Your questions on male urinary incontinence answered
What you need to know about male urinary incontinence It can be difficult talking about intimate health problems such as incontinence. But you are not alone. Urinary incontinence is more common than you might think and affects all different types of men. Effective solutions are available and finding the right solution for your needs will give you the confidence and freedom to continue your everyday and social activities. So, make sure that you ask for and receive the best possible continence care and advice. This booklet will help to answer some of your questions on male urinary incontinence. However, as with any medical condition, it is important to see your doctor for a check-up and more information on the treatment and/or products that are best for you. 2
What is incontinence?
What are the signs and symptoms?
Incontinence is the medical term for being unable to hold back or control the release of urine or faeces. This booklet focuses on urinary incontinence (accidental leakage of urine) although it is possible for both urinary and fecal incontinence to occur at the same time. There are different types and degrees of urinary incontinence. You may have urinary incontinence if one or more of the following questions apply to you: • Do either small or large amounts of urine leak without warning or without you feeling that you need to go to the toilet? • Does urine accidentally leak when you sneeze, cough, laugh or exercise? • Do you get a sudden urge to rush to the toilet either before or when you leak urine? • Do you sometimes find that urine escapes before you can get to a toilet? • Do you need to get up to pass urine two or more times a night? • Have you recently wet the bed?
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What are the different types?
There are several different types of male urinary incontinence, each with different causes and symptoms. To help you better understand the causes of incontinence, the diagram shows the parts of the body that make up the male urinary system.
Male urinary tract
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The bladder collects and stores urine and the urethra carries urine from the bladder to the outside of the body. The flow of urine out of the bladder and into the urethra is controlled by the urethral sphincters. The pelvic floor muscles keep the organs of the pelvis in place and control the opening and closing of the sphincters. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
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The most common types of urinary incontinence in men are stress urinary incontinence, urge urinary incontinence and mixed urinary incontinence. • Stress urinary incontinence occurs when the muscles in the pelvic floor are too weak to hold the urethral sphincters closed under sudden pressure (stress) on the abdomen. You may notice an accidental leak of urine during everyday activities such as sneezing, coughing, laughing or exercising. • Urge urinary incontinence (unstable or overactive bladder) is caused by involuntary, uncontrolled contractions of the muscle in the bladder. You may experience a sudden urge to go to the toilet and may accidentally leak urine before you are ready to do so. • Mixed urinary incontinence is a combination of stress urinary incontinence and urge urinary incontinence.
Kidney Ureter Bladder Prostate Pelvic floor muscles Urethra Urethral sphincters
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What causes incontinence?
There are many different causes of incontinence and, as a result, it can affect different types of people of any age. Causes include damage or weakness to the muscles in the pelvic floor, problems with the control of muscles in the bladder, neurological conditions that affect the voluntary release of urine, an enlarged prostate gland, urinary tract infection, and type 2 diabetes.
Is incontinence a common problem? Is incontinence a natural part of aging?
How can I continue my social life?
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Male urinary incontinence is much more common than you might think. Approximately 1 in 20 men aged 18 years and above have symptoms of urinary incontinence increasing to 1 in 10 men aged 60 years and above. Although incontinence becomes more common with advancing age, it is not just older adults who are affected. Incontinence can occur in men of all ages as a result of various medical conditions, damage to the spinal cord, or prostate surgery. Importantly, incontinence shouldn’t stop you doing the things you would like to do – whatever your age. Unmanaged or poorly managed incontinence can have a major impact on your freedom to go about your daily activities – even leaving the house can seem hard at times. If you find that incontinence prevents you from doing the things that you enjoy, discuss this with a healthcare professional such as your doctor or a continence advisor and ask them to help you find a solution. As you will see later in this booklet, it is possible to manage incontinence effectively. With the right approach, you shouldn’t have to worry about leaks, odour, toilet facilities, or finding somewhere to change, allowing you to enjoy carefree time spent with your family and friends.
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Can incontinence be treated?
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Some types of male incontinence can be treated or improved through pelvic floor muscle exercises, bladder training, medication or surgery. However, incontinence is often managed rather than cured.
How is incontinence managed?
An effective management solution is to wear a urisheath collecting system. A urisheath is a type of sheath that is worn on the penis and connected, by a tube, to a bag that collects urine. The urisheath funnels urine away to the collecting bag, which is strapped to your leg under your trousers. The urine is simply emptied into a toilet when the bag becomes full.
What are the benefits of urisheaths?
Urisheaths fit easily into your daily routine and can be changed just once a day in the morning. You don’t have to worry about odour with urisheaths and, because urine is held securely in a bag away from the skin, there is minimal risk of skin irritation. Urisheaths are specially designed for men, to give you more comfort and freedom to get on with your life.
What are the alternatives?
Pads and diapers are also commonly used to manage incontinence in both men and women. They are worn under your clothes (often together with special underwear) and the absorbent material soaks up the leaked urine. Pads and diapers can be useful if you only occasionally lose a small amount of urine. However, pads and diapers are quite bulky and need to be changed frequently to avoid problems with odour or skin rashes. Some men feel that pads and diapers are not as discreet as they would like them to be and find them difficult to dispose of when they are away from home.
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Don’t let male urinary incontinence stop you from living your life to the full
This section will provide you with more information on urisheath collecting systems such as how they work, who can use them, and how they may be of benefit to you. Your doctor or continence advisor will be able to answer any further questions.
What types of urisheath are available?
What makes Conveen Optima different?
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There are lots of different urisheaths available from different manufacturers, each with a different design. One of the most advanced urisheaths available is called Conveen Optima, which has been specially designed for your needs. It is easier to use and more reliable than many older types of urisheath. Unlike other urisheaths, Conveen Optima is discreetly packaged in a lightweight box. The box is easy to open but still small enough to fit in your pocket. Conveen Optima is made from a skin-friendly, soft and flexible silicone material so it is comfortable to wear. There is a special adhesive that securely but gently fixes the urisheath to your skin. A ridged section stops kinks and protects against leaks where the urisheath connects with the tube that carries urine to the collecting bag.
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Do I need training to use Conveen Optima?
It will take a bit of practice to familiarise yourself with changing the urisheath and collecting bag but you will soon find that Conveen Optima fits easily into your daily routine. When you use a urisheath for the first time, it’s a good idea to have a nurse or other healthcare professional show you how to fit it properly and advise you on the correct size. If for any reason you are unable to fit and change the urisheath yourself, the strips allow a nurse or carer to do this quickly and efficiently on your behalf.
Does one size fit all?
Are urisheaths reliable?
Every man is different so Conveen Optima comes in 4−5 different sizes and 2 different lengths to ensure the perfect fit. A measuring guide is used to select the correct size for you. With the correct size urisheath, you will be both comfortable and confident that your urisheath will stay in place and give the best possible performance. When used correctly, a urisheath connected to a collecting bag is a very reliable and effective way of managing incontinence. While there is the potential for all types of urisheath to leak, leaks are generally a result of problems with sizing and fitting rather than with the urisheath itself. In particular, the newer and more advanced urisheaths, such as Conveen Optima, provide excellent reliability.
Conveen Optima is very reliable, but you should always follow the fitting instructions (see page 15) to ensure the best performance.
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How can I ensure that my urisheath performs well?
There are several steps that you can take to prevent a leak and ensure that your urisheath performs well. Most importantly, you need to wear the correct size of urisheath. To find the correct size of Conveen Optima for you, you should use the measuring guide. If you are using Conveen Optima for the first time and your nurse or carer thinks that they can guess your size, ask them to check with the measuring guide. Wash and carefully dry your penis before fitting the urisheath, and avoid using any creams or powders as these could stop the adhesive from working. When the urisheath is unrolled, gently squeeze it against your penis to ensure a good seal. 1
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How do I apply Conveen Optima? 2
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Like anything new, using a urisheath for the first time or changing to a different type of urisheath can take a bit of getting used to. If you are worried about this, choose a few quiet days when you are close to home. Then, should you have any problems, you will have everything you need to hand. Check that you are following all the instructions correctly and don’t be afraid to try again – practice makes perfect! 1
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When you become used to your new urisheath, you will find that incontinence no longer dictates what you can or can’t do. You will be able to wear your urisheath with confidence, leaving you free to go about your normal daily activities.
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• Remove the urisheath from the pack and place it over the tip of your penis (with the narrow end pointing away from you). Leave a 1−2 cm gap between the tip of your penis and the narrow outlet tube to allow the free flow of urine. Holding the sheath in place with one hand, use your other hand to pull the loop of the double strip grip slowly towards you. The urisheath should unroll smoothly and evenly.
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• Holding the lower part of the pack with one hand, use the thumb of your other hand to push the upper part of the pack away – the pack will open.
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How quickly can I learn to use a urisheath?
After an initial fitting to find your correct size, Conveen Optima urisheaths can be applied and changed by yourself or, if you need assistance, by your nurse or carer.
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• Gently squeeze the unrolled urisheath around the shaft of your penis to ensure a secure fix. The sheath comes with adhesive already applied, and no additional adhesive is needed.
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• Connect the narrow end of the sheath to a urine collecting bag by inserting the bag connector.
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• To remove, detach the sheath from the urine bag connector and carefully roll it off your penis. You can use warm water to help remove the sheath if necessary. The used sheath can be disposed of in a bin. 11
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How often should I change my urisheath? How do I prepare to apply a urisheath? Can I get help using a urisheath?
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Each urisheath should be worn for up to 24 hours; more frequent changing is not recommended. Urisheaths are intended for single use only and, once removed, they should not be reapplied. Even if a urisheath has been worn for less than 24 hours, discard it after removing it and fit a new one. This will ensure that the urisheath is clean and hygienic and the adhesive works properly. When you put on or change your urisheath, first make sure that you have all the necessary things close to hand such as the new urisheath, the urine collecting bag, the leg strap, and the Conveen cleaning tissues (or soap and water, and a towel). It is important to be patient and take your time to practice using the urisheath, but it will soon become an easy part of your everyday routine. It is often possible to change your own urisheath but some men need assistance with some or all aspects. It is usual for a nurse, homecare assistant or other carer to provide this assistance. Although this might sound quite daunting, they won’t think that it’s strange because providing assistance and talking about the benefits of urisheaths is a normal part of their job. Remember that you are not the first or only man to use a urisheath. It’s okay to feel nervous about it; your nurse will understand and won’t think badly of you. There is nothing to be ashamed of and by choosing a urisheath, you are taking control of your body again.
What do other people think about urisheaths? Can urisheaths benefit my relationships?
A urisheath urine collecting system is very discreet. It is hidden by your clothes so that no one has to know you are wearing it and no one has to know you have continence problems. Of course it is good to tell the people that you are close to. Wives, family and friends are generally very supportive of urisheaths.
Incontinence can be a strain on you and on your loved ones, especially if your confidence is low and you are finding it hard to get on with things as normal. The best way to minimise any potential impact of incontinence on your relationships is to find a continence product that really works for you and allows you to continue your social life and leisure activities with as little interruption as possible. Urisheaths are specifically designed for your needs as a man and allow a greater deal of freedom than pads or diapers. When wearing a urisheath, you won’t have to worry about odour and the collecting bag can be fixed to your leg, out of sight. Conveen Optima comes in a compact and discreet package, so you can take a change with you, wherever you go. Wearing a urisheath can help you spend less time thinking about incontinence, which is good for you and the people you enjoy being with.
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Where can I go for more advice?
If like many men, you haven’t told your doctor, make an appointment to ensure that you receive the best advice that is relevant to you. It may seem embarrassing at first but your doctor will have seen many other men with incontinence. When you go to the appointment, just a few words like “I’m having problems controlling when I pass urine” will set the conversation on the right track. Write down any questions and take the list with you in case you forget once you get there. Your doctor will ask you some questions about your symptoms and medical history and is likely to conduct a physical examination. This will help them to identify the type of incontinence that affects you and what might be causing it. What happens next will depend on these findings, but you will probably be referred to an urologist (a doctor that specialises in the urinary system), a nurse or continence advisor for further advice
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Do you have further questions?
Coloplast develops products and services that make life easier for people with very personal and private medical conditions. Working closely with the people who use our products, we create solutions that are sensitive to their special needs. We call this intimate healthcare. Our business includes ostomy care, urology and continence care and wound and skin care. We operate globally and employ more than 7,000 people.
and Conveen Optima are registered trade marks of Coloplast A/S. © 2008–10. All rights reserved Coloplast A/S, 3050 Humlebæk, Denmark.
Contact your Coloplast office or visit www.coloplast.com
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