterone and bolshy bravado, and this just cuts it right off at the knees. You’re not really very macho or model-like, or sexy or anything when you got a wee every 10 seconds. I can understand how men, especially if their partner's not supportive, would feel very, very awkward.
Grab I
Why did you choose not to seek treatment for 25 years of living with an enlarged prostate?
I thought I was healthy, and I was like a superman type of person, and that I would figure out a way to get around it. But that doesn't happen. And it slowly comes on.
Grab J
What is your message to other men living with an enlarged prostate?
Go to the doctor, get your scans. It's not the end of the world. There are many treatments out there and there's one for every type of prostate enlargement and person. And don't suffer in silence when you don't have to.
Dina, 63, Entrepreneur, mother, grandmother and wife to Barry, who lived with an enlarged prostate, untreated, for 25 years, ORANGE
Grab A
One in three married men living with an enlarged prostate report the condition has affected their relationship with their spouse/partner. Can you reflect on your situation?
When you love somebody, you don't want to see them suffering. Barry, he's been through a lot with this. When I first met him, it wasn't an issue. It was obviously growing, but it wasn't an issue. It never affected our sex life. It didn't really affect his bathroom, so it wasn't really too much of a problem then. But we knew it was there.
Grab B
How often did you discuss Barry’s enlarged prostate as a couple?
Progressively, as our time together moved on, and it started to enlarge, and he started to have toilet problems, urinating problems, and what have you, going more frequently, it was a conversation that we did have more often.
Grab C
How did Barry’s enlarged prostate affect your relationship?
He was always nervous that he hadn't managed to empty his bladder properly, and there could be some leakage. So in that regards, that was very stressful for him. You feel very unmanly, and that was hard for him to watch.
Grab D
How did Barry’s enlarged prostate affect your wellbeing?
I was very concerned about him. I never felt embarrassed for myself when we were out, and he had to keep going to the bathroom. I felt very embarrassed for him, because that is very, very awkward.
Grab E
What is your message to other partners of men living with an enlarged prostate?
Be patient with your partner. Don't automatically assume if there's an issue, it's your fault. Don't force him to go and do something about it. He needs to do it of his own accord. But maybe guide him, maybe steer him in the right direction. Maybe become knowledgeable yourself about the whole situation so that he's not scared to do something about it. I think if you don't have a partner who's prepared to look and research, and do something about it, then it's up to you to help him, not criticise him, not condemn him, but help him.
Grab F
What finally motivated Barry to seek medical treatment for his enlarged prostate?
Getting up five times a night, going to the toilet five times when you're out having dinner was just not on. It was not on. It was no good. So that was the sort of deciding factor. It had got to a stage where it was unmanageable and it was really affecting Barry's lifestyle more than anything, up and down, embarrassing anxiety.
Grab G
How is Barry’s health and wellbeing today?
After having his minimally invasive procedure, he's feeling great. What a difference. Can't believe it took about, it's really taken about eight weeks, but his life is back to normal now. He gets it maybe once a night. He doesn't necessarily have to go when we're out.
