Common Causes
- Prostate cancer surgery (radical prostatectomy or TURP)
- Conditions such as diabetes, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease or stroke
- Pelvic trauma
- Birth defects
What is Incontinence?
Male urinary incontinence is usually caused by a damaged sphincter, which is the circular muscle that controls the flow of urine out of the bladder. When damaged (often as the unavoidable result of prostate cancer surgery), the muscle cannot squeeze and close the urethra, which results in urine leakage.
Treating Incontinence and Restoring Your Quality of Life
Persistent incontinence can limit your activities, keeping you home-bound in costly, messy pads and dealing with the frustration, embarrassment, and constant fear of leaking and odor. But with advances in treatment options, you don’t have to suffer through bladder control problems anymore. Today, there are real solutions that can fully resolve incontinence, allowing you to return to the things you love.
Types of Incontinence
Stress Urinary Incontinence (SUI) – The most common type of incontinence following prostate cancer surgery, SUI occurs when urine leaks during a physical activity like lifting, exercising, sneezing, or coughing.
Urge Incontinence – UI occurs when you have an overwhelming need to urinate but are unable to hold urine long enough to reach the bathroom.
Overflow Incontinence – OI occurs when the bladder never completely empties, which causes urine to leak.
Total Incontinence – TI occurs when the urinary sphincter muscle is completely deficient, which resulths in continual leakage of urine with no control.