What are some of the main medical treatments for BPH?

The severity of symptoms determines the medical treatment selected. Treatment options include watchful waiting (i.e., lifestyle advice) and medications, which either relax the smooth muscles of the prostate and bladder neck to improve urine flow (i.e., alpha-blockers, phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitors) or block the conversion of testosterone to dihydrotestosterone (DHT) to prevent further enlargement of the prostate (i.e., 5-alpha reductase inhibitors). If the former treatments fail to improve symptoms, minimally invasive procedures or surgery to reduce prostate size and/or to widen the urethra may be indicated.^[1]