Bladder weakness is never pleasant and suffering from incontinence can become a real problem in everyday life. Fortunately, there are various treatments for male urinary incontinence to help you live with or cure it. Treatment is prescribed according to the cause and extent of the incontinence.

L'urinary incontinence is the involuntary loss of urine. Due to their anatomy, fewer men than women suffer from urinary incontinence. This is because men have a longer urethra whose initial portion is surrounded by the prostate gland. It also benefits from a strong, ridged sphincter which is in direct contact with the lower part of the urethra. This greatly reduces the risk of incontinence. In addition, men do not suffer the damage to the perineum that occurs during pregnancy.

Low, moderate or severe

Bladder weakness usually requires wearing protection or to change underwear. Depending on the number of pads worn per day, urinary incontinence can be defined as :

• low: one protection per day
• moderate: two to three protections
• severe: four or more protections.

Types of urinary incontinence

There are two types of urinary incontinence:

• l'stress urinary incontinence
• l'Urinary urge incontinence also called bladder instability or overactive bladder.

Depending on the type of incontinence, medical and surgical management will differ. In most cases, one of the two types of urinary incontinence will predominate and its treatment will be given priority.

L'stress urinary incontinence is the loss of urine when coughing, sneezing, carrying a heavy load or changing position. It is often seen in the weeks following prostate surgery (prostatectomy). Stress incontinence is caused by sphincter muscle deficiency which may be affected during surgery or temporarily weakened during internal sutures. It may also be due to a decrease in the functional length of the urethra. This type of incontinence is common in the three months following a prostate surgery. It regresses in most cases. Recovery time is approximately three months but this may take more than a year.

Bladder instability or overactive bladder is defined as urine leakage that occurs after an urgent and irrepressible need to urinate. This instability or urgency may be due to uncontrolled bladder contractions which leads to bladder leakage. Some everyday situations may be suitable for this type of incontinence, such as inserting a key into a lock or running your hands under cold water.

The choice of treatment for male urinary incontinence is not up to the patient. It is up to the to the attending physician or urologist Choose the treatment in consultation with the patient, taking into account the cause of the incontinence, the type of urinary incontinence and the discomfort experienced. The treatments can greatly improve the symptoms of incontinence but also the quality of life. quality of life which can be impacted by bladder weakness.

To treat urge urinary incontinence, several solutions are proposed:

• The taking medication such as antispasmodics and anticholinergics, which reduce bladder contractions. The main molecules used are: oxybutynin, solifenacin or flavoxate.
• The perineal rehabilitationThis can be combined with behavioural treatment. The aim of the latter is to adapt fluid intake and reprogramme urination to gradually reduce the urge to urinate.
• The surgery Botulinum toxin treatment, sacral neurostimulation and enlargement enteroplasty are solutions for treating male urge urinary incontinence.

Stress urinary incontinence can be treated in a number of ways:

• The perineal rehabilitation by a physiotherapist using electrostimulation with or without biofeedback. This helps to strengthen the pelvic floor muscles and the sphincter of the urethra.
• The surgery The operation is indicated in case of failure of rehabilitation or drug treatments. The operation consists of the installation of retro urethral strips. The synthetic sling is placed behind the urethra via the perineal route. The procedure takes an average of 30 minutes. This technique is intended for patients with mild to moderate urinary incontinence. The retro urethral sling is most often (in 70% of cases) a full recovery.

The penis clamp is recommended to prevent urine loss after surgery or due to age. This device is designed for men who suffer from incontinence and who do not wish to wear absorbent pads because they are odorous and embarrassing. The Uriclip® penile clip fits most penises. It compensates for failing sphincters and allows the urethra to be compressed and closed until the need to urinate arises. Practical, clever and invisible, the penis clamp is also waterproof. It doesn't let water or urine in, so you always feel clean!