Tag: retrograde ejaculation

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Enlarged Prostate

Avoiding Sexual Side Effects Through PAE

Surgical treatment for BPH like TURP can result in adverse sexual effects, while prostate artery embolization, does not carry this same risk.

Surgical treatments for benign prostate hyperplasia, such as TURP can result in significant adverse sexual effects, while prostate artery embolization, does not carry this same risk.

TURP can result in a condition known as retrograde ejaculation.

Some research studies have estimated that 65-75% of men have retrograde ejaculation post-TURP. While other studies, such as this one, estimate that as many as 70-90% of men experience this condition.

Though typically retrograde ejaculation isn’t harmful per se, it is a condition that can result in decreased sexual pleasure and fertility issues.

Prostate Artery Embolization, on the other hand, is associated with little to no sexual side effects.

In fact, some studies have found statistically significant data showing that PAE can actually lead to an improvement in erectile function, such as this one which found an overall improvement in sexual function by 34 percent for the patients, within the first-month post-PAE.

Another study, which was published in The Journal of Sexual Medicine also sought to uncover the impact that prostate artery embolization can have on erectile function.

In the study, researchers looked at 167 patients that underwent PAE and collected data including the Sexual Health Inventory, and other health measurements. The patients were followed up with post-PAE at 3, 6, and 12 months.

What they found was that prostate artery embolization had no adverse effect on erectile function in the majority of patients at 3 months after the procedure, and the number continued to go down at 6 and 12 months.

Though there were still cases of ED, in some of the patients, this was not purported to be directly caused by the procedure and could be due to other complications including preexisting conditions and complications from other procedures such as TURP.

There are also several studies that found Prostate artery embolization to be associated with statistically significant improvement in erectile function.

In our next article, we will take a look at some of these studies.

In the meantime, if you are suffering from the symptoms of benign prostate hyperplasia, and are worried about treatments that could have a negative impact on your sexual health, there are options available.

To set up a consultation in order to find out if prostate artery embolization could benefit you, please call us today at 301-622-5360 or reach out to us through our website.

Categories
Enlarged Prostate

When Prostate Surgery Fails

Adverse outcomes and risks that come with prostate surgery.

When it comes to surgical procedures of any kind, there is always a risk that things won’t work out. When surgery fails or leads to side effects and complications that are permanent, the reality can be devastating.

Therefore, when it comes to deciding which treatment method is best for treating your benign prostate hyperplasia, it’s important to be aware of the potential side effects and risks that come with each method.

One of the most common procedures to treat a symptomatic enlarged prostate is the transurethral resection of the prostate, also known as TURP.

TURP is a procedure that involves removing prostate tissues through the urethra, in order to allow urine and other bodily fluids to pass more easily.

Though the most common side effects, like experiencing some post-op blood in your urine, will pass with time. Other side effects and undesirable outcomes might not.

Not every prostate procedure is guaranteed to cure the issue it is aiming to treat. And, TURP is no exception to this.

First of all, sometimes the TURP surgery will not relieve all of your symptoms, such as urinary symptoms that might not change or be entirely cured.

You might be wondering- How is that possible, given that during the surgery the blockage was cleared?

The urinary issues may be continuing due to urethral strictures.

Urethral strictures are caused by scarring that can occur after TURP, both in and around the urinary tract. This scarring can actually cause further blockage to urine flow. And as a result, another surgery may be required.

Some patients also experience urinary incontinence following the TURP procedure. This can happen due to continuing bladder problems or even sphincter muscle damage.

Another concern for men undergoing transurethral resection of the prostate in order to treat benign prostate hyperplasia is the risk of having erectile issues following the procedure.

Erectile dysfunction is a potential risk that comes with just about any prostate surgery, and can usually be treated with medication. However, it’s important to keep in mind that these medications also come with their own set of side effects and risks.

Fortunately, there are other treatment methods for an enlarged prostate that have a much lower risk of experiencing these unwanted outcomes, especially in regard to sexual function.

In fact, Prostate Artery Embolization has been shown to actually improve erectile function following the procedure. And it comes without the risk of retrograde ejaculation, which is the most common long-term complication following the TURP procedure, affecting as many as 65 to 75% of men.

In our next article, we will take a look at this unfortunate potential complication from TURP.