Urine Incontinence In Men

Question:

Dear Doctor, a man of 65 here… I have been suffering from mild urine incontinence for a while now; the leakage occurs when I engage in physical activity, cough, etc… Do I need to seek help? Is there a chance that the symptoms will disappear on their own? Regards, Marvin.

Answer:

Dear Marvin, first of all, thank you for the trust you put in me. It is very important to make the first step and seek help. Let me say that in order to understand the causes of your problem, I as a doctor would need to perform a physical examination, ask you many more questions about your symptoms and general health status and analyze the urine (but there can also be needed a blood test to see if there are any functional problems with your kidneys or any underlying chemical imbalance in the body).

The treatments, however, depend on the type of incontinence and how much this affects human life. In some cases surgery, is required.

There are also some suggestions that you can follow to control incontinence:

• Reduce caffeinated beverages such as coffee and tea and carbonated beverages;
• Limit alcohol to no more than one glass a day;
• Eat high-fiber foods to avoid constipation;
• Avoid artificial sweeteners, corn syrup, foods high in spices, sugar or acid;
• Not smoking;
• Try to maintain a healthy weight;
• Go to the bathroom every day at different times;
• Wear clothes that are easy to remove at the right time;
• Write the symptoms in a diary and when urine leaks occur so as to help the doctor identify the best possible cure.

Finally, the most important advice is to overcome embarrassment and seek medical attention at your local medical centre: this is the first step to combat urinary incontinence, thus improving the quality of your life. Hope this helps!