Types of urinary incontinence
Some of the most common types of male urinary incontinence are:
Stress urinary incontinence (SUI)
Involuntary urine leakage when you sneeze, cough or exercise are typical signs of stress incontinence. These sudden movements or outbursts put pressure on the bladder and urethral sphincter. In short, stress incontinence can be the result of a weak urethral sphincter muscle. Your urethral sphincter usually prevents urine from leaving your bladder. If it's weakened, you'll likely experience urine leakage whenever there's too much pressure on the sphincter muscle.
Typically, men experience stress incontinence due to sphincter or nerve trauma related to prostate surgery. Stress urinary incontinence is often treated with pelvic floor exercises and rehab, surgical interventions, or containment pads and products. Talk to your healthcare professional about the options best for your individual symptoms.
Urge urinary incontinence (UUI)
Overactive bladder (OAB) and urge incontinence are the same thing and are defined by their symptoms only. Symptoms might include urinary urgency or frequency (with and without dribbling of urine or complete bladder emptying) before reaching the toilet. These symptoms negatively impact daily activities, sleeping, and social interactions. Some of these men may also have involuntary contractions of the bladder muscle resulting in the same symptoms. However, when the healthcare professional tests the bladder and finds actual involuntary contractions of the bladder, it is now called detrusor overactivity.
Mixed incontinence
Mixed incontinence is a combination of stress incontinence and urge incontinence experienced when sneezing, coughing or exercising.
Overflow incontinence
Men with overflow incontinence often experience symptoms similar to stress incontinence. However, the cause of overflow leakage is related to incomplete bladder emptying either due to bladder obstruction or weak bladder contraction strength. Imagine a bucket filled to the top with water that spills over the edge each time it is moved. When the bladder is consistently overfilled, you can experience leakage with movement, coughing, sneezing, laughing, and leaning forward, to name a few examples. Ask your healthcare provider about bladder testing to establish the cause of overflow incontinence.
Functional incontinence
Functional incontinence means losing control of your bladder, usually due to another medical condition that prevents you from reaching the toilet in time. You may experience smaller leakages or dribbles or at times fully empty your bladder involuntarily. Some of the conditions that may cause functional incontinence include:
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Cognitive disorders that affect your brain's ability to process thoughts and take action, including dementia, delirium and intellectual disabilities
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Conditions that affect your brain, spinal cord or nerve signals (neurological disorders), including multiple sclerosis and Parkinson's disease
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Conditions that affect your muscles and make it hard or impossible to get to the bathroom or remove clothing, like severe arthritis