Does bph normally make the prostate tender and swollen?

No: Generally, if the prostate is tender and swollen we'd be thinking about prostatitis. In bph, the prostate is enlarged, but not usually tender. With BPH you often see symptoms such as a weak stream, incomplete bladder emptying, stream is slow to get started, getting up more at night to void, etc.

Dr Hadied agreed

Prostatitis : No, but prostatitis can. Get checked by your physician or a urologist. You may need an antibiotic treatment.

Dr Rodriguez and another doctor agreed

No, here are ...: BPH (benign prostate hyperplasia) is a microscopic Dx although it's been long used to denote prostate-related voiding trouble. On digital rectal exam (DRE), the prostate of a man with voiding symptoms may be small or large as judged by professionally experienced finger. As to tenderness, this description may be misleading at times due to patient's overreacting to DRE so a professional reassuring..