Do you need a prostate check? King Charles III raises awareness of common men's health condition

 The treatment was successful and the king is "doing quite well," a royal source told Fox News Digital.

The palace stressed that his condition is cancer-free.

According to multiple reports, searches for "prostate check" on Google spiked last week after the palace revealed the planned treatment for the first time.

According to royal experts, the 75-year-old British monarch is expected to encourage men who are experiencing symptoms to seek medical help.

Benign prostatic hyperplasia, or BPH, is a noncancerous condition that occurs when the prostate becomes enlarged.

M.D., associate professor of urology at UC San Diego School of Medicine and urologist at UC San Diego Health. "We don't know what causes some men to have larger prostates than others," Seth Bacchis told Fox News Digital. (He was not involved in the care of King Charles.)

"The prostate is one of the few organs in the human body that continues to grow throughout adulthood," he said.

As the prostate grows, the enlarged prostate tissue can compress the urethra, which is the tube that connects to the bladder and helps drain urine from the body.

BPH reduces the flow of urine through the urethra, making it more difficult to empty the bladder.

Due to this, men may have to exert more force while urinating.

Other common symptoms of BPH include frequent urination, urinating at night, difficulty starting urine flow, having a weak urine stream that stops and starts, dripping at the end of urination, and difficulty emptying the bladder. .

According to the Johns Hopkins Medicine website, urologists often use the American Urological Association (AUA) Symptom Index to help determine the most appropriate treatment.

The most conservative and least invasive approach is to implement simple lifestyle changes.

According to the Mayo Clinic, some men may not realize the limits of their daily fluid intake, so avoiding drinking too much, especially before bed, may relieve symptoms.

It is also important for men to take inventory of the types of fluids they are consuming, as drinking too much caffeine and alcohol can make the condition worse, especially at night.

The Mayo Clinic says that if lifestyle changes don't improve symptoms, the next step is to take medication to help open up the passage through the prostate, making it easier for urine to drain.

Some medications, known as alpha-blockers, accomplish this by relaxing the muscles in the prostate, while another class, known as 5-alpha-reductase inhibitors, works by shrinking the prostate. .

However, the expert said that this medical treatment is often not as effective as surgery.

There are several procedures to treat an enlarged prostate, each with its own side effects and potential complications.

Experts suggest that it is important to consider whether the procedure requires general anesthesia, whether it preserves ejaculatory function and whether it involves a catheter.

Bechis reviewed several surgical options for Fox News Digital.

Urolift is performed in the office or operating room without general anesthesia.

“A camera (cystoscope) is inserted into the urethra and advanced to the level of the prostate,” Bechis said.

According to Yale Medicine, instead of cutting, cauterizing, or removing any tissue, urologists use special clips to hold the enlarged part of the prostate out of the way so urine can pass more easily.

The procedure preserves ejaculation function and does not require a catheter; But according to Bechis, only a select group of patients are eligible, based on the size and shape of the prostate.

This procedure is performed in the doctor's office or operating room. It does not require general anesthesia.

A camera is inserted into the urethra and advanced to the level of the prostate, where steam is injected to destroy the tissue causing the obstruction around the urethra, Bechis said.

"You will have a catheter in place for [two to five] days after surgery and continue alpha-blocker medication such as tamsulosin," he said.

Ejaculatory function is preserved in most patients, but recovery involves an indwelling catheter and an alpha blocker for several days.

According to Bechis, it may take three to six months to see maximum improvement in symptoms.

The doctor said, although this is a relatively new procedure which has shown good results, long-term data is not yet available.

"A cystoscope is inserted into the bladder through the urethra and a special laser is used to vaporize the prostate tissue," Bechis said of this approach.

According to the Mayo Clinic, the placeholder procedure does not cut or scrape tissue.

Bechis said, because PVP results in very little bleeding, it is a good option for people who take anticoagulant medications.

Patients will need to have a catheter inserted after surgery and possibly stay in the hospital overnight.

Possible complications include blood loss as well as infection, bladder injury or urinary incontinence.

With this approach, a cystoscope is inserted into the bladder through the urethra.

An ultrasound is used to direct a concentrated water jet, which destroys the prostate tissue, Bechis said.

It's fast and efficient, but relatively new — "so the long-term results haven't been fully gathered yet," he said.

Men can usually preserve ejaculatory function after this procedure, but they will have a catheter in place after surgery and will usually have to stay in the hospital overnight.

Possible complications include blood loss, infection, bladder injury, or urinary incontinence.

In this procedure, a camera is inserted through the urethra into the bladder.

A surgical device is used to generate an electrical current that "sticks" the prostate until the urethra is obstructed, Bechis said.

This procedure is done without any incision.

"After surgery you will have a catheter inserted and will stay in the hospital one night until the bleeding stops," Bechis said.

Possible complications include blood loss, infection, bladder injury, or urinary incontinence.

This procedure is often reserved for larger prostates.

"This is a more complex surgery that goes through the abdomen, with a risk of complications including the need for a blood transfusion, injury to bowel or abdominal structures or bladder leakage," Bechis said.

During this procedure, several small incisions are made in the abdomen and small robotic instruments are used to remove the prostate through an incision in the bladder, the doctor said.

According to Bechis, patients can expect to recover in the hospital for one to two days, with a catheter placed for seven to 10 days after surgery.

According to the American Cancer Society (ACS), there are expected to be 299,010 new cases of prostate cancer and approximately 35,250 deaths in the US in 2024.