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It’s estimated that as many as 240,000 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer each year, about 160,000 of which go on to have surgery to treat the condition. And while surgery is often effective – and accompanied by a five-year survival rate of 99 percent – no procedure, let alone prostate surgery, is without its side effects. Perhaps the most common long-term side effect from prostate surgery is incontinence.
Incontinence After Prostate Surgery
Most men experience incontinence issues following prostate surgery, simply because the procedure weakens their bladders, often leading to unintentional urination. So just why does bladder weakness occur? It’s because during surgery, the bladder neck sphincter ring of muscles are often irritated or damaged. And it’s these muscles that prevent urine leakage.
While not all men will experience incontinence following a prostate procedure, there are some tell-tale signs and symptoms on when unintentional urine leakage is occurring. These include during:
Now, it’s worth noting that incontinence after prostate surgery typically isn’t permanent. The bladder neck sphincter muscles eventually will heal – but this can take anywhere from 6 to 12 months. So most men are tasked with the challenge of managing incontinence until it improves.
Managing Incontinence
Dealing with incontinence after prostate surgery can be challenging for most men, mainly due to the fact that they find it difficult to talk with someone to help them cope with such issues. They often attempt to go at it alone. You can always talk to your doctor if you’re experiencing incontinence issues, but generally speaking, here are some ways to combat the situation yourself:
While it can be a difficult thing to cope with, incontinence after prostate surgery is completely normal for men to experience. And while it may persist for up to a year following surgery, there are a number of measures you can take to manage symptoms, as well as several things you can also do – such as pelvic exercises and eating right – to speed recovery of the pelvic muscles. For more information on managing incontinence symptoms, read our blog on minimizing incontinence symptoms.