How is incontinence after prostate surgery treated?
How your healthcare provider treats incontinence mainly depends on how severe your symptoms are and how long it lasts. It also depends on what type of incontinence you have (stress, urge or both).
If you find you’re having issues with mild to moderate leakage after surgery, your healthcare provider might suggest starting with noninvasive therapies like medication or physical therapy exercises for your pelvic floor muscles. People who have leakage lasting longer than three months or more severe symptoms may need surgery. Your provider usually recommends the noninvasive therapies first before recommending surgery.
At-home remedies for incontinence after prostate surgery
There are several types of incontinence products, like absorbent pads or diapers, that you can purchase at your local supermarket or drugstore. Devices like an incontinence clamp can also help, but you should discuss using one with your provider. It works by clamping your urethra so pee doesn’t leak.
How can I strengthen my bladder after prostate surgery?
Exercises that strengthen your pelvic floor, called Kegels, are often the first line of treatment for incontinence. Your healthcare provider may recommend Kegels to improve how your pelvic floor muscles work. Some providers combine Kegels with a therapy called biofeedback.
Your pelvic floor muscles are a group of muscles that hold pelvic organs up like a hammock. They also support healthy bladder and bowel function. If you’re born with a prostate, you may not have ever strengthened your pelvic floor before (because you didn’t need to). However, when your prostate is removed, you now have to rely on your pelvic floor muscles. That’s why pelvic floor exercises are very important after prostate removal surgery.
Pelvic floor strengthening works very well for people with mild to moderate leakage. If your symptoms don’t improve, your provider may recommend additional treatments.
What medication is used for incontinence after prostate surgery?
If you have urge urinary incontinence, certain medications can help. Some of these medications work by relaxing your bladder to increase how much pee your bladder can hold. Others influence how your brain sends signals to your bladder to tell it that it’s full. Your healthcare provider will discuss which medications may work for you as well as their potential side effects.
There’s no good medication for the other type of incontinence (stress incontinence).
What kinds of surgeries treat urinary incontinence after your prostate is removed?
If you have bothersome stress urinary incontinence after prostate surgery that lasts longer than six months to one year, your healthcare provider may recommend surgery. There are two main types of surgery for urinary incontinence: the urethral sling and the artificial urinary sphincter (AUS).
Advertisement
Urethral sling
In a urethral sling procedure, your healthcare provider makes a small cut in your perineal area (the space between your anus and scrotum). Then, they put a synthetic mesh tape around part of your urethra to lift it back up to its typical position. This often helps people with mild to moderate stress urinary incontinence who don’t see improvement with pelvic floor strengthening.
Artificial urinary sphincter (AUS)
An artificial urinary sphincter (AUS) can help people who have severe stress urinary urinary incontinence because they had prostate cancer surgery and now their muscle or sphincter valve doesn’t work as it should. An AUS is a device that helps restore the “open and close” function of your sphincter.
It has three parts:
- An inflatable cuff for around your urethra. The cuff closes off your urethra to prevent leaking pee.
- A pump for inside your scrotum that controls the opening and closing of the cuff.
- A small,s pressure-regulating balloon (about the size of a ping-pong ball) in your abdomen. The balloon maintains fluid under pressure within the urethral cuff to pressurize the system and hold urine back.
If you have this surgery, you’ll press on the pump when you feel the need to pee. This opens the cuff to allow urine to pass. When you’re done peeing, the cuff automatically closes again on its own.
Advertisement
Can you prevent incontinence after prostate surgery?
Your surgeon tries to limit how much damage occurs around your bladder and sphincters during prostate cancer surgery. While advances are always being made, you can still expect at least temporary incontinence after prostate surgery. The exact degree and symptoms you’ll experience vary depending on your age and health, the extent of the cancer and whether you also had radiation or other treatments. You should discuss your concerns about incontinence with your healthcare provider.
