After prostate cancer surgery and radiation treatment, some men will leak urine when they reach orgasm. Men may also leak a small amount of urine when they are aroused. But there are steps you can take to make sure it doesn’t interfere with your sex life.
Why does leaking urine happen after prostate cancer surgery and radiation treatment?
During prostate cancer surgery and radiation treatment, the muscles and nerves around the prostate may get damaged. As a result, they can’t control the flow of urine as well as they used to.
But the question most guys really want to know is: when will it stop?
Leaking urine during sex is more common in the early months after treatment and often gets better as you recover.
For many men, urinary leakage stops after one year, but some men continue to experience symptoms after that. Remember, urine is a normal body fluid, just like semen or spit. It won’t hurt you or your partner, even if it leaks during penetration.
What can you do about urine leakage during sex?
The short answer is plenty. Read our top six tips for managing urinary leakage below.
Urinate before sex. Wait a few seconds after peeing and use your fingertips to push the urine gently from behind the scrotum and down the urethra. You can then shake the last few drops out in the normal way. (See the diagram below.)
Pause after peeing
Urine collects in the urethra after peeing
Push out urine
Use the fingertips to push down any collected urine by firmly stroking forward behind the scrotum.
Put a soft towel under you when having sex. Or have some warm water and towel next to you to take care of any clean-up if needed.
Use lubricant to moisturize the penis. Not only might this help during sex, it can disguise any urine that leaks.
Take it to the shower. Sex in the shower or bath can help you relax and will wash away any urine that comes out.
Use a condom. If urine leaks really bother you or your partner, you can try using a condom to catch any urine that comes out during sex.
Consider a cock ring. Some men use a vacuum erection device and constriction ring (yep, that's what you think it is: an ED ring or cock ring) around the base of their penis when it’s hard. How does this work? The ring presses down on the urethra, stopping urine from passing through. Talk to your doctor or care team to check if using a ring will be suitable for you. You may need to experiment until you find the right tightness so that it prevents urine leaking but is still comfortable. Don’t keep the ring on for more than 30 minutes at a time. Any longer may damage the tissues in your penis.
Hear from a guy who’s been there:
