All about Pelvic Health for Men

As November is Men’s Health Awareness Month, it’s the perfect opportunity to shine a light on Men’s Health, specifically Men’s Pelvic Health. That is why we’ve collaborated with Phillipa Butler from Precizion Ltd by Phillipa Butler, once more to bring you her insights!

Let’s talk about male incontinence

Incontinence continues to be a taboo subject; it’s a topic of conversation we would happily ignore, and this is especially true for men. A recent conversation with my husband revealed a disturbing lack of knowledge, which I will be working to remedy!

FACT: Men are NOT immune to pelvic health problems.

Factors that contribute to pelvic floor muscle weakness and incontinence include:

• Poor physical fitness
• Prostate surgery
• A long-term cough (Having COVID-19 could be enough to tip you over the edge)
• Constipation and straining to empty your bowels
• Being overweight

Get to know the Pelvic Floor Muscles: Men have them too!

Pelvic floor muscles can be strengthened like any other weak muscle and need regular exercise to stay strong.

The pelvic floor muscles are a supportive sling of muscles, reaching from the tailbone at the back to the pubic bone at the front. They support the pelvic organs, the bladder and the bowel to help to maintain your continence.

When you pass urine or open your bowels, these muscles should relax and then tighten afterwards to prevent leakage of urine, faeces, and wind.

Pelvic Floor Muscle Training for Men

The first step is ensuring you are working the correct muscles in the right way.

• Sit, stand, or lie comfortably with your thighs, buttocks, and tummy relaxed.
• Imagine you are trying to stop yourself from passing wind at the same time as you are trying to stop passing urine. Slowly squeeze and lift the muscles of your pelvic floor. You may feel the base of your penis move upwards.
• Avoid sucking in your stomach, squeezing your bottom muscles, or holding your breath.

Pelvic floor muscle training is surprisingly difficult, but if you practice, it will get easier.

To check that your pelvic floor muscles are working correctly, you could stand in front of a mirror when you practice your pelvic floor exercises. You should see the base of your penis and your testicles lift.

If you are in any doubt about whether you are doing these exercises correctly, get professional help.

In this video, Phillipa talks about the relationship between the decline of the pelvic floor muscles and Prostate cancer and also includes other causes of incontinence for men and some exercises to activate and keep your pelvic floor engaged.

Read the full article on: https://www.id-direct.com/blog/lower-urinary-tract-symptoms-luts-in-men-meaning-causes-treatments/

Wondering who Phillipa is and what she does? Read her introduction here: https://www.id-direct.com/blog/meet-phillipa-butler/

iD is the flagship brand of Ontex's range of adult care personal hygiene solutions. With over 40 years of experience, Ontex has developed innovative personal hygiene solutions to deliver high quality, affordable products to our customers across the globe.

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