Symptoms worth coming in for
Pads that have become part of the day, leakage with a cough or standing up, a sudden urge that ends in an accident, or a constant dampness after a prostate operation are all reasons to be seen. A slow stream with overflow can look like leakage when the bladder is actually full. We will sort those apart rather than assume they are the same problem.
When to see a urologist
Book a planned visit if leakage is changing how you work, sleep, or go out, or if it started after a prostatectomy, radiation, or a BPH procedure. If you cannot pass urine at all, have heavy bleeding, or have a high fever with urinary symptoms, that belongs in an emergency department or with 911.
How our urologists evaluate leakage in men
We will ask when it happens, how many pads you use, and what other treatment you have already tried. An exam, a urine test, and a bladder scan after you urinate are common starting points. When it would change the plan, we may add a cystoscopy or a study of how the bladder fills and empties. These visits happen at our Sandy Springs clinic or our Decatur clinic.
Treatments Advanced Urology offers
Pelvic floor therapy and daily habits come first for some men. Medicine can calm urgency when that is the pattern. When leakage after prostate surgery continues, our urologists discuss options that Advanced Urology actually offers, including approaches such as ProACT and an artificial urinary sphincter when those fit. We will not recommend a device you have not had a chance to understand. We do not offer needle PTNS sessions. We offer Altaviva, an implanted tibial nerve stimulator, when tibial nerve stimulation is the subject and urgency is the pattern.
Recovery, in general terms
Pelvic floor therapy and medicine are done as outpatient care. If we plan a device or a procedure, we will describe the usual recovery, restrictions, and follow-up before you agree to it. Most people go home the same day after the procedures we schedule at our surgery centers, on a time we set with you.
Questions people ask
Is leakage after prostate surgery something I just have to live with?
No. Some leakage improves in the months after surgery, and some does not. If it is still disrupting your day, we will talk through therapy and the procedures this practice offers.
How is this different from overactive bladder?
Overactive bladder is about sudden urgency and frequent trips, with or without leakage. Stress leakage in men often shows up with a cough, a lift, or after prostate surgery. You can have both. We will name the pattern rather than treat them as one thing. See also our overactive bladder page.
Do women use this page too?
Women are welcome at the same clinics. Leakage in women is covered on our bladder leakage and women's urology pages, because the evaluation and the procedures often differ.
Will I be offered a pad and sent home?
Pads can be a bridge, not the whole plan. We will talk about therapy, medicine, and procedures that match the type of leakage you have.
Who in this practice sees this problem?
Dr. Bagga and Dr. Greenstein both list urinary incontinence on their official profiles. You can ask for either of them at Sandy Springs, or start with a visit at Decatur and we will route the next step.
Related articles are listed on our articles index, including pieces on leakage with a cough or sneeze and on an artificial urinary sphincter.
This page is about urine leakage in men. For accidental stool leakage or a loss of bowel control, use our bowel leakage guide and, when a stimulator is under discussion, InterStim for bowel control.