Health Awareness
Urology
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Prostate cancer: time to take action for all men
With so many organisations working towards a better future for cancer patients, it’s vital to target funding to the biggest gaps in the system. A huge effort is needed to deliver the breakthroughs that will mean no individual will have to fear a cancer diagnosis in the future. With almost 700 cancer research charities in...
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Join the conversation and help raise awareness about incontinence
We need to break down the stigma and raise awareness of the incapacitating effect incontinence can have on a person’s quality of life, specifically for those with a spinal cord injury. Many people with bladder problems worry about going out in case there are ‘leaks’, but with the help of proper bladder management, including different...
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Working together is the key to beating prostate cancer faster
Global collaboration can accelerate scientific breakthroughs in prostate cancer diagnosis. If prostate cancer is caught early enough, it can be cured. However, the tests we currently have that help diagnose the disease, such as the PSA blood test, can be unreliable. It means some men’s cancers are missed, while other men are subjected to repeated...
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Restoring vital functions through life changing research
We believe that science and medical research will beat paralysis. Our work funds the research needed to improve movement and restore function, so that paralysis will no longer be considered a life sentence. We’ve seen the power of scientific research through the development COVID-19 vaccination and how this is helping to restore the freedoms we...
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How an effective technique is helping resolve prostate problems
Surgeons are urging patients with prostate problems to seek diagnosis and treatment at the earliest opportunity to avoid treatable conditions becoming much more serious. Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), also known as an enlarged prostate, has been described as ‘practically inevitable’ in the older men. The condition is relatively common, affecting more than 40% of men...
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Men must seek help for key urinary symptoms
There are a few key terms within benign prostate disease which need to be understood carefully, as the terminology can be potentially confusing. Benign prostatic enlargement (BPE) refers to the clinical finding of physical enlargement of the prostate, which is benign and not cancerous. Benign prostate obstruction (BPO) is bladder outlet obstruction caused by benign...
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How to tackle a very male taboo
Men matter too. Infertility is not just a female issue as men account for around half of all infertility problems. With male infertility rates on the rise, it’s time to face the problem head on. The experiences my wife and I had while exploring fertility issues showed me just how little support and understanding there is around male...
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Why fertility is firmly a male issue
Infertility is as emotionally distressing and isolating for men as it is for women, as a survey looking at men’s experiences of the disease revealed. Data from the fertility regulator the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) show that the majority (37%) of couples seeking IVF or ICSI (intra cytoplasmic sperm injection) do so because...
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My stoma saved my life from bladder cancer
There are just over 10,000 cases of bladder cancer in the UK each year₁. It can be easily treated if caught early, yet we rarely talk about this type of cancer and its symptoms. David, 75, a retired Bomb Disposal Operator from Clevedon was diagnosed with bladder cancer in October 2020. He knows only too...
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Peer support is vital to managing prostate cancer
It can be challenging at times to talk about incontinence, but support groups can help you to realise that you are not alone. I can still vividly remember the time when I first realised that I had become totally incontinent of urine. It was four weeks after my radical prostatectomy and two weeks after my...
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Helping provide bladder and bowel care for new mothers
Recent guidance from the Royal College of Nursing suggests that bladder and bowel care in childbirth and beyond should be high on healthcare professionals’ agenda. Research shows that one in three women experience urinary incontinence in the first year after having a baby and up to three quarters of these continue to experience this 12...
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Just can’t wait – how OAB is affecting quality of life
Overactive bladder (OAB) is defined as urgency that can occur with or without urge urinary incontinence and usually with frequency and nocturia (NICE 2015). Common stories from patients with OAB suggest they “just can’t wait” and are rushing to the toilet, often wet before they get there. Patients often report they go to the toilet...
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Despite high prevalence, urinary incontinence is still a taboo
Although urinary incontinence (UI) is a common issue, it is still very much a taboo subject. This has been revealed by a new survey commissioned by the European Association of Urology (EAU) for its annual Urology Week. UI, the inability to hold your urge to urinate, is a treatable condition yet only a third of...
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You are not alone, let’s talk about urology diseases
We need to talk about bladders, erectile dysfunction, incontinence and male infertility. Does this make you feel uncomfortable or embarrassed? If so, you are not alone… It is estimated that one in two people in the UK will be affected by a urology condition at some point. Urology diseases include cancers of the prostate, kidney, bladder, testes and...
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Why erectile dysfunction is more common than you think
While men might find themselves embarrassed to talk about erectile dysfunction, the reality is that it’s incredibly common and can be easily treated in virtually all cases. “The topic of erectile dysfunction is taboo and not much talked about. But it’s important for men to know that the problem is very common and that the...
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COVID-19: providing support for men with prostate cancer when the foundations are shaking
The current COVID-19 pandemic has created unprecedented pressures on the health service, and big drops in cancer referrals. As the most commonly diagnosed cancer in the UK, the drop-in referrals mean that there are potentially thousands of men with clinically significant prostate cancer who could be cured, but who may now not be diagnosed until...
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How day surgeries for benign prostate enlargement are becoming the norm
Benign prostate enlargement is a normal condition of growing old for most men, with half of over 60s expected to suffer from symptoms such as poor flow and more frequent urination. Symptoms such as difficulty starting to urinate, not emptying fully or frequently going to the toilet in the day or night are all signs...
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Blood in urine/haematuria
As COVID-19 continues to dominate most of our lives, and hospitals are caught between preparing for a second wave and getting back to their new normal existence, it is an important time to highlight some of the issues that have been pushed out of the way by coronavirus. The pandemic, while incredibly serious, hasn’t made...
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Keeping prostate cancer at bay; giving men more life to live
Earlier diagnosis and interventions of prostate cancer help to keep men living longer. “It’s a common misconception that all men with prostate cancer die with it, rather than because of it, but that’s only true if the cancer has not spread,” says Professor Amit Bahl, consultant oncologist at University Hospitals Bristol NHS Trust. Prostate cancer...
