Enlarged prostate and poor flow

Find out the causes, symptoms and treatments of poor urine flow.



Men's Health Advisor
@AvogelUKHealth
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An introduction to poor or weak flow

The term ‘poor urine flow’ encompasses a range of urination problems. These include: dribbling at the end of urination; stopping and starting throughout urination; difficulty starting; and a weak stream. In men over the age of 45, the most common reason for these symptoms is an enlarged prostate.

Symptoms of poor urine flow are generally minor, but they can cause difficulty directing the stream of urine, which can be both annoying and messy. In addition, trips to the bathroom may take longer than usual.

There are other causes of poor urine flow so it is important to be sure that your symptoms really are the result of an enlarged prostate. Take our enlarged prostate symptom checker, and if you still think this is the cause of your poor urine flow, it is important you see a GP to rule out any other more serious prostate problems.

Why does an enlarged prostate cause poor flow?

These kinds of problems occur because of the prostate’s location. It sits under the bladder and around the urethra, which is the tube through which urine flows out of the bladder. As the prostate enlarges, it is prevented from growing outwards by the tissue surrounding it, so instead begins to ‘squeeze’ the urethra, interfering with the normal flow of urine out of the bladder.

Self-help tips

There are a few things you can do to try to relieve this symptom.

  • You could try applying heat, such as a hot water bottle, to your lower abdomen, as this relaxes the bladder muscles and should make it easier to pass urine. Make sure the hot water bottle is wrapped in a towel so you don’t burn your skin
  • Check what over-the-counter medicines you are taking; cold and flu medicines, for example, often contain chemicals that can prevent the bladder opening from relaxing, which can make it difficult to pass urine
  • It is important to check your diet: there are a number of good foods and bad foods for an enlarged prostate that treat or exacerbate the condition as a whole rather than this specific symptom. You may want to take these into account, since improving the condition and general symptoms can only help improve a poor flow. Make sure you are eating plenty of fruit and vegetables, as well as high-fibre foods, because constipation will increase the pressure around the urethra and bladder.
  • Pumpkin seeds have traditionally been used to treat reduce an enlarged prostate and manage its symptoms so you may find these helpful
  • You may find that simple yoga and kegel exercises may help withpoor flow by strengthening the muscles around the urinary tract, giving you more control over your bladder. Try the exercises shown in the video below.

Natural/herbal remedies

The treatment we would recommend for symptoms of an enlarged prostate is the extract of Saw Palmetto, which has traditionally been used to help treat the general urinary problems that result from this condition. This extract is available in A.Vogel’s Prostosan capsules.

Conventional treatment

Conventional treatments aim to treat the source of the problem: the enlarged prostate itself.

There are a number of conventional medications available, and also a number of surgical options, which involve removing the prostate, applying heat to the prostate to reduce its size or using high frequency radio waves to reduce size.

These treatments are detailed on our enlarged prostate treatment page.

Prostasan® – Saw Palmetto capsules for enlarged prostate

30 caps

£ 22.49

find your local stockist

Treatment for men with an enlarged prostate (BPH). Also in 90 capsules - £53.99
More info

What's being asked

Hi, I had a blood test a few weeks ago to check for prostate cancer, which came back as negative. Would this test tell me if I had an enlarged prostate?

No, blood tests are not part of the diagnosis for an enlarged prostate.
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I have an enlarged prostate. I take Saw Palmetto with other ingredients including zinc etc. Any other ideas please?

Zinc is a good supplement to take, as it is thought to benefit the prostate gland generally. You ...
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I have an enlarged prostate and have had a biopsy. All is ok but is there a herbal or other type of product I can take to reduce the size of my prostate?

If you have a diagnosis of enlarged prostate then you can take Prostasan Saw Palmetto capsules to ...
Read more >

Suspect you have enlarged prostate?

Take our test and let us explain what your symptoms could mean.

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Here's what I recommend

As the A.Vogel Men’s Health advisor, I recommend Prostasan® Saw Palmetto capsules to help relieve symptoms arising from enlarged prostate.

Learn more

Did you know?

BPH is a very common problem that increases the older men get, and around half of all men have an enlarged prostate by the age of 50. At the age of 80, this has risen to 80%

What you need to know about BPH

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