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| "Male
Stress Incontinence: A Condition in Men That Usually Occurs After A
Prostatectomy" |
Male
stress incontinence is a type or form of urinary incontinence in men.
Urinary incontinence is the inability to manage or control the voiding
or passing of urine: it is the involuntary passing of urine. Male
stress incontinence is a particular type or form of urinary
incontinence that is defined as the involuntary passing or voiding of
urine while laughing, coughing, sneezing, or doing any kind of physical
activity.
Male stress incontinence can almost always be attributed to an
overactive bladder (OAB) and an overactive
bladder can almost always be
attributed to some type of infection or most probably a urinary tract
infection (UTI). Stress incontinence in men afflicts men much less than
it does women. Generally, women that are pregnant or after childbirth
often suffer with stress incontinence, as well as women who are in
their fifties and especially women who are going through menopause.
Male stress incontinence is the least type of urinary incontinence that
plagues men; however, men who have undergone a radical prostatectomy
often suffer stress incontinence as a post operative problem, but
usually once the healing from surgery has taken place stress
incontinence cease to be a problem. For some men stress incontinence
sometimes become a life long burden, but for most it is only a
temporary inconvenience.
The bladder is usually the underlying cause behind stress incontinence
in both men and women, especially women. This fact has more to do with
the anatomical difference between men and women than anything else. In
many occurrences the bladder becomes infected by no reasons of its own.
For example, the prostate gland lies directly underneath the bladder in
the male’s body; it protrudes slightly to the front of the
bladder. And the urethra connects to the bladder at its base or
bottleneck; it runs through the prostate gland into the base of the
bladder and extends to the tip of the male sexual organ.
The prostate gland can become infected; for instance, various kinds of
STDs or sexually transmitted diseases can infect the prostate gland,
not to mention Escherichia coli or e coli and a number of other
bacterial infections. This infection can and will cause inflammation of
the prostate or prostatitis. Prostatitis can cause the prostate to
become enlarged; enlarged to the point that it squeezes the urethra
shut. With the urethra being shut due to a swollen prostate, urine
cannot pass through it and out of the body; urine become trapped inside
of the bladder. This type of problem can yield many troublesome side
effects that if not treated successfully in a timely manner could
result in severe complications in the urinary system.
A blocked urethra will not allow passage of urine which will force the
urine to remain in the bladder. Urine just standing in the bladder will
infect the bladder; an infected bladder will not function properly.
Urine that’s not moving out of the bladder via the ureter
will begin to overflow or leak. This type of leakage will not stop
until the infections are cleared up. The prostate gland infection or
prostatitis must be
successfully treated with antibiotics to heal
properly, as well as the bladder and any other part of the male urinary
system.
Stress incontinence can be treated with antibiotics in most cases in
men. Sometimes antibiotics are not the selective treatment for various
reasons which will require an alternate form of treatment(s) that is
available and in use. Stress incontinence like several other types or
forms of urinary incontinence can also be treated with exercise and
strengthening of the pelvic floor muscles. A good example of
strengthening the pelvic floor muscles is with the Kegel exercise
regimen. It helps to strengthen the pubococygeus
muscle. The
strengthening of this muscle can help greatly in controlling and
managing the flow of urine in both men and women.
In conclusion, stress incontinence in men rarely occurs, usually when
it does occur it is after surgery or a prostatectomy, and more cases
than
not it is a temporary condition that only last for a short time; after
post surgery healing is complete. Stress incontinence can be an
embarrassing problem for men who are active and on the go; it can
create some deep and lasting emotional scares due to accidents that
happen in public as well as private or intimate settings. But the good
news is that stress incontinence in men is almost always a treatable
problem that can be alleviated or at the very least made controllable
and that has got to cause you to breathe a sigh of relief.
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