The Role of Stress in Prostate Enlargement: What You Need to Know

Key Takeaways:

  1. Stress can lead to an enlarged prostate due to increased levels of hormones and a decrease in zinc levels.
  2. The release of adrenaline due to stress can cause the bladder and prostate to shut down, resulting in more difficult and painful urination.
  3. Managing stress through lifestyle and behavioral changes such as exercise, sleep and therapy can help prevent prostate enlargement and ease its symptoms.

The prostate is a small, walnut-sized gland that forms part of the male reproductive system. It sits right below the bladder and surrounds the top portion of the urethra.

Its primary function is to secrete an alkaline fluid that adds to the bulk of semen—a mixture of seminal, bulbo-urethral, and prostatic fluid.

With its sphincter muscles, the prostate seals off the entry from the bladder into the urethra, preventing the flow of urine during sexual intercourse. Plus, it contains muscles that help to expel semen out of the penis during sexual intercourse.

Hormone-dependent enlargement

The prostate doesn’t remain tiny for life. It undergoes two phases of hormone-dependent growth: the first at puberty when it nearly doubles its size, and the second after 25 years and for the rest of life.

Now, the prostate requires testosterone to function. But it also contains the enzyme 5-alpha reductase, which converts testosterone to dihydrotestosterone (DHT).

DHT is responsible for development of various male characteristics, such as facial hair. And it equally promotes the enlargement of the prostate.

In fact, if you live long enough, the increased levels of DHT will ensure a continued growth of the gland until you have a condition called an enlarged prostate.

Also called BPH (benign prostatic hyperplasia), an enlarged prostate is a condition where the gland has grown large enough to press or pinch the urethra and cause urinary symptoms.

It occurs in roughly 30% of men over 50 years and in 90% of men aged 80 years.

What is the role of stress in an enlarged prostate?

Stress and BPH are highly related. In fact, the more stressed you become, the worse your BPH symptoms get. And the worse your BPH symptoms get, the more stressed you feel. It is an endless cycle.

But how is stress related to prostate enlargement?

And what should you know about that relationship?

  1. Stress affects hormones that trigger prostate enlargement

When your body is stressed, it releases more of the cortisol hormone. In men, cortisol suppresses other key hormones such as testosterone.

Now, as your level of testosterone drops, the level of estrogen increases. And the increased level of estrogen indirectly promotes the growth of prostate cells, resulting in an enlarged prostate.

Also, stress increases the rate of conversion of testosterone to dihydrotestosterone (DHT). When an increased level of DHT accumulates in the prostate, it triggers rapid cell growth and development.

While low levels of DHT may not cause an enlarged prostate, a very high level resulting from extreme, prolonged stress eventually causes prostate enlargement.

Actually, DHT is the central hormone responsible for the growth of the prostate both in puberty and young adulthood. Hence, increased levels of DHT due to stress are an important factor in prostatic enlargement.

  1. Stress depletes zinc

Stress usually causes body zinc levels to reduce significantly.

Zinc is a critical mineral for the prostate, controlling the gland’s rate of expansion. It occurs more commonly in the prostate than in any other human tissues.

So when zinc deficiency occurs due to prolonged stress, the prostate gland enlarges rapidly, resulting in an enlarged prostate.

If you already have BPH, then reduced zinc levels tend to worsen its symptoms.

By reducing stress and eating zinc-rich foods, such as pumpkin seeds, you can boost your body zinc levels, prevent rapid growth of the prostate, and ease BPH symptoms.

  1. Stress promotes adrenaline secretion

When your body is in a stressful situation, it gets into a ‘flight or fight’ mode that triggers the release of increased quantities of adrenaline.

The adrenaline triggers contraction of muscles of the prostate and bladder. As a result, the prostate compels the urethra to narrow, making passing urine more difficult and painful.

Also, the released adrenaline may cause the bladder to effectively ‘shut down’, worsening urinary symptoms.

So stress is bad for you if you already have an enlarged prostate. It elevates the amount of adrenaline in your body, which impacts both the bladder and prostate and worsens BPH symptoms.

  1. Stress increases tension in pelvic floor muscles

Lastly, when stressed, your pelvic floor muscles become tenser. And the tightening of these muscles forces the urethra to narrow.

In turn, this makes urine flow more difficult. Hence, if you already have an enlarged prostate, your symptoms become worse.

Prompt management of stress for BPH

If you have an enlarged prostate, it is important that you avoid or minimize stress. Speak about things that are stressing you or causing anxiety and depression with friends, family, or a therapist.

Also, consider lifestyle and behavioral changes to manage stress, including regular aerobic exercise, adequate sleep, and practicing yoga and meditation.

At St Pete Urology, we encourage healthy habits such as avoiding caffeine and minimizing fluid intake a few hours before bedtime. We also recommend speaking with a licensed therapist and joining a support group to help you with stress.

And for those with severe symptoms of an enlarged prostate, we recommend seeing a urologist for treatment to bring the symptoms under control. After that, you may only need annual checkups.

For more information on prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of benign prostatic enlargement and other urological problems, visit the site “St Pete Urology.”

References:

Facts About Stress Urinary Incontinence in Women

What Is Urinary Incontinence?

Many women have a silent concern due to urinary incontinence. It somehow seems taboo to talk about the problem, even with a regular doctor or gynecologist. There are approximately 25 million Americans who suffer from some type of urinary incontinence and as many as 80 percent of them are women. Pregnancy, giving birth, going through menopause and even the unique structure of the female urinary anatomy contribute to the disparity between male and female sufferers.

Urinary incontinence is defined as the unintentional loss or leakage of urine. The term “stress incontinence” means that when the body is under exertion it puts pressure on your bladder and the bladder leaks. Some triggers for stress incontinence include running, coughing, sneezing, bending or heavy lifting.

Bladder Retraining

The bladder is controlled by muscles and it can be trained. You may wish to keep a voiding diary, noting things like times of urination, duration between bathroom trips, types of food or beverages that seem to trigger urgency or frequency of bathroom trips. This journal describing your symptoms and potential causes can help if you need to visit a urologist for treatment.

As you establish baselines for your urinary problem, you can start behavior modification and training your bladder. Here’s how to do it:

  • Schedule Your Bathroom Breaks

Start by scheduling bathroom visits. Increase the time periods between those breaks by adding 15-minute increments. Visit the bathroom even if you don’t feel you need to go. You will be working toward longer and longer stretches of time between breaks.

  • Perform Kegel Exercises

When you learn to isolate the muscles that control urine flow, you can practice having more control by performing Kegel exercises while sitting, standing or during urination.

Other Tips to Prevent Overactive Bladder:

  • In addition to bladder retraining, you may want to eliminate or limit beverages that increase the need for urinating, like coffee, tea or caffeinated sodas.
  • Drink fewer fluids before bedtime.

Treating Overactive Bladder With Behavioral Modifications

You needn’t feel alone when you have urinary incontinence. Make an appointment with a urologist who is trained to deal with your condition. Your doctor may take any of the following approaches beyond what you can do on your own:

  • Recommend biofeedback,
  • Send urine or drawn blood to the lab to determine how completely you empty your bladder.
  • Prescribe medicine to address bladder function or tighten muscles.
  • Employ a medical device, such as a urethral insert or a pessary.
  • Try nerve stimulation, using a mild electric current to nerves in the bladder that help control urination.
  • Suggest surgery if indicated.

If you have stress incontinence, you may be limiting yourself from fully participating in life events. Seek treatment from experts like those at St Pete Urology, where surgeons perform hundreds of successful sling surgery procedures every year. For more information, visit the St Pete Urology website.