Questions about incontinence should be written down and taken with you when you visit your physician to discuss your urinary tract symptoms. Who should you address your questions about incontinence to? Either your primary care physician or, preferably, a urologist. To help you get started, here are some questions about incontinence you can ask.
- What are the different types of urinary incontinence?
- Is it possible to have more than one type of urinary incontinence?
- What is the difference between urge incontinence and overactive bladder?
- What can I do to relieve symptoms of urinary incontinence without medication?
- How common is urinary incontinence after radical prostatectomy?[1]
- How common is urinary incontinence associated with hormone therapy?
- How common is urinary incontinence associated with radiation therapy?[2]
- How common is urinary incontinence associated with chemotherapy?
- What medical treatment options are available to resolve urinary incontinence?
- What herbal and natural remedies can I use to treat urinary incontinence and overactive bladder?
- What tests does a physician do to determine the type of urinary incontinence?
- What dietary changes can I made to improve urinary incontinence?
- What are Kegel exercises and what type of urinary incontinence can they treat?[3]
- What is a penile clamp and what type of urinary incontinence does it treat?
- What are collagen injections and what type of urinary incontinence do they treat?[4]
- What is an artificial urinary sphincter and what type of urinary incontinence does it treat?[5]
- What is a male suburethral sling and what type of urinary incontinence does it treat?
- What is biofeedback and what type of urinary incontinence can it treat?
- What is nerve stimulation and what type of urinary incontinence can it treat?
- Can I combine different therapies to treat urinary incontinence, and which ones can I use together?
References
[1] As many as 65% of men who have had a radical prostatectomy experience urinary incontinence for up to five years after surgery. Penson DF et al. 5-year urinary and sexual outcomes after radical prostatectomy: results from the prostate cancer outcomes study. J Urol 2005; 173(5): 1701-5
[2] Urinary incontinence occurs in less than 1% of men who undergo brachytherapy. However, among men who have had a TURP, the risk of incontinence is 25%, and up to 40% if they have had more than one TURP. Source: 100Q&A about Prostate Cancer .
[3] A study that compared Kegel exercises with no treatment for 300 men who had urinary incontinence after radical retropubic prostatectomy found that 94.6% of patients achieved continence after 6 months compared with 65% of patients in the control group. Filocamo MT et al. Effectiveness of early pelvic floor rehabilitation treatment for post-prostatectomy incontinence. Eur Urol 2005 Nov; 48(5): 734-38
[4] Collagen injections were found to work best in men who have had a radical prostatectomy but not suitable for patients who have had radiation or cryotherapy because these latter treatments cause damage to the urethra. Westney OL et al. Transurethral collagen injections for male intrinsic sphincter deficiency: University of Texas Houston experience. J Urol 2005 Sep; 174(3): 994-97
[5] A December 2009 study names the artificial urinary sphincter as the “gold standard” for treatment of urinary incontinence after radical prostatectomy. Rodriguez EF, Arano BP. Urinary incontinence after radical prostatectomy. Urinary artificial sphincter. Arch Esp Urol 2009 Dec; 62(10): 838-44
