Incontinence is a Men’s Health Issue That’s Often Ignored. Aeroflow Urology Wants to Change That.

Here on ABSOT, I spend a lot of time talking about testicles – far more than I ever imagined that I would ever talk about nuts. However, I’ve learned that there are a lot of misconceptions and shame around testicular health, so I’ve made it my mission to encourage men to sack up and to speak up about their health. This isn’t just limited to giving your balls a good fondle once a month. I want to open lines of conversation on every men’s health topic. In this post, I’ve teamed up with Aeroflow Urology to discuss a health condition slightly north of the testicles: incontinence. 

What is incontinence?

According to the Mayo Clinic, incontinence can be defined as “loss of bladder control, [ranging in severity] from occasionally leaking urine when you cough or sneeze to having an urge to urinate that’s so sudden and strong you don’t get to a toilet in time.” While I don’t personally experience incontinence, I can see parallels between dealing with this and testicular cancer. 

I’ll be honest in admitting that I didn’t know a whole lot about incontinence before doing research for this article. To help you out, here’s a quick crash course on incontinence. From my understanding, there are two main types:

• Urge incontinence: Commonly called overactive bladder, you suddenly feel like you have to urinate, and it happens before you can get to a toilet. 
• Stress incontinence: You experience a pressure on your bladder and release some urine. 

There can be a combination of the two, in addition to some other types, but the important thing to note is that these are conditions that can’t necessarily be controlled by a man alone. 

Bottom line: if these sound like something you may be experiencing, get to a doctor. 

How common is incontinence?

It turns out that loss of bladder control is much more common than I thought. About 3.4 million men in the United States experience incontinence. Additionally, between 2% and 15% of men ages 15-64 have incontinence, according to the National Association for Continence. 

While many people have the image in their head of the cranky old grandpa rushing for the bathroom, those stats show that incontinence also affects younger, active men. As I’ve said before, if you have testicles, you can get testicular cancer. Similarly, if you have a bladder, you can have incontinence. 

Much as some people don’t like to talk about testicular cancer because it’s “awkward” or “uncomfortable,” people experiencing incontinence can get the same vibes from others. That’s why it’s so important to have these conversations, openly and honestly. Not to be crass, but avoiding a conversation about men’s health really… pisses me off.

How does Aeroflow Urology help someone dealing with incontinence?

Aeroflow Urology helps men of all ages across the country get their incontinence supplies at no cost through their Medicaid plan. With the help of great products from trusted brands like Prevail, they offer a wide range of bladder control products to fit your specific needs and level of leakage, including:

Prevail Male Guards

• Protects against light leakage
• Omni odor guard protects against odors
• Designed specifically for male anatomy
• Product is placed into regular underwear, providing discreet protection against leaks

Prevail Protective Underwear

• Cloth like fabric keeps skin comfortable
• Resembles typical underwear that is discreet under pants
• Dri-fit technology keeps skin dry and fresh 

Prevail Per-Fit Briefs

• Lock away wetness and allow air, heat, and humidity to escape with 360 breathable zones
• Easy-lock fastener strips
• Cloth like material stays quiet and subtle while offering maximum protection

Aeroflow helps to navigate the process from start to finish – from filing the insurance claim to getting necessary documentation from your healthcare provider. Their whole process is straightforward, all you have to do is fill out their quick form, and they’ll take care of the rest!

How does Aeroflow Urology work to change the narrative?

As I said earlier, Aeroflow Urology is the sponsor of this post and they have a bigger mission than just promoting their products. In their initial emails to me, they told me they were passionate about “being straightforward about conditions that can sometimes be uncomfortable” and wanted to collaborate on a “campaign around incontinence in men in general and the importance of seeing a doctor if one is experiencing symptoms, all in the light of emphasizing men’s health.”

They’re truly doing the work. They have a blog page dealing with all sorts of specific topics that men may encounter, including pelvic floor exercises for men and more. 

I full-heartedly support this goal and am happy to work with them to change these “streams” of conversation. When it comes to issues of men’s health, including incontinence, you can’t afford to say that you’re out. It’s important to say that… urine.