Incontinence in Men

Urologists in St. Helena who treat male incontinence

Various physical conditions and medical treatments can lead to incontinence in men.
Incontinence occurs when the bladder’s sphincter muscle is not working properly. This can happen when:

• The muscle is too weak
• The bladder muscles contract too strongly
• The bladder is too full

A common cause of incontinence in men is prostate health and treatment:

• Incontinence after prostate surgery can go away, especially for younger men. In some cases, it takes up to a year.
• Stress incontinence (incontinence when you laugh, sneeze, or put other forms of strain on your bladder) can be common after prostate removal or radiation treatment for prostate cancer. With the improvement of new surgical techniques when treating the prostate, it is becoming less common.
• Prostatitis, which is an infection of the prostate gland, is another cause of male incontinence.
• Enlarged prostate (benign prostatic hyperplasia) can be an uncommon cause of incontinence.
• Blockage from prostate cancer can trigger incontinence.

Other causes of incontinence can be explained by things such as:

• Constipation and bowel problems
• Nerve conditions that affect brain signals such as stroke, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis (MS) or diabetes
• Kidney or bladder stones
• Narrowing of the urethra
• Urinary tract infection (UTI)
• Certain medications such as decongestants or antihistamines

Please talk to your doctor right away if you are experiencing incontinence. This condition can seriously impact your health and quality of life. We want to help.