Urinary incontinence in men can be caused by a number of different factors, and the likelihood of incontinence increases as a man ages. One of the things that happens as a man ages is that his prostate begins to enlarge, and it may require that he use incontinence underwear for men for a time to help manage his situation. As the prostate becomes enlarged it interferes with the proper functioning of the urinary tract, and that is how the prostate contributes to men’s incontinence.
The prostate is about the size and shape of a walnut, and it is sandwiched in between the penis and the bladder with the urethra running right through it. The urethra is the tube that carries urine from the bladder out of the body. During a man’s reproductive process the prostate releases a fluid that is nourishing and protective to sperm. Around the age of 50 most men’s prostate glands begin to enlarge causing a condition known as benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH), which manifests itself as difficulty urinating.
To treat an enlarged prostate medication or surgery are the normal course of treatment. Alpha-blockers, which relax the muscles around the urethra, help to allow the urine to pass freely through the urethra. Another medication, which is sometimes used to treat this condition, is 5-alpha-reductase inhibitors, which reduce DHT, a type of testosterone, causing the prostate to shrink relieving pressure on the urethra. If medication does not solve the problem, then some men may need surgery to improve their symptoms, however one of the risks of surgery is that a man may be left dealing with urinary incontinence.
Another problem that can occur with the prostate is cancer. Prostate cancer is the second most common form of cancer found in men, next to skin cancer, and it is highly treatable using chemotherapy, radiation and surgery. Surgery for prostate cancer is called a prostatectomy, which removes the entire prostate with the hopes of removing all of the cancer cells with it. When radiation is warranted, it kills all of the cancer cells in the prostate and minimizes damage to surrounding healthy cells. Other solutions that attempt to kill cancer cells and minimize damage to healthy cells are radioactive seed implants, chemotherapy, cryotherapy, hormone therapy and various clinical trials.
Unfortunately all of these treatments have the risk of urinary incontinence for at least several months after the treatment has ended. However, in the grand scheme of things, if you have cancer, it is much better to be cancer free and deal with the inconvenience of incontinence for a time than the alternative. There are many different incontinence products that are available to help manage your incontinence symptoms as you find your way back to good health including incontinence underwear for men and protective mattress covers. At DryForLife we are happy to discreetly answer any questions that you may have regarding the best products to help manage your situation.
Further Incontinence Articles
- Purchasing Faecal Incontinence Pants
- What is Faeces Incontinence, and Why Does It Happen?
- Infection as a Cause of Bladder Incontinence
- Save Money with Washable Incontinence Pads
- Definitions of Incontinence
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Tags: Incontinence, incontinence products, mattress covers, prostate, prostate gland
