In
men the most common cause of stress incontinence
is damage to the valve muscle after prostate surgery
(especially after prostate cancer surgery).
Urge Incontinence is usually caused by an overactive
bladder. In men this is usually caused by an enlarged
prostate blocking the flow of urine. After prostate
surgery men can continue to experience urge incontinence
due to an overactive bladder.
Mixed incontinence which is a combination of stress
incontinence and urge incontinence commonly occurs
in men after cancer surgery on the prostate who
had some damage to the valve muscle combined with
an overactive bladder.
Overflow incontinence is a situation where the bladder
never empties, with frequent dribbling of urine
as the urine overflows. The most common cause of
overflow incontinence in men is a longstanding blockage
to the flow of urine from the prostate where the
bladder muscle eventually becomes stretched out
and unable to contract. Also some men with diabetes
may have damage to the nerves that control bladder.
For men with overflow incontinence it is important
that they empty the bladder regularly.
Types of treatment available are Pelvic floor training,
medications to help tighten the valve muscle may
be used in men with mild stress incontinence. Medications
to relax the bladder may help with an overactive
bladder. When non-surgical
treatments are not effective various types of surgical
treatments are available.
What you can do to help urinary incontinence:
- Exercise
regularly - try walking instead of using the car
-
Eat
plenty of vegetables, fruit and cereals to
avoid constipation
- Drink
at least six to eight glasses of liquid per day
- If
you experience urgency to rush to the toilet cut
down on caffeine and drink more water
- If
you suffer from nocturia (having to get up more
than once during the night to pass urine) it is
advisable not to drink any liquids 3 hours before
going to bed.
- Avoid
strenuous exertion in general as this will put
pressure on the bladder
- Avoid
alcohol as this stimulates the kidneys to produce
more urine
