Enlarged Prostate: Bathroom Tips

Topic Overview

The following tips may make it easier to deal with your benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) symptoms.

• Practice "double voiding" by urinating as much as possible, relaxing for a few moments, and then urinating again.
• Try to relax before you urinate. Tension from worrying about your symptoms can make them worse. Anxiety may cause the smooth muscle in the prostate and the muscles at the opening of the bladder to stay tense and not relax. If these muscles do not relax, urination will be difficult.
• Take plenty of time to urinate.
• Try sitting on the toilet instead of standing. Or, after urinating while standing, sit on the toilet and try to urinate a little more.
• Think of other things or read while you are waiting.
• Try turning on a faucet or picturing running water in your mind. Some men find that hearing running water helps get their urine flowing.

If dribbling is a problem, wash your penis daily to avoid skin irritation and infection.