Male Incontinence

The severity of urinary incontinence in men ranges from hardly noticeable mild incontinence to severe incontinence that affects every part of your life. You may experience varying degrees of urine loss, and the syndrome may change over time. For example, men with light incontinence may leak a little when they laugh or cough, while men with heavy incontinence may be experiencing continuous leakage. No two men are alike, and no two men are affected the same way.

Many men see incontinence as embarrassing. Some would rather admit to erectile dysfunction. This is a perception that needs to change.

Almost 13% of Australia’s male population suffer from some type of incontinence – that’s around 1.4 million Aussie blokes living with the effects of bladder weakness. In fact, the affliction is so common that the government has finances available for incontinence sufferers. Incontinence is generally more prevalent in women than men, however older men and women suffer from incontinence in equal numbers.

Understanding your body makes it easier to take control and get the help you need to live your life as you want. In this article we’ll start out with an overview of male incontinence and the three main variations. We will then identify some of the most common causes and treatments of male incontinence. Knowing the basics will help you understand your needs and how best to talk with your doctor or health care professional. In many cases bladder control loss can be cured. Almost all cases can be managed.

Types of male incontinence

There are three main types of male incontinence:

• Stress incontinence: This type of male incontinence occurs when outside pressure causes an already weakened bladder to leak urine. This outside pressure may come in the form of a cough, laugh or from lifting a heavy object.
• Urge incontinence: This kind of male incontinence occurs when you get an extremely strong and sudden urge to go to the toilet, but you don’t always make it in time. Your bladder may also contract without you wanting it to, causing involuntary urine leakage.
• Overflow incontinence: This variation of male incontinence occurs when your bladder is overfilled, and you cannot seem to fully empty your bladder. The bladder then leaks out the excess urine later. This is the most common form of male incontinence due to the high incidence of enlarged prostates and prostate surgeries carried out in Australia.

Visit the Depend male anatomy page to get a greater understanding of male incontinence.

Causes of male incontinence

Incontinence is usually caused by an underlying problem. An enlarged prostate and prostate surgery are both common causes of male incontinence. Depend has created a great resource on prostrate-related causes of male incontinence. Take a look!

Other causes of male incontinence include:

• Nervous system disorders like Parkinson’s disease, Multiple Sclerosis, and Alzheimer’s disease. These disorders can cause a leakage of urine
• Strokes, which can cause bladder spasms
• Diabetes, as it can cause nerve damage in and around the bladder
• Urinary tract infections, which can cause temporary male incontinence

Drinking alcohol and using certain anti-depressant medications can also exacerbate the loss of bladder control.

Treating male incontinence

Treatment of male urinary incontinence depends on the underlying cause of it. However, there are lifestyle changes you can make to lessen the severity of incontinence.

The following are our top tips to eliminate known aggravators:

• Perform Kegel Exercises: These exercises can help strengthen your pelvic muscles and lessen the effects of incontinence
• Maintain a healthy weight: Excessive body weight can put pressure on the bladder, leading to more frequent instances of incontinence
• Bladder training: Bladder trainings involves increasing the time between going to the toilet to improve bladder capacity and bladder muscle strength
• Biofeedback: This technique involves using a simple instrument to record the small electrical signals produced when urinary muscles contract. These signals are changed into audio signals that help patients control urination. Using this method, weak muscles can be activated on demand, tense muscles can be relaxed, and muscle activity can be coordinated.
• Products: Depend has a great range of male incontinence aids to treat any type and level of male incontinence. Some of the most popular Depend male incontinence aids are:
– Depend® Guards for Men
– Depend® Undergarments for men
– Depend® Super Underwear for men
– Depend® Fitted Briefs for Men

They key thing to realise is that there are many men out there in the same situation as you, and you should understand that with proper attention the problem can be successfully addressed.
Incontinence is not a disease, but is symptomatic of an underlying medical condition. By treating that condition, incontinence can be conquered in the majority of cases.

The Australian Government can help ease the financial difficulties incontinence sufferers may experience. The Continence Aids Payment Scheme (CAPS) provides payments to help consumers meet some of the costs of their continence products. For more information, please refer to our CAPS page.