Symptoms

Symptoms of an enlarged prostate include:

• finding it difficult to start peeing
• straining to pee
• having a weak flow of urine
• "stop-start" peeing
• needing to pee urgently and/or frequently
• needing to get up frequently in the night to pee
• accidentally leaking urine (urinary incontinence)

Leaking urine can happen when you feel a sudden need to pee and can't stop some pee leaking out before you get to a toilet. This is called urge incontinence.

Leaking urine can also happen when you strain, for example when you cough, sneeze or lift a heavy object. This is stress incontinence.

The most common form of leaking is when a small amount of urine dribbles into your underwear after peeing.

Read more information about incontinence.

When to seek medical advice

See your GP if you have any of the symptoms on this page.

Even if the symptoms are mild, they could be caused by a condition that needs to be investigated.

Any blood in the urine must be investigated by your GP to rule out other more serious conditions.

Page last reviewed: Tue Mar 2020 Next review due: Wed Feb 2020