Incontinence – It’s Not Just A Woman’s Issue

Insecurities are a part of life. We all have them and on some level, we are all managing the feelings that go with them. 

When you are a woman who is managing incontinence it can be embarrassing, but there is a lot of public support out there. Most women over the age of 21 know what a Kegel is, whether or not we’ve ever needed to do them, it comes up in common conversation surrounding childbirth, and we have the opportunity to talk to our gynecologists during our physicals every single year. This is a topic. A stigmatized topic, but one that runs along the undercurrent of regular conversations. 

That said, there is an entire other half of the population who doesn’t talk about incontinence as much, if ever. According to a recent study by Cleveland Clinic, 72% of men would rather do household chores than go to the doctor. In hoping to be a contributor towards removing the stigma associated with incontinence and men’s health, it’s time for us to talk about it! 

Men Need To Get Checked

Some men believe that avoiding medical checkups and care is acceptable but Depend knows that confronting these issues head on is the ultimate display of strength – and I agree. There is so much that can be done when you ask the right questions and see the right people. It is time for us to empower our men – and men, for you to empower each other – into seeking treatment and getting past any major issues so that we can all go on living productive lives with our loved ones. 

Prostate cancer is the most common non-skin cancer in men in the U.S., and incontinence is one of the leading side-effects for prostate cancer survivors. It happens and it isn’t anything to be ashamed of. I have three prostate cancer survivors in my family and another who is still battling. I would wager a guess that if we each looked deep into our families, we would easily find someone who has had this disease. 

The Stand Strong for Men’s Health Initiative

The Stand Strong for Men’s Health initiative has been designed to help us all get moving in a healthy direction. It was designed to celebrate the strength of men taking charge of their health and destigmatizing incontinence. Nearly 65 million Americans experience bladder leaks in one form or another, but the lack of conversation often inhibits people from taking the necessary steps to help manage incontinence. We all need to be joining this conversation! 

Depend will celebrate the strength of those fighting prostate cancer this fall by partnering with the Prostate Cancer Foundation. In the month of November, for every purchase of Depend Shields or Depend Guards product, Depend will donate $1 to the Prostate Cancer Foundation, up to $200,000. That means that you can contribute to the fight against prostate cancer just by purchasing Depend products all month. That’s huge!

What You Need To Know About Prostate Cancer

Here are some things that you may not know about prostate cancer according to the Prostate Cancer Foundation:

1. Prostate cancer is the most common non-skin cancer in men in the U.S., and the 4th most common tumor diagnosed worldwide.
2. In the United States, 1 in 9 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in his lifetime. For men of African descent, 1 in 7 will develop the disease.
3. African American men are 76% more likely to develop prostate cancer than Caucasian men, and are more than twice as likely to die from the disease.
4. In 2020, nearly 192,000 U.S. men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer, and more than 33,000 will die from the disease. That’s one new case diagnosed every 3 minutes and another death from prostate cancer every 16 minutes.
5. As men increase in age, their risk of developing prostate cancer increases exponentially. About 6 in 10 cases are found in men over the age of 65.
6. Men with relatives — father, brother, son — with a history of prostate cancer may be twice as likely to develop the disease.
7. Prostate cancer can be silent — it’s important to get checked, even if you have no symptoms.

Visit the Stand Strong for Men’s Health website for more information on the program and the Prostate Cancer Foundation for information on prostate health and prostate cancer prevention. You can also read more about how Depend is accelerating its research mission. 

It is time to help in the fight to destigmatize incontinence and seeking medical treatment. We want all of our loved ones to be around as long as possible and by encouraging them to check in with a doctor regularly and participate in any treatment recommendations, we will be well on the right path to having them with us for years to come.