Top doctor reveals little-known procedure to fix agonizing issue that plagues half of men over 50. It could cure those late-night trips to the bathroom… AND save your sex life

For millions of men struggling with an intimate issue, treatments are few and run the risk of life-altering side effects. 

Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is a condition that causes chronic and bothersome urinary problems. 

It is estimated that there are over 14 million men who are currently facing symptoms in the United States. At 50, more than half of men suffer from it. This rises to 90 percent by the age of 80.

Most often, patients complain of waking to urinate several times per night, increased urgency to urinate, and a weak urine stream. 

Severe cases involve difficulty emptying the bladder in general, as well as recurring infections, and some people may require a long-term urethral catheter. 

Men with BPH, which is linked to aging and changes in sex hormones like testosterone, typically see urologists for treatment and may be less than thrilled to learn about their options.

Many of the treatments are known to be painful and carry a significant risk of potential lifelong sexual dysfunction, a side effect that can be devastating for men and, by extension, their partners. 

But now, there is a new hope with an alternative procedure called Prostate Artery Embolization (PAE). 

PAE is a minimally invasive procedure performed by an interventional radiologist to treat enlarged prostates that can lead to better outcomes. But is unknown to a large number of patients and many urologists, despite being less risky and more convenient. 

The doctor begins by making a single needle puncture in the groin or wrist. Through this puncture, the doctor then guides a thin tube-like catheter into the arteries that supply blood to the prostate under the guidance of a live X-ray.

Once the catheter is positioned inside the prostatic artery, tiny particles are injected to block blood flow to the prostate. The diminished blood flow causes the enlarged prostate to shrink and relax. 

Not only can this procedure be performed at outpatient centers rather than hospitals, it can take two hours to complete and requires just local anesthesia and moderate sedation. 

That means patients can return home the same day with minimal recovery and can resume life uninterrupted. 

Further, patients report feeling little-to-no discomfort during and after the procedure and do not have to recover with a urethral catheter at home. 

So how well does it work? The outcomes are very positive. More than 90 percent of patients find their symptoms improve significantly in three months. 

It is also safe to repeat the procedure over time if the prostate becomes enlarged again.

One thing that will be particularly attractive to men, and their partners, is that it carries a significantly lower risk of side effects relating to sexual performance, which is a frequent concern for other conventional treatments. 

One well established technique is called Transurethral Resection of the Prostate (TURP), where a urologist inserts a device directly into the urethra to shave away prostate tissue. It is effective, but it does require general anesthesia and there are well-documented sexual risks.

A large concern with TURP is retrograde ejaculation, a condition in which semen flows backward into the bladder rather than out of the penis. 

A 2018 study found that over 30 percent of TURP patients were unable to ejaculate normally after the surgery. Other studies have revealed an incidence of this complication as closer to 50 percent.

This is of vastly lower risk with a Prostate Artery Embolization. 

Less traditional alternatives offered by urologists, such as Aquablation, have increased in popularity but can have greater risks of severe postoperative bleeding. 

Additionally, PAE does not have an upper size limit to be a candidate for treatment, unlike many other outpatient-based procedures to treat BPH. 

While these other methods are currently more common, PAE is continuing to gain traction due to increased awareness, insurance coverage, and accessibility.

As an interventional radiologist, I have witnessed firsthand the excellent, life-changing results for patients.

But one problem is that many urologists may be unfamiliar with this procedure or with assessing whether a particular patient could find lifestyle benefits from it. 

Many patients are referred from urologists, but many have also self-referred after learning about the treatment on the internet.

Due to the fast-paced innovation in medicine, it is always wise for patients to do their own research and discuss an interdisciplinary approach with their primary providers.

Dr Tate Kirk is an interventional radiologist at Columbia University Irving Medical Center in New York City.