Urinary Incontinence Is Common And Treatable
You may have urinary incontinence . Embarrassing? Sure, sometimes. But UI is common in men, with about 1 in 4 experiencing it at some point in their lives. And there are treatments available that work. Almost everyone is a good candidate for one solution or another. But only 1 in 5 men with bladder leakage seeks medical care.
The challenge is finding the solution for you. Learn more about the causes of urinary incontinence in men, helpful solutions to ease the consequences, and treatments that can greatly reduce and in some cases eliminate accidents.
Symptoms Of Urinary Incontinence
There are two types of incontinence: urinary and fecal. Urinary incontinence is the inability to control your bladder, resulting in urination in the inappropriate setting. Urinary incontinence however, is not an illness in itself but a symptom of another illness, which could be relatively simple or dangerous. Consult your doctor immediately if you have the following symptoms:
- Stress incontinence: Stress incontinence refers to the involuntary loss of urine when you cough, sneeze, laugh, exercise, or lift something heavy. It usually has more to do with weak bladder muscles than psychological issues. The problem often occurs when your bladder is full, and is more common in women than in men. Menopause, childbirth, and pregnancy can all cause the condition. Men, on the other hand, may suffer from stress incontinence when they have their prostate glands removed.
- Urge incontinence: Urge incontinence is more disruptive than stress incontinence because once you feel the need to urinate, you only have a few seconds to reach a toilet before you involuntarily release urine. People with urge incontinence also urinate more frequently and they usually wake up repeatedly each night just to urinate. Some people who have this condition cant help but urinate when they hear the sound of running water. There are many possible causes of urge incontinence, including urinary tract infection , nervous system damage, Parkinsons and Alzheimers disease, and stroke.
Fluid Charts: Keeping Track
To better manage your symptoms, your doctor might ask you to keep a fluid chart or bladder diary. Using this journal, you carefully track all the liquids you take in, as well as how often you drink them and how frequently you visit the bathroom. This information can help your doctor choose the right treatment.
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What To Do About Incontinence
The first step is to locate a health care provider, such as a urologist, who is interested in and well-informed about treating incontinence. He or she will want to become familiar with your medical history and the way in which incontinence affects you. Be sure to come prepared for your visit with: a list of all the medications you are currently taking, including those you purchase without a prescription the dates and outcomes of any bladder-related tests or surgical procedures you may have had and a bladder diary.
If you are seeking products to help with incontinence, click below to visit the Urology Health Store.
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Am I At A Higher Risk Of Incontinence At An Older Age
Your body constantly changes throughout your life. As you age, the muscles that support your pelvic organs can weaken. This means that your bladder and urethra have less support often leading to urine leakage. Your risk for developing incontinence as you age might be higher if you have a chronic health condition, have given birth to children, went through menopause, have an enlarged prostate or have had prostate cancer surgery. Its important to talk to your healthcare provider over time about the risks of incontinence and ways you can manage it without interference to your daily life.
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How Is Urinary Incontinence Treated
Treatment options for urinary incontinence depend on the type of incontinence, the severity, and the underlying cause. A combination of medical treatments, exercises, and lifestyle modifications may be needed. Weight loss in the case of obese women has been shown to help some types of incontinence. The following are the treatment options.
Behavioral techniques:
- Fluid and diet management: Reducing or avoiding alcohol, caffeine, or acidic foods and decreasing fluid consumption.
- Bladder training: Training the bladder to delay urination after having the urge to urinate may help. The patient could start by trying to hold off going to the bathroom for 10 minutes every time there is an urge to urinate and gradually lengthening the time.
- Double voiding: First, the patient urinates after getting an urge. Then, the patient waits for a few minutes to urinate again.
- Pessary: Insertion of vaginal pessary may help reduce stress incontinence by supporting the bladder and vaginal wall. It can be inserted by the individual and may be available over the counter.
Pelvic floor muscle exercises:
Electrical stimulation:
Electrodes can be temporarily inserted into the rectum or vagina to stimulate and strengthen pelvic floor muscles.
Medications:
How To Naturally Eliminate Urinary Incontinence
The kidneys are responsible for ensuring the thorough elimination of toxins and excess liquids. Another role that makes the kidneys vital for human survival is their ability to maintain homeostasis. Any disorder of the kidneys threatens survival. Urinaryincontinence in Wildwood can be an annoying and sometimes embarrassing condition.
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Try Drinking Some Unsweetened Cranberry Juice
While the research is a bit unclear, cranberries have been used as a prevention of UTI for generations. Studies have shown that cranberries actually make it harder for the bacteria that cause UTIs to stick to the urinary tract walls. So, while not really a remedy, if you frequently get UTIs, it might be worth drinking a couple of glasses of unsweetened cranberry juice, or snacking on the actual fruit .
Symptoms Of Fecal Incontinence
If you cant control your bowel movements, then you may have fecal incontinence. Fecal incontinence is characterized by unexpected leaking of stools. Sometimes, the person also involuntarily passes gas, or completely loses control of his bowel control. Diarrhea, constipation, and nerve or muscle damage can all cause this condition. Additionally, fecal incontinence often comes with abdominal cramps and gas bloating.
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Etiology And Risk Factors
Multiple factors, including age-related physiological changes, may result in or contribute to the various syndromes of UI. Both genitourinary and non-genitourinary factors may contribute to incontinence in aging patients. Age-related functional changes in the urinary tract may contribute to UI. In women, risk factors for these genitourinary changes include multiple or complex vaginal deliveries, high infant birth weight, a history of hysterectomy, and physiological changes related to the transition to postmenopause. Smoking, a high body mass index, and constipation are also associated with an increased risk of UI.
Pathophysiological causes of UI include lesions in higher micturition centers, in the sacral spinal cord, and in other neurological areas as well. UI may also be associated with numerous comorbidities, such as Parkinsons disease, Alzheimers disease, cerebrovascular disease, diabetes, hypertension, obstructive sleep apnea, and normal-pressure hydrocephalus. Functional factors, including mobility and dexterity, along with reaction time and lack of access to a bathroom facility, may also contribute to UI.
What Is Urinary Incontinence And How Is It Related To Prostate Cancer Surgery
Urinary incontinence is the loss of the ability to control urination . Urinary incontinence sometimes occurs in men whoâve had surgery for prostate cancer.
If youve had prostate cancer surgery, you might experience stress incontinence, which means you might leak urine when you cough, sneeze or lift something that is heavy. This happens because of stress or pressure on the bladder. There is also a type of incontinence that is called urge incontinence. When this happens, you are hit with a sudden need to urinate right away and have leakage before you can make it to the bathroom.
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Home Remedies: Urinary Incontinence Can Be Embarrassing
Urinary incontinence the loss of bladder control is a common and often embarrassing problem. The severity ranges from occasionally leaking urine when you cough or sneeze to having an urge to urinate that’s so sudden and strong you don’t get to a toilet in time.
Though it occurs more often as people get older, urinary incontinence isn’t an inevitable consequence of aging. If urinary incontinence affects your daily activities, don’t hesitate to see your health care provider. For most people, simple lifestyle changes or medical treatment can ease discomfort or stop urinary incontinence.
Symptoms
Many people experience occasional, minor leaks of urine. Others may lose small to moderate amounts of urine more frequently.
Types of urinary incontinence include:
Lifestyle and home remedies
Bladder trainingThis involves learning to delay urination every time you get the urge to go. You may start by trying to hold off for 10 minutes. The goal is to lengthen the time between toilet trips until you’re urinating every two to four hours. Bladder training may also involve double voiding urinating, then waiting a few minutes and trying again to empty your bladder more completely.
Schedule toilet tripsThe idea here is timed urination going to the toilet according to the clock rather then waiting for the need to go. Try to go every two to four hours.
Problems with urine leakage may require you to take extra care to prevent skin irritation:
When to see a health care provider
Can Prostate Problems Cause Incontinence
Prostate problems include prostate enlargement , prostatitis and prostate cancer. These issues involve the prostate being enlarged or inflamed which can sometimes cause incontinence. If you require surgery or radiation therapy on your prostate, this can also result in issues with incontinence, although these may be temporary.
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Why Do Prostate Cancer Treatments Cause Urinary Incontinence
It helps to know a bit about how the bladder holds urine. When urine is emptied into the bladder from the kidneys, it is stored inside the bladder until you have the urge to urinate. The bladder is a hollow, muscular, balloon-shaped organ. Urine flows out of the bladder, and leaves the body through a tube called the urethra. Urination happens when the muscles in the wall of the bladder contract, forcing urine out of the bladder. At the same time, muscles that surround the urethra relax and allow the flow of urine. The prostate gland surrounds the urethra. Because an enlarged prostate gland can obstruct the urethra, it can cause urination retention or other problems with urination.
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Removing the prostate through surgery or destroying it through radiation can disrupt the way the bladder holds urine and can result in urine leakage. Radiation can decrease the capacity of the bladder and cause spasms that force urine out. Surgery can, at times, damage the nerves that help control bladder function.
Can Urinary Incontinence Be Reversed
The term urinary incontinence describes when a person cannot control their urination, to the point that they wet themselves. It can also cause frequent dribbling throughout the day and night. Although urinary incontinence is a common problem, it can be frustrating and embarrassing for those who suffer from it.
If your doctor has recently informed you that you have a form of urinary incontinence or you just suspect it, you may be wondering if the problem will ever go away. The good news about this issue is that you may be able to fully reverse it or at least reduce your symptoms. We describe some of the most common treatment methods for urinary incontinence below.
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Alternative And Complementary Therapies
The treatment of urinary incontinence varies depending on the cause of the bladder control problem. In most cases, a physician will try the simplest treatment approach before resorting to medication or surgery.
Bladder habit training This is the first approach for treating most incontinence issues. The goal is to establish a regular urination schedule with set intervals between urination. A doctor will usually recommend urinating at one-hour intervals and gradually increasing the intervals between urination over time.
Pelvic muscle exercises Also called Kegel exercises , this exercise routine helps strengthen weak pelvic muscles and improve bladder control.
The person contracts the muscles used to keep in urine, holds the contraction for 4 to 10 seconds, then relaxes the muscles for the same amount of time.
It may take weeks or months of regular pelvic exercise to show improvement.
Another way to perform Kegel exercises is to interrupt the flow of urine for several seconds while urinating.
Risk Factors For Urinary Incontinence
The following factors may put you at higher risk for developing UI.
Being female Women experience stress incontinence twice as often as men. Men, on the other hand, are at greater risk for urge and overflow incontinence.
Advancing age As we get older, our bladder and urinary sphincter muscles often weaken, which may result in frequent and unexpected urges to urinate. Even though incontinence is more common in older people, it is not considered a normal part of aging.
Excess body fat Extra body fat increases the pressure on the bladder and can lead to urine leakage during exercise or when coughing or sneezing.
Other chronic diseases Vascular disease, kidney disease, diabetes, prostate cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, and other conditions may increase the risk of urinary incontinence
Smoking A chronic smoker’s cough can trigger or aggravate stress incontinence by putting pressure on the urinary sphincter.
High-impact sports While sports don’t cause incontinence, running, jumping, and other activities that create sudden pressure on the bladder can lead to occasional episodes of incontinence during sports activities.
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Keep Away From Caffeine
Caffeine is known to have dehydrating effects. Therefore, if you are a caffeine addict, this habit can have adverse effects on the condition of urinary incontinence. Excess caffeine intake can trigger the aggravation of your symptoms. Therefore, the wise choice would be to cut back on the amount of caffeine you consume.
Why Relaxation Can Help
When you experience stress, your muscles clench up. If your pelvic floor muscles tighten, this can place pressure on your bladder. Learning to relax can help.
Relaxing can be hard for a lot of people. Some find these activities help them relax:
- Gardening
- Learning or playing a musical instrument
- Yoga
- Meditations, including progressive muscle relaxation
- Deep breathing exercises
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Urinary Incontinence In Men
Uncontrollable urination or urinary incontinence occurs in eleven to 34 percent of older men, but it is not just an age-related issue. Younger men can also experience incontinence due to health problems. Urinary incontinence also happens to women, but the biggest issue with incontinence in men is that they are less likely to speak with their doctors about it. This means that the statistics for men could actually be much higher in men that the current numbers indicate. Discussing the problem is the first step towards addressing the symptoms and finding a treatment.
Urinary incontinence often results in the accidental leakage of urine from the body, so it can be uncomfortable and inconvenient. A man can feel a strong, sudden need to urinate just before losing a large amount of urine. Doctors refer to this as urgency incontinence. For some people, this condition keeps them from enjoying certain activities, including sports and exercise. It can also cause a lot of emotional distress as well.
There are different types of urinary incontinence. The types of urinary incontinence men can experience include urgency incontinence, stress incontinence, functional incontinence, overflow urinary incontinence, and transient urinary incontinence.
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Easing Off On Liquids: Is It A Good Idea
Easing off on liquids a few hours before bed works for some guys. They may also space out their drinks throughout the day.
If you try to control your water intake though, be careful not to overdo it. Dehydration can sometimes lead to problems that make your leakage worse. You may even be asked by your medical team to drink more water.
The American Urological Association recommends drinking about two liters of water a dayabout 6 to 8 glassesspread evenly throughout the day to prevent future episodes. It also notes that you won’t do any good by drinking even more than you need. During hot summer days, make sure you are drinking enough water to stay hydrated when you are thirsty.
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Exam : Urinary Flashcards
urine is produced normally, but is not excreted completely from the bladder. “still retaining a little urine”. Dysuria. painful or difficulty urination. “die-suria. Super painful you could die”. Oliguria. 24 hr urine output is less than 400 ml. “O represents full circle..full 24 hrs and still not a lot of urine”.
Precautions And Proper Diagnosis
The main symptoms of OAB can also occur in other health conditions like bladder cancer, urinary tract infection and enlarged prostate. Seeing blood in your urine is not a symptom of OAB.
A sudden and frequent need to urinate is common in both OAB and a UTI. How can you tell the difference between these two urinary health issues? Unlike OAB, a UTI also comes with other symptoms such as discomfort while urinating. In addition, OAB symptoms are continuous while UTI symptoms are sudden and may also include a fever.
Overflow incontinence is characterized by the involuntary release of urine from an overfull urinary bladder, often in the absence of any urge to urinate. This condition is not associated with OAB. It typically occurs in people who have a blockage of the bladder outlet, which can occur with benign prostatic hyperplasia, prostate cancer or a narrowing of the urethra. Overflow incontinence can also occur when the muscle responsible for removing urine from the bladder is too weak to empty the bladder in a normal way.
It is very important to see a doctor to ensure a proper diagnosis if you experience any changes in your urine and/or urination habits.
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