Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsBenefits of SurgeryPossible Future SurgeriesLifestyle Adjustments
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Benefits of Surgery
Possible Future Surgeries
Lifestyle Adjustments
The condition you had prostate surgery to fix, most commonlyprostate canceroran enlarged prostatethat is causing urinary issues, is usually resolved after your procedure. People who go through this type of surgery frequently experience complications likeurinary incontinenceanderectile dysfunctionafter the procedure, which may be temporary or permanent. There are different ways to minimize the impact these issues may have on someone’s life after prostate surgery.
Verywell / Laura Porter
It should also be stated, however, that prostate cancer does not always cause an enlarged prostatewhen found early. So it follows that some men may require surgery for prostate cancer without having enlargement of the prostate.
What Is an Enlarged Prostate?
In cases where prostate surgery is done for cancer, the entire prostate gland is always removed; when prostate surgery is done for benign enlargement, most often only part of the prostate is removed.
Removal of some or all of the gland can help resolve symptoms, including hesitancy (difficulty starting urine stream), urinary frequency, bladder retention (unable to completely empty the bladder), and incontinence.
With cancer, your healthcare provider will remove the cancerous cells through prostate surgery to prevent the cancer from spreading beyond the prostate. The success rate for this type of prostate surgery is very high if all the cancer is removed. Surgery also provides your healthcare provider with information about the exact size and state of your tumor.
A prostatectomy itself is usually enough to resolve prostate cancer or issues associated with an enlarged prostate gland. A radical prostatectomy can usually cure prostate cancer when it is limited to the prostate gland. If your cancer has already spread, you may need ongoing cancer treatment, such as androgen deprivation or another targeted drug therapy or radiation.
Gleason Score 6 Prostate Cancer: What It Means
When prostate surgery is used to address non-cancer problems like BPH, additional surgeries may be needed. Some men will require a second surgery after their prostatectomy for BPH or other issues with an enlarged prostate if:
The goal of prostate surgery is to resolve problems related to prostate enlargement that could cause serious health problems. This doesn’t mean prostate surgery doesn’t come with its own complications. There are a number of side effects that are likely to occur after prostate surgery and will require adjustment, including:
Incontinence
After surgery for prostate cancer, normal bladder control usually returns within several weeks or months. This recovery usually occurs slowly over time. The types of incontinence that are common after prostate surgery include:
In general, older men tend to have more incontinence problems than younger men. Large cancer centers, where prostate surgery is done often and surgeons have a lot of experience, generally report fewer problems with incontinence. Incontinence can be treated in most cases. Even if your incontinence can’t be corrected completely, it can still be helped.
How to Manage Incontinence
There are multiple ways to manage incontinence:
Erectile Dysfunction
In terms of sexual health, some men may recover their erectile function even up to two years after surgery, but for many men, permanent erectile dysfunction is common following prostate surgery. There are a number of delicate nerves surrounding the prostate gland that are important to erectile function, and lasting effects may result if any damage to these nerves happened during your surgery.
Your ability to have an erection after surgery depends on your age, your ability to get an erection before the operation, and whether the nerves were cut.All men can expect some decrease in their ability to have an erection, but the younger you are, the more likely it is that you will keep this ability.
In cases where erectile dysfunction is permanent, several medications are now available to help treat erectile dysfunction after prostate surgery, including:
Some men also experience loss of sensation or pain during orgasm after prostate surgery. For penile length loss (relatively common after prostate surgery) or penile curvature, patients may consider traction therapy or other interventions. Men who are interested in preserving their fertility may want to have sperm collected and stored before their surgery.
Prostatectomy can also put you at a higher risk of developing an inguinal hernia, or swollen lymph nodes in the groin. Physical therapy like pelvic floor exercises and a good bowel regimen to reduce straining after surgery can help. Make sure you get specific advice for your situation when you talk to you healthcare provider about follow-up care.
Cancer Care
If you have had a radical prostatectomy, your healthcare provider will schedule follow-up visits to continue to monitor you for recurrence. Typical screenings after surgery include:
If your cancer returns or has spread after a prostatectomy, a second prostate surgery is unlikely. Medical management with radiation, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, or hormone therapy is typically recommended.
When it becomes clear that cancer has spread beyond the prostate, targeted treatment for those areas—will be used. Surgeries in other parts of the body can also be a possibility.
If you are going to have a prostatectomy related to a cancer diagnosis, discuss your care with a team of surgeons and oncologists.
A Word From Verywell
Prostate surgery can improve quality of life and chances of survival in the case of prostate cancer, but it comes with its own set of complications, which can be temporary or permanent. Impotence and incontinence are the most common concerns after prostate surgery. Even if these problems are not completely resolved, there are different ways to cope with them in the long run. If you are feeling overwhelmed because of these concerns, talk to a loved one or seek out a support group to find others who understand what you are going through.
It’s important to remember that prostate surgery is not necessary unless prostate enlargement is causing health problems or is a result of cancer. Talk with your healthcare provider about your risks versus the benefits of surgery for your individual diagnosis before you have prostate surgery.
6 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.University of Michigan.Enlarged Prostate: Should I Have Surgery?Lawson NA.Patient education: treatment for advanced prostate cancer (Beyond the Basics). UpToDate.American Cancer Society.Surgery for Prostate Cancer.American Cancer Society.Bladder and Bowel Incontinence.University of Wisconsin Health.Your Care After Radical Prostatectomy.American Cancer Society.Treating Prostate Cancer That Doesn’t Go Away or Comes Back After Treatment.
6 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.University of Michigan.Enlarged Prostate: Should I Have Surgery?Lawson NA.Patient education: treatment for advanced prostate cancer (Beyond the Basics). UpToDate.American Cancer Society.Surgery for Prostate Cancer.American Cancer Society.Bladder and Bowel Incontinence.University of Wisconsin Health.Your Care After Radical Prostatectomy.American Cancer Society.Treating Prostate Cancer That Doesn’t Go Away or Comes Back After Treatment.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
University of Michigan.Enlarged Prostate: Should I Have Surgery?Lawson NA.Patient education: treatment for advanced prostate cancer (Beyond the Basics). UpToDate.American Cancer Society.Surgery for Prostate Cancer.American Cancer Society.Bladder and Bowel Incontinence.University of Wisconsin Health.Your Care After Radical Prostatectomy.American Cancer Society.Treating Prostate Cancer That Doesn’t Go Away or Comes Back After Treatment.
University of Michigan.Enlarged Prostate: Should I Have Surgery?
Lawson NA.Patient education: treatment for advanced prostate cancer (Beyond the Basics). UpToDate.
American Cancer Society.Surgery for Prostate Cancer.
American Cancer Society.Bladder and Bowel Incontinence.
University of Wisconsin Health.Your Care After Radical Prostatectomy.
American Cancer Society.Treating Prostate Cancer That Doesn’t Go Away or Comes Back After Treatment.
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