Post Micturition Dribble

Leaking urine after urination maleWhat is Post Micturition Dribble?

Post-Micturition Dribble (PMD), or after dribble, is the name given to the problem when men experience an involuntary loss of urine immediately after they have finished passing urine, usually after leaving the toilet. It is not caused by stress from exertion or due to a problem with the bladder, and it should be distinguished from terminal dribble, which occurs at the end of passing urine. The condition can be a nuisance and cause embarrassment. It may be experienced in women, but it is much more common in men.

Most men with PMD urinate normally. However, PMD is likely to occur when the main flow has finished, and clothes are being rearranged after a visit to the toilet. Trousers and clothes can end up getting wet, causing frustration and embarrassment. Men usually find that even after waiting and gently shaking, the problem remains.

What causes Post Micturition Dribble?

PMD is due to a weakness of the muscles of the pelvic floor, which surround the urethra. The pelvic floor muscles can be weakened by:

  • Operations for an enlarged prostate
  • Continual straining to empty the bowels, especially when constipated
  • Constant cough, for example, a smoker’s cough
  • Overweight
  • Neurological damage
  • Persistent heavy lifting

Other signs of urinary dysfunction are not normally present, although some men have symptoms such as urgency, frequency, hesitancy and straining. For older men, they may develop PMD following a prostatectomy and may have associated urinary symptoms.

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Can Post Micturition Dribble be treated?

Few men admit to having this problem, but a great many suffer from it and are often badly embarrassed by it. Men of all ages can be affected. There are two proven ways of dealing with this problem. One is to perform pelvic floor exercises, the other is to push the last few drops of urine from the urethra with the fingers before the final shake.

Pelvic floor muscle exercises or pelvic floor muscle rehabilitation can, if done correctly, help you improve your bladder and bowel control and resolve or improve leakage. They can also be used to help you if you already have symptoms of pelvic floor weakness.

When a muscle is not exercised, it will weaken through lack of use. Like any other muscles in the body, the more you use and exercise them, the stronger the muscles will be. The pelvic floor muscles are no exception. To find out how to perform pelvic floor muscle exercises, please see our information sheet Pelvic Floor Exercises For Men.

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Pelvic Floor Exercises For Men

[BBC:030]   Pelvic Floor Exercises For Men

Training your pelvic floor muscles can help improve your bladder control and this is as important for men as it is for women. This guide explains how to perform pelvic floor exercises.

How to Reduce Post Micturition Dribble

To push the last remaining drops of urine from the urethra the technique is as follows:

  1.  After passing urine, wait for a few seconds to allow the bladder to empty
  2.  Place the fingertips of the left hand three finger-breadths behind the scrotum and apply gentle pressure
  3.  Keeping the pressure in the mid line, gently but positively draw the fingers forwards towards the base of the penis under the scrotum
  4.  This pushes the urine forward into the penile urethra from where it can be emptied by shaking or squeezing in the usual way
  5.  Before leaving the toilet, repeat the technique twice to ensure that the urethra is completely empty.

This technique can be practiced at home.  When in public toilets it can be done discreetly, with a hand inside a trouser pocket. It only takes a few seconds and may avoid the problem of wet trousers.

FAQ’s

There are a couple of proven methods to help stop post-micturition dribbling. The first is to do pelvic floor exercises, and the second is to use your fingers to expel the last few drops of urine from your urethra before shaking.

Post Micturition Dribble is more common in men than women and can be quite normal if you are overweight or of an older age.

Currently, there isn’t an effective drug to treat this condition however there are a few methods to improve the symptoms, such as regular pelvic floor exercises to help strengthen and tighten the pelvic floor muscles.

The pelvic floor muscles cover the bottom of the pelvis and support the pelvic organs (the bladder and intestine, as well as the uterus (womb) in women). To learn how to perform pelvic floor muscle exercises, please see our information sheet here Pelvic Floor Exercises For Men, Pelvic Floor Exercises for Women.

Dribbling urine in females can be caused by a number of issues, including weakening or damage of pelvic floor muscles, health problems, childbirth, and more. It is also known as overflow incontinence and occurs when your bladder does not entirely empty when you pee. When your bladder becomes too full, little amounts of the leftover urine seep out later.

Further Information

If you are concerned about your problem and it is starting to affect your day-to-day life, make an appointment to see your doctor, continence nurse or specialist physiotherapist. A continence nurse and specialist physiotherapist are healthcare professionals who specialise in bladder and bowel problems. You can also obtain further advice on overactive bladder treatments.