What are the most common causes of frequent urination in men? Incontinence is one of those tricky issues that for some people is a mild irritant. However, to others, it steals their independence and freedom.

To make matters worse, people who suffer from incontinence can let it control their very existence, preventing them from taking part in activities they previously enjoyed, and even affecting losing friendships and relationships. This then can potentially lead to other health problems, both physical and emotional, such as obesity, diabetes, and depression.

What Is Urinary Incontinence?

Urinary incontinence is the loss of bladder control which can then lead to the unintentional loss of urine from the body. For many men, the biggest issue is the lack of warning prior to needing to go to urinate. In most circumstances, there is an extreme urge to urinate and within a matter of seconds, a leakage has occurred long before reaching the bathroom.

Many sufferers are therefore ashamed and embarrassed leading to a lack of confidence and the fear of never being too far away from the bathroom. This can lead to the difficult and challenging situation of never leaving home and losing their independence and the life they had before incontinence.

What Are the Main Causes of Frequent Urination in Men?

The urinary system for the human body relies on the brain, muscles, and nerves all working in perfect harmony, any damage or weakness in any part of the system can potentially result in urinary incontinence,

The Most Common Causes of Frequent Urination

1. Prostate Cancer / The Treatment of Prostate Cancer

The prostate gland is a gland about the size of a walnut, and is only present in males as one of its key functions is to add fluid to the semen, just before ejaculation occurs. One study found that over 50 percent of men over the age of 60 have prostate cancer, although most will die of other causes.

When prostate cancer is discovered, one of the forms of treatment often considered is called a radical prostatectomy, which is the complete removal of the prostate gland surgically. This is quite an invasive procedure that involves the bladder and often results in urinary incontinence problems.

2. Long-Term Diabetes

Diabetes is another known cause of urinary incontinence in some men, due to the long-term damage it can cause to the nerve endings. The damaged nerves may ultimately result in a loss of control of the bladder.

3. An Overactive Bladder

An overactive bladder is another common cause of urinary incontinence; the symptoms of an overactive bladder, basically causes the bladder to function at the wrong time.

The difficulty with an overactive bladder is that in some cases it may be caused by damage to nerves, but in other situations, there is no obvious cause. There are some different symptoms that may be presented by people with an overactive bladder.

They can suffer from one, two or even all three of the below symptoms:

  • The need to urinate frequently: This can vary from patient to patient, but on average people would be urinating anywhere between 8 to 10 times a day and a further two times during the night.
  • The Sudden Need and Compulsion to Urinate:As described this is the sudden and virtually uncontrollable urge to urinate, with the sufferer basically incapable of resisting the urge.
  • Urge Incontinence:This is almost the inevitable end to the point mentioned directly above. Once that urge has embedded itself in the brain of someone with an overactive bladder, the end result is urine leakage.

4. Brain or Spinal Injuries

As was mentioned above, the brain, muscles, and nerves are all essential elements in giving a person control over when they visit the toilet. Anyone who suffers a brain injury or a spinal injury is likely to increase the risk of incontinence, simply because for whatever reason the system is no longer functioning as it once did.



If the part of the brain that controls the bladder has been damaged, or the nerves that carry the signals down the spine has been broken, then a person will no longer have the same control.

The purpose of this article is not to discuss every potential cause of urinary incontinence in men, but rather to highlight some of the more common causes of frequent urination. Urinary incontinence shouldn’t be life-changing or indeed be affecting, there are many options for treatment and a vast array of products to manage the condition.

Remember, if you are experiencing any signs or symptoms of urinary incontinence, make an appointment and discuss it with your GP. This is the first and most important action you will take and will help you better understand and manage your symptoms.

References:

  1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/
  2. https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/
  3. https://medlineplus.gov/

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This Post Has One Comment

  1. Lifeadvancer User Avatar
    Elena

    I’m Diabetic patient and during day time there is regular urination but at night there is frequent urination. What is to be done?

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