What is male urinary incontinence?

Contrary to what many still believe, incontinence is not a gender issue. It is not just an issue that affects women. Although it is not as visible as in the case of women, men also suffer from urinary incontinence.

In fact, according to the Spanish Urology Association (AEU), one in four men over the age of 40 suffer from urinary incontinence in Spain. But... What are the causes of this pathology in men? While it is true that, in the case of women, urinary incontinence is no longer unknown, when it comes to men there is still much work to be done in terms of raising awareness to help patients who suffer from it. That's why we wanted to dedicate today's post to male urinary incontinence. 

What is urinary incontinence in men?

As in the case of women, urinary incontinence in men is the involuntary and accidental loss of urine. When this occurs, it is caused by a failure of the male urinary tract to function properly.

As we all know, urine is produced in the kidneys, stored in the bladder and expelled through the urethra, a tube that connects the bladder, prostate and penis. Around this tube is a ring of muscles called the urinary sphincter. When the bladder is full, nerve signals tell the urinary sphincter to contract to stay closed, preventing urine from leaking out. This keeps the bladder relaxed until it is time to urinate, when the bladder contracts to expel urine.

However, when incontinence occurs it can be due to a number of reasons:

- The bladder contracts at the wrong time or with too much force. This causes involuntary urine to be expelled. 

- The muscles of the urethra are damaged or weakened, leading to urine leakage.
- Blockages that block the urethra, causing urine to back up and leak.
- The bladder does not empty properly and too much urine accumulates, causing involuntary leakage.

Why does male urinary incontinence occur?

All of the above-mentioned inadequacies can be caused by a variety of reasons, such as: prostate cancer, urinary tract obstruction, involvement of the continence structures after prostate surgery, urinary tract infections, diabetes, neurological diseases of various types, congenital defects or ageing. On the other hand, there are certain risk factors that can increase the risk of suffering from it. This is the case of:

• SP muscle condition prior to surgery.
  
• Obesity.
  
• Cormomobility.
  
• Advanced age. 
  

Prostate cancer is one of the most common cancers in men, with 40% having to undergo surgery. According to the American Cancer Society, approximately 1 in 8 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime. Its relationship with male incontinence is related in several ways:

- Prostate cancer can cause obstruction of the urethra, causing incontinence.
- Cancer treatment, whether surgery or radiotherapy, can damage the nerves that control the bladder.

Whatever the reason for male urinary incontinence, it is undeniable that it has a negative impact on the quality of life of patients who suffer from it. Fortunately, one of the advantages of making this pathology more visible is that there are increasingly new and better methods to make this situation more bearable, preventing it from affecting daily activities too much. This is the case of incontinence briefs.

This underwear alternative for incontinence patients is developed with textile and absorption technologies that allow men to lead a normal life, free from the discomfort of wearing a nappy. Available in briefs or boxer briefs, incontinence briefs are practically like normal briefs. However, they have an absorbent, incontinence-specific layer in the crotch area. Its absorption capacity means that no leaks occur, keeping the area 100% dry all day long.

At MissVerde you can find both classic briefs and boxer shorts to suit your everyday needs. For example, our incontinence boxer briefs are perfect for greater freedom of movement when playing sports, providing the support you need. Classic briefs, on the other hand, are perfect for wearing with jeans or skinny trousers, as no one will notice you're wearing them. They will give you good support and a lot of comfort.

Is male bladder weakness treated?

Depending on the type of incontinence in each patient (previously diagnosed by a specialist) there is one type of treatment or another. Some may involve medication, while others may be improved by physiotherapy treatments or surgery.

In the case of physiotherapy to solve urinary incontinence in men, the issue is to improve the pelvic floor, as in the case of women. There are certain techniques such as biofeedback or electrostimulation, neuromodulation of the muscles or functional training to improve the condition of the area and the strength of the pelvic floor muscles, together with the use of ultrasound to guide the adbominopelvic exercises, all of which are 100% effective in eliminating male urinary incontinence.