In the world we live in today with all the technological advancements in almost every field, it is hard not to get caught up in thinking about all the wonderful possibilities that are seemingly within the grasp of man's capability. Breakthrough discoveries in astronomy, astro physics, as well as space exploration have made traveling to the moon kind of a routine trip with astronauts actually walking on the moon and they have returned to earth with some remarkable finds too. But with all the new technological advancements and the many remarkable discoveries, there still exist some very old and troubling problems that still plague mankind today.

Although the average life span of men in the United States continues to increase with each passing year there remain some dangerous pitfalls along the way. Urinary incontinence is a condition that plagues a large number of middle age men, and it is not uncommon to see young adult men who suffer from some form or type of urinary incontinence. Each and every year more and more young adult men are being diagnosed with urinary incontinence, even among adolescent there seems to be an increase in those who are being treated for some type or form of urinary incontinence as well as preteens who are diagnosed as having enuresis or nocturnal enuresis.

Within the senior citizen community over ninety percent of the men between the ages of seventy and eighty-five have been diagnosed with some type of urinary incontinence. It is    believed by experts that urinary incontinence is not part of the aging process; however, it is certainly more prevalent among the older set than those who are much younger. For most men who are senior citizens the leading cause of urinary incontinence is the prostate gland. Even when the prostate is successfully removed, or prostatectomy, it does not eliminate urinary incontinence; instead, contrary to popular beliefs it can actually help promote urinary incontinence-- the reason being in many instances the sphincter muscle that seals around the bladder neck to prevent leakage is often damaged during surgery, and it no longer has the ability to squeeze the bladder neck tight enough to prevent urine from escaping like it had done  prior to the onset of urinary incontinence.

With the sphincter muscle damaged it can create an ideal situation for continuous leaking. There are several forms or types of urinary incontinence that afflicts people, both men and women, but women are disproportionally diagnosed with stress incontinence: (A) Stress Incontinence--it is a form or type of urinary incontinence that can be induced by laughing, coughing, sneezing, exerting, or any kind of physical activities. It usually occurs in women during and after pregnancy, as well as before and after childbirth. As stated earlier more women suffer from this type of urinary incontinence than men.

However, men who have undergone a prostatectomy tend to suffer with stress incontinence post surgery. Usually this condition is only temporary, but sometimes it is permanent. (B) Urge or Urgency Incontinence--When someone gets a sudden unyielding desire to rush to the bathroom to void or release urine; this type of urinary incontinence is called urge or urgency incontinence. A sudden uncontrollable urge to void and in many instances begin passing urine before reaching the bathroom. This type of urinary incontinence can be the most embarrassing and the most devastating because it can happen   anywhere, any place, anytime. (C) Mixed Incontinence-- this type of urinary incontinence is a mixture of both stress incontinence and urge or urgency incontinence.

It's not uncommon for many women to have both at the same time, however, in almost all cases both can be successfully treated in men and women. (D) Overflow Incontinence--with this type of urinary incontinence the bladder is full of urine, yet it will not empty, so it begins to overflow. When this happens it is usually caused by the urethra being blocked or stopped up. Often times during a prostatectomy the urethra is damaged and become blocked; which inhibits the passing or voiding of urine. Many times due to the bladder being full with urine you will begin to dribble, you rush to the bathroom because you feel the need to relieve yourself, but to your surprise almost nothing comes out. These are the symptoms of overflow incontinence.

(E) Functional Incontinence--when an individual is physically unable to make it to the bathroom in time to relieve him/herself, this is thought to be a form of functional incontinence. For instance, if someone is in a wheel chair and needs to get to the bathroom but is unable to for one reason or another, that person is thought to be functionally incontinent. In other words, due to their situation or circumstance someone is immobile or incapable of making to the bathroom to relieve themselves on their own, or is hindered from going to the bathroom due to some kind of disability, whether it's psychological, mental or physical.

(F) Continuous Incontinence--this type of urinary incontinence is the complete inability to control or manage leakage. It is the constant voiding of urine, or dribbling. It occurs in women quite often and especially during menopause, also during and after pregnancy. Continuous incontinence also affect many men who have had a prostatectomy, where there was some collateral damage done to the urethra, sphincter or the bladder itself. The detrusor muscle inside the bladder can contribute significantly to continuous incontinence when it is not working properly or the nerve signals that lead to it has been damaged.

In conclusion, there are five major types or forms of urinary incontinence. Each one presents its on set of problems and circumstances; all five are common to both men and women, but some seem to present certain problems that are more gender related than others. For instance, most women who become pregnant experience stress incontinence, where as most men on average do not experience stress incontinence at all. Men who have undergone a prostatectomy do experience stress incontinence, but usually once they recover from surgery the problem with stress incontinence diminish greatly and in many cases cease to exist.

Men urinary system is different from women in the sense that for men the urethra travels through the prostate gland which can help facilitate different types or forms of urinary incontinence; however, with women they have no prostate and none of the problems associated with it. But contrary to popular belief both men and women can become sufferers with all five types of incontinence at some point in their lives.

Again, as I have so often mention; contact your doctor about any suspicious activity your urinary system might be involved in—much like a shady character that's acting irregular or out of line, and work closely with him/her to ward off potential problems in the early stages before it becomes dangerous. Remember, early detections could make the difference between life and death. Here's to you guys may you always be in good health. Happy retirement fellows.