BPH

[boris1957]

I am 49 years old and had TURL about 6 months ago. The surgery went well with no complications during the surgery. The mass was about 9-10 cm in size and weighed about 4 times the normal prostate. All of the basic problems of BHP but to the point that my physician scored me as an 80 year old man in regards to my urine flow. After the surgery, urine output that of a 20 year old. Physician advised in detail that retrograde ejaculation would be a 50-50 chance. For those that don't know, this is when you climax during intercourse or masterbation, there is no ejaculate which comes out of your penis. The ejaculate never enters the urethera in the penis but goes into the bladder because of the enlargement of the neck of the bladder after surgery. This has happened to me. What has also happened is that I do not have the same pleasurable sensation during intercourse. I have lost about 1/2 to 3/4 of the "climax" experience. My physician has told me that over time it should get better, but to date it has not. There have been no problems with E D at all and my wife has been very understanding and we have started doing "other" things which make up for the loss of sensation during climax. Does anyone have any problems like this or experiences similar which you could share with me. Depression has set in severly and my physician now has me seeing a psychologist which has helped. Please respond if you have any insight to my experience with the retrograde ejaculation.

[urologist]

there is no specific treatment for retrograde ejaculation. In general it is not a problem unless someone is trying to conceive a child. If that is not the case, there is nothing to do but wait to see if it will improve.

[supersundayy]

Boris - a good friend of mine went through the same thing, its difficult to say if the loss of sensation was due to the treatment or the medication, (horse pills) he was taking for colin cancer. On the bright side, he's receiving 4-10x the amount of oral sex than he used to.... I also know people with spinal cord injury and they say their ezones relocate to different parts of their body after a 6 month recovery time. Mitch Tepper, is very knowledgeable in this area and can be found at http://sexualhealth.com/

Tepper
http://www.sexualhealth.com/experts.php?Action=view&user=25

[zingar]

I m 59 I years old and due to have TURP on the 1st of Dec. I am already regretting aggreing to this treatment , quite frankly the thought of retrograde ejaculation is puting me off, Ok I know I do have an enlarged prostate, had all the tests but the only "treatment" I have tried is a 3 month course of HYTRIN prescribed by my Doctor. He referred me to an eminent Urologist who appears to be well respected. however My "Symtoms" do not seem to me to be as severe as other people who have had TURP. I never get up in the night to urinate don't have blood in may urine no pain when passing water no kidney stones I do however have a reduced flow rate and had 1 incident after spending approximately 12 hours drinking alcohol at a family wedding. I found it very difficult to urinate and in fact had to stay up all night to empty my bladder in very small amounts, this happened about 5 months ago and has not been repeated. and I have since found out that "Beer" aggrevate's the prostate. It was quite painfull and the Urologist reckons I was lucky and next time will probably have a total shutdown and not be able to pass water at all . He also reckons it's too late to try Saw Palmetto or other Herbal remedies and strongly advises TURP. So guys any advice?

[wgpiano]

I had the Greenlight Laser surgery performed. I had all the symptoms, and I'm quite young. Unfortunately, this retrograde crap is a bummer. Sex still feels pretty good, most of the time, but there's more to it than that. I'm hoping it will improve. Anyone know of anything to fix this problem? Is it reversible? Any medications?

[mrcoyote]

I can only tell you what my urologist told me before the laser surgery I had a few months ago. He told me there was a real good chance, and almost a certainty, that the surgery would cause retrograde. It turned out that it seems not to have happened. I'm sure he explained this to you before your surgery, didn't he? I think they are obligated to do so. Anyway, I say it "seems" not to have happened to me because after I told him the surgery didn't leave me with that symptom, he said that it might be happening somewhat without me knowing it. But, for me, I can't even tell. The retrograde is a result of what your surgeon had to do once he got in there. If the neck of the bladder is opened up a lot, then I think you will experience more retrograde. I am not a doctor, but I believe this cannot be fixed with medications, etc. I had already accepted it myself, but now I attribute the success of the surgery to the skill of my urologist to know just how much to open things up without going too far. He did tell me he had to make that decision once he got in there, and that he decided in my case to not hog things out too much, but just enough to relieve the symptoms.

[dhanks0001]

I also had the treatment with a result of retrograde . My doctor told me nothing of these side effects. It is a little painful when climaxing and also there is no seman. Is this a result of a procedure error or is this a natural occurance for some people. Sex is not as enjoyable as before with the slight pain and retrograde ejaculation. Will this get better with time as it has been about 3 months sense the procedure. It doesn't seem to be getting better. Any advice or possible fix for retrograde ejaculation would be appreciated.

[CloudMist]

I also have BPH and my urologist is recommending TURP or Green Light laser or similar surgery but cautions that all mechanical methods of clearing the prostate are very likely to result in retrograde ejaculation. I have had RE for a year now since I started taking Flowmax and, like others posting to this topic, I find that orgasms are not as pleasurable as they used to be because I find there is a pleasurable sensation as the semen passes down and out the urethra and it is also important emotionally for me and my partner to see or feel it.

However, my uro doesn't appreciate this and says simply that orgasms are controlled by other nerves and muscles and the fact that a RE causes the semen to pass into the bladder makes no difference.

Also, I have seen some excellent videos of TURP and laser surgery to clear prostate obstruction on YouTube and I cannot understand why they need to excise the bladder neck sphincter (which, in so doing, presumably causes the RE) and not only open up the passage blocked by the swollen prostate.

All comments welcome.

[dhanks0001]

I am 56 years old and I also have had the same surgery with good urine flow after surgery but also got the retograde ejaculation and the uncomfortable feeling during orgasm. It is a little painful and also a little pleasurable but not the same as before. My surgeon also said that it could get better with time but probably not. I go for my second appointment sense the surgery next week . the flow is also starting the get a little worse then right after surgery.

[mrcoyote]

OK. When the urologist talks to anybody about a TURP either by laser or the conventional method, that is the time that they should tell you the likelihood of side-effects or probable outcomes. That is true of any surgery. The patient has a right to know what they can expect from the surgery. Surgery of the prostate is no different. When the doctor surgically removes tissue from the area which is restricted in the prostate, he must also deal with the area entering the bladder. That's where the retrograde happens. If they don't deal with that area, the restriction will not allow the desired result of the surgery itself. That is how it was explained to me before they even scheduled my surgery. And I agree with you guys that, regardless of what you have been told, the surgery definitely can change the "feeling" of sex when you orgasm due to the retrograde. Another thing: after years of taking Flomax and now stopping it, I myself notice a huge difference in the amount of ejaculate. Huge. I can't even believe it myself.
I'm not a doctor, but I believe there is no "cure" or pill to take for retrograde. It's a physical thing and that area has been opened up surgically to now let the ejaculate go into the bladder. Will it bet better over time? Some say it might, others not. My urologist said no, it won't. (It didn't happen, luckily!)
The reason you can urinate so well right after the surgery is because the urethra has been stretched open by the larger catheter they put in, and when they remove it, you feel like a 20 yr. old again. But
then after a while, it is not stretched so much, and the stream is a bit weaker. Will it get better as it heals? Probably. If you are still taking Flomax, remember, that drug and others combined with it can have a huge effect on urinating and also sexually. It did for me when I was taking it. So, these are some things I hope will help you either make a decision or put your mind at ease as far as what might happen and what might not.