What lifestyle modifications can I suggest to patients with mild BPH symptoms to improve their quality of life?

For patients with mild benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) symptoms, lifestyle modifications can be recommended to improve their quality of life. These include:

• Reducing fluid intake at specific times to decrease urinary frequency when it is most inconvenient, such as at night or when going out in public.
• Avoiding excessive fluid restriction to prevent complications like urinary tract infections.
• Treating constipation if present, as it can exacerbate urinary symptoms.
• Maintaining a healthy lifestyle by reducing weight, stopping smoking, and improving diet if relevant.
• Moderating or avoiding caffeine and alcohol intake, which can worsen lower urinary tract symptoms.

These lifestyle interventions are part of active surveillance and conservative management strategies for men with mild or moderate bothersome lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) due to BPH, aiming to reduce symptom severity and improve quality of life without immediate drug treatment.

Patients should be offered information and advice about their condition and lifestyle changes, with regular review if symptoms change.

Additionally, self-management interventions have been shown to significantly reduce symptom severity comparable to drug therapy at 6 to 12 weeks, supporting the benefit of lifestyle advice.

Men should also be signposted to reliable sources of information and support, such as NHS online resources and the Bladder and Bowel Community.