Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is the most common condition affecting men older than 50 years of age. It affects about 10 percent of men under the age of 40, and increases to about 80 percent by 80 years of age. BPH is a hyperplastic process of the fibromuscular stromal and glandular epithelial elements of the prostate. Aging and the presence of the functional testes are the two established risk factors for the development of BPH. The etiopathogenesis of BPH is still largely unresolved, but multiple partially overlapping and complementary theories have been proposed, all of which seem to be operative at least to some extent. This review is focused on recent progress in this area and on the growing consensus for the important mechanisms underlying the etiology and pathogenesis of BPH.