Male Anatomy

The bladder is the storage organ for urine and the urethra sits directly underneath to allow for urine to exit. It also contains the internal and external sphincter that controls the passage or urine and helps with keeping us continent. The pelvic floor sits at the same level as the external urethral sphincter. This is exactly the same as the female urinary system.

For males there is also the prostate gland. It is responsible for supporting the production of semen. The prostate sits under the bladder. The urethra runs through the prostate.

When the prostate changes, what happens?

Benign prostatic enlargement

Benign prostatic enlargement is quite common as men get older. The prostate is enlarged which can lead to obstructed urinary flow. However just know there are some men that have an enlarged prostate but have no symptoms at all. Sometimes an enlarged prostate can be a predisposition to other medical conditions.

Some common symptoms of an enlarged prostate include:

• Incomplete emptying of the bladder
• Slow and/or delayed flow
• Straining to empty your bladder
• Going to the toilet frequently or sense of having to rush to the toilet
• Waking in the middle of the night to void
  
  

It is important that if you experience any of these symptoms that you visit your doctor first to rule out any specific medical conditions. If these symptoms are a bother, pelvic floor physiotherapy is on hand to help!

Prostate Cancer

Prostate cancer is not news any male wants to hear about. Prostate cancer is the second most common cancer in males and it affects 1 in 7 males over the age of 85. It can be quite hard to process the news. If surgery and/or radiotherapy is planned the consequences can result in incontinence and erectile dysfunction. This can add quite a lot of extra stress to an already stressful situation.

Pelvic floor physiotherapy is going to be an important part in this process. It will help with managing your incontinence as well as play a role in helping erectile dysfunction.

Prior to your surgery or radiotherapy treatment we recommend an appointment several weeks prior to show you how to use your pelvic floor, make sure your bladder and bowel is functioning well and give you general advice. If you have had your surgery and/or radiotherapy already and not too sure what to do with your pelvic floor, we can still help. It’s never too late!