What is Male Incontinence?
Male incontinence can leave many feeling embarrassed due to the stigma surrounding it. But with 10% of males in the UK suffering in silence, something must be done to help lift the stigma and create a more comfortable space for all. In this guide, we shine a light on male incontinence to raise awareness and offer tips on how washroom managers can equip their washrooms with everything needed to manage male incontinence.
- What is Male Incontinence?some text
- Male Urinary Incontinence Causes
- Causes of Male Bowel Incontinence
- Treatments for Male Incontinence
- Incontinence Products for Men
- How You Can Help as a Washroom Manager
- Stop the Stigma of Male Incontinence Today with Woosh
What is Male Incontinence?
There are two types of male incontinence: male urinary incontinence and male bowel incontinence. Male urinary incontinence is the involuntary passing of urine. There are several types of urinary incontinence including stress, urge, overflow and total. Here is a brief summary of urinary incontinence in males:
- Stress incontinence: Caused when the bladder is under stress. For example, when coughing or laughing.
- Urge incontinence: When an individual feels the sudden urge to go to the bathroom but this often leads to an immediate leak.
- Overflow incontinence: When an individual cannot fully empty their bladder which leads to remaining urine leaking out.
- Total incontinence: When the bladder can’t retain any urine leading to frequent leaking and a seemingly constant passing of urine.
Male bowel incontinence, on the other hand, is the unintentional passing of faecal matter. This form of male incontinence affects everyone differently with some experiencing constipation while others having bloating or excess wind. Bowel incontinence is characterised by the sudden urge to poo, accidental soiling of underwear and unexpected passing of faecal matter when passing wind.
Male Urinary Incontinence Causes
There are a range of factors that can affect urinary incontinence. For example, stress incontinence can be caused by the weakening or damage to muscles used to prevent urination like pelvic floor muscles whereas overflow incontinence can be caused by an obstruction or blockage in the bladder which prevents it from emptying completely. Your chances of developing male urinary incontinence increase with obesity, family history and increasing age.
Causes of Male Bowel Incontinence
Male bowel incontinence works slightly differently as you may experience bowel incontinence every so often. For example, simply eating certain foods such as spicy foods can cause bowel incontinence. But there are also health conditions such as Crohn’s Disease, Irritable Bowel Syndrome or Dementia that can cause incontinence.
Treatments for Male Incontinence
The first step to treating male incontinence is usually to change your lifestyle. This can include changing your diet to avoid foods that affect your incontinence like caffeine or spicy foods. You may also be recommended to complete pelvic floor exercises to increase the strength of your muscles. If non-surgical treatments do no work, your GP may recommend surgery.
But individuals still need an effective way to manage male incontinence before their surgery or if surgery is not an option. That’s where male incontinence products come in.
Incontinence Products for Men
There are a range of male incontinence products on the market including male urinary incontinence pads and specialised bowel incontinence pants. These products can take the embarrassment out of male incontinence, helping individuals get on with their daily activities. Here are some examples of the types of male incontinence products available:
- Absorbent underwear or pull-ups
- Incontinence pads
- Protective guards and shields
- Overnight briefs
- Reusable washable underwear
- Condom catheters
Although these incontinence products can be useful, they need to be changed after each use (especially if there is faecal matter on the product) or at least every 4-6 hours to maintain personal hygiene. But this can be challenging with the availability of sanitary waste bins in public or work washrooms.
How You Can Help as a Washroom Manager
Managing male urinary or bowel incontinence can be difficult in public spaces. With the lack of sanitary waste bins in public or work washrooms, males that suffer from incontinence often feel embarrassed or face anxiety when leaving the house.
As a washroom manager, you can support those who suffer from incontinence by simply installing sanitary waste bins in all of your male washroom toilet cubicles. This allows individuals to have a safe and comfortable place to change incontinence products with ease, enabling a discrete method of disposal and removing any embarrassment.
Stop the Stigma of Male Incontinence Today with Woosh
Installing sanitary waste bins in male washrooms is only the first step to reducing the stigma surrounding male incontinence but it is a start! With most washrooms ill-equipped to handle male incontinence products, your simple act of placing a sanitary waste bin in the cubicle can make all the difference to your staff and customers. Shop sanitary waste bins from Woosh today and join us in the fight against the stigma of male incontinence!
FAQs
How long can you leave an incontinence pad on?
Male incontinence pads should be changed every four to six hours or once they have been soiled, especially if there is faecal matter present. This means sanitary waste bins should be readily available in public or work washrooms to allow males who suffer from incontinence to have a safe space to change incontinence products.
What is the best treatment for male incontinence?
The best treatment for male incontinence depends on the underlying cause and may include pelvic floor muscle exercises, lifestyle modifications, medication or surgical interventions. However, during treatment, male incontinence products will still need to be used to prevent accidents. To ensure individuals have a space to manage their incontinence in public in between treatments, sanitary waste bins should be placed in all male washrooms.
How do I get free incontinence pads on the NHS?
The NHS may offer free incontinence pads in your local area. You should ask your GP for further details as you may need to be assessed by a healthcare professional before being able to claim these free male incontinence products.
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