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We heard you — incontinence affects men too. Here’s what you need to know

As men age, the simple act of urinating can get complicated. Prostate surgery often leaves men vulnerable to leakage when they cough, sneeze, or just rise from a chair. Or the bladder may become impatient, suddenly demanding that you find a bathroom right now. “Thousands of years ago, it was not as much of an issue,” observes Dr. Anurag Das, a urologist at Harvard-affiliated Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. “There were lots of trees, and you could just find one and go.” But tricky bladders can be whipped into shape.

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 I Have Incontinence. How Can I Avoid Accidents When I Leave Home?

For women and men, the risk of incontinence increases with age. Men tend to experience urge incontinence, often caused by an enlarged prostate, though prostate surgery can lead to stress incontinence. Women experience both types more frequently than men, in part because pregnancy and childbirth can damage nerves and weaken the muscles and connective tissues that support the organs in the pelvis.

 The Gentleman's Guide to Urinary Incontinence

Urinary incontinence is more common in men than many realize, and it’s nothing to be embarrassed about. Whether you're dealing with light leaks or more persistent issues, there are effective male urinary incontinence products available to help you stay dry and confident.

 The pelvic floor is critical for men’s health too—here’s how

New research is highlighting how men are affected by a weak or overtightened pelvic floor, bringing awareness to an issue that was previously focused on women. If you’ve ever fought the urge to pee, stood tall without strain, or maintained a satisfying sex life, you have your pelvic floor to thank. This network of muscles and connective tissue is central to urinary continence, bowel movements, posture, and sexual function. Despite such importance, pelvic floor strength is usually framed as a women’s health issue—primarily because a weak pelvic floor is commonly linked to childbirth, menstruation, and menopause. “But it’s also important for men to understand that the pelvic floor is a vital part of their bodies, as it ties together so many different bodily functions,” says Peter Bajic, a urologist and director of men’s health at Cleveland Clinic in Ohio. About one in five men over the age of 65 experience pelvic floor-related urinary incontinence, and as many as 16 percent live with chronic pelvic pain.

 Why Men Shouldn’t Ignore Their Pelvic Floors

Chronic pain, sexual dysfunction and incontinence can all stem from problems with your pelvic floor — and many men don’t even know they have one.

Articles of Interest

The Man's Guide to Urinary Incontinence

“Urinary incontinence is not a disease in itself; it is a symptom of another condition,” explained Gerald Y. Park, MD, a urologist with Kansas City Urology Care on the North Kansas City Hospital campus. “It may be caused by your lifestyle, daily habits or underlying conditions you may not know about.”

Causes of urinary incontinence in men: am I alone?

There are a variety of factors that can lead to the development of urge incontinence including urinary tract infection, inflammation, and benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH).

Gentlemen, Start Your Kegels! Study Looks at Incontinence Treatment

Incontinence is a very common and very not-fun side effect of surgery to remove a cancerous prostate gland. As many as 65% of men who've had the surgery still have episodes of incontinence five years down the road. One approach for more serious cases is yet more surgery. But a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Associationfinds that therapy to help men learn exercises to build up their pelvic-floor muscles can help address the problem.

How to Get a Handle on Male Stress Urinary Incontinence

In many cases, undergoing prostate cancer treatments — especially prostate removal surgery, radiation therapy, or both — causes stress urinary incontinence. This is because during prostate removal surgery, one of the sphincters that keeps your urethra closed is removed or affected.

I tried everything to fix my incontinence. Here’s what worked

Rodríguez, a surgeon, concurs: “I am a strong believer in physical therapy, and pilates is also quite good in getting people to engage the pelvic floor.” The best thing I ever did about my incontinence was start talking about it. Chances are, if you share, you’ll learn that you’re not alone. If you’re really lucky, you’ll even find someone to laugh with you about it. And if you pee a little when you do, you won’t be the only one.

Living with Incontinence

As we age, something as simple as urinating can become complicated. Just laughing, sneezing, coughing, or lifting an object can cause your bladder to leak. Male urinary incontinence is almost always linked to trouble with the prostate, except in the cases of functional incontinence where you are unable to get to the bathroom in time due to mobility issues. The good news is that excellent treatment and management options are available today to help you live with this challenging condition.

Male Incontinence: A Full Guide To Wearable Solutions

Incontinence in men is not as prevalent as it is in women, which makes the conversation about possible solutions much harder to have. Furthermore, with the majority of incontinence products being marketed to women, men are often left with little to no awareness of the solutions they have available to them to manage it.

Male Urinary Incontinence: Prevalence, Risk Factors, and Preventive Interventions

Different treatments for prostate diseases resulted in comparable rates of incontinence, with higher risk for UI after radical prostatectomy. Medical devices were examined in a few trials and failed to improve UI. Pharmacologic treatments for overactive bladder included an effective combination of tolterodine and tamsulosin.

Management of male urinary incontinence

The majority of male urinary incontinence seen is secondary to sphincter weakness following prostatic surgery. As there is a rising elderly population and increasing numbers of surgical interventions for prostate cancer, incidence of male incontinence is increasing. Hence, management of male incontinence has become a subject of increased interest for urologists. Various non-surgical and surgical approaches have been suggested for this devastating condition.

Surgical options for urinary leakage in men

Stress incontinence in men after prostate surgery is due to multiple factors related to the patient's anatomy, prostate cancer and the surgery performed. Ultimately, this leads to a weakened sphincter muscle and laxity of the pelvic floor. The sphincter muscles control the release of urine, and the urethra is the small tube that empties the bladder. A prostatectomy procedure removes some of the control provided by the prostate and bladder, making the patient reliant solely on the external sphincter muscle.

Technology for incontinence hasn’t developed that much since ancient Egyptian times

Today’s healthcare is full of technology that would seem like science fiction to our grandparents. But this is far from true in every area: some remain woefully neglected by innovation. Hop in a time machine back to ancient Egypt and you would find recognisable examples of the absorbent pads and catheters which are still a mainstay in the management of incontinence today.

Treatment options for men with urinary leakage

Urinary incontinence is a common and often embarrassing condition that results in the unintentional loss of urine. While women are more likely than men to experience symptoms of urinary incontinence, it can be particularly troublesome for men. About 3% to 10% of men will experience symptoms in their lifetimes and report a high level of associated stress due to the condition. Some men say they would rather be impotent than incontinent.

Urinary Incontinence in Men

Did you know that up to 11% of the male population suffers from urinary incontinence? This is a lower percentage than for women, but, this does not diminish the fact that millions of men must cope with urinary incontinence. If you are a man who suffers from UI, know that you are not alone.

What Are the Best Home Remedies for Male Incontinence?

The prostate’s health plays a significant role in urinary incontinence for men. Issues like an enlarged prostate and prostate cancer can affect how your bladder functions and lead to incontinence.1

Resources

Fix Incontinenece

Leaking urine can be humiliating and uncomfortable. We're here to help. Get the information you need to manage this common condition.

The Incontinence Experts

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