Question:
I am 62, and I've been recently diagnosed with mild BPH. My doctors suggested Uroflowmety among others. I wanted to know what that is and how it can be of any help.
Answer:
Uroflowmetry measures the urine. It tracks how fast urine flows, how much flows out, and how much it takes. It is a diagnostic test to assess how well the urinary tract functions. If you have a low urinary stream, and difficulties emptying your bladder your doctor may suggest uroflowmetry. The test is simple, you will be asked to urinate into a funnel connected to the electronic uroflowmeter. This records information about your urine flow on a flow chart. A normal voiding produces a bell shape flow curve. Flow rate is calculated as ml per second and in a normal person should be between 10-20 ml /sec, and the maximum flow rate max should run over 15 ml/sec.
A slow flow rate means obstruction of the bladder neck( usually BPH in men), or a weak bladder muscle.
In young men, Qmax is >15, after 45 years old starts decreasing and will be between 10-15. and the more prostate enlarges the Qmax gets smaller. Qmax cut-off of 10 ml/s is suggestive of bladder outlet obstruction, which means your BPH should be treated medically, or surgically.
However, that doesn't mean you should wait till your prostate gets enlarged and create irreversible obstruction. At the beginning of symptoms and when the Qmax starts declining <15, you can talk to your doctor and start changing your lifestyle, using supplements, and following an appropriate diet and herbs to control and delay the enlargement of the prostate, and take control of the health of your prostate.
Next time we talk about those herbs and supplements with positive effects on the uroflow rate.
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