Urinary incontinence Archive

Ask the doctors

Q. My skin has been breaking out since I entered menopause. Why is this happening, and what can I do about it?

A. Many women notice changes to their skin at menopause. For some women this means dryness, age spots, or a tendency toward bruising. For others, estrogen levels drop while male hormone levels, such as testosterone, remain the same, which can prompt acne breakouts.

Treatments for prostate cancer are always evolving, and now research is pointing to new ways of treating a cancer that has just begun to spread, or metastasize, after initial surgery or radiation. Doctors usually give hormonal therapies in these cases to block testosterone, which is a hormone that makes the cancer grow faster. But newer […]

People living with HIV can suppress the virus by taking medication daily. If the level of virus in a person’s blood is suppressed successfully, research shows that the virus isn’t passed on to others. U=U means “undetectable equals untransmittable.”

On call

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Q. What causes urinary tract infections and are men at risk for getting them?

A. Although urinary tract infections (UTIs) are more common in women, men can get them, too. They occur when bacteria build up somewhere along your urinary tract. In men, UTIs can develop in the urethra (the tube that runs from the opening at the tip of the penis to the bladder), the bladder, the prostate, or the kidney.

Older people who have a chronic medical condition are at increased risk for severe disease and death if they contract COVID-19. Just how old is “older,” what constitutes chronic disease, and how can you lower risks?

Are your personal care products putting your health at risk?

The average woman uses 12 different beauty products every day — cleansers, conditioners, hair dyes, fragrances, skin care products, scented lotions, nail polish, and makeup, to name a few. Take a quick glance at the labels, and you'll see a cocktail of chemical components.

You might assume that all these ingredients have been tested to ensure that they're safe for long-term use. That's not the case.

A regular sex life offers many heart health benefits. But can you stay sexually active with heart issues?

Regular sex is good medicine for your heart. But what if you've had a heart attack or a heart procedure? When is it safe to resume sex again — and should you?

"Most men can continue their sex life after a heart attack, unless there are additional circumstances that increase their risk," says Dr. Jason Matos, a cardiologist with Harvard-affiliated Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. "It depends on the person and his specific issue, but most men don't have to give up their sex life because of their heart health."

In the journals

Men who choose androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) for their advanced prostate cancer can avoid possible side effects with short-term exercise, suggests a study published in January 2020 in BJU International.

Common side effects of ADT include weight gain, loss of muscle mass, lower cardio fitness, fatigue, and a drop in quality of life. These often occur within three months after treatment begins. In the study, researchers recruited 50 men with prostate cancer who began ADT. Half did two supervised exercise sessions per week for three months. The hourlong workouts included both aerobic and resistance exercises. The group then continued the workouts on their own for another three months.

Ask the doctors

Q. I have uterine fibroids and am experiencing some pain and discomfort from them. Are there any alternative treatments that I can use to help manage my symptoms?

A. If you are experiencing anemia, severe pain, or difficulty with urinating that may be due to fibroids, it's important to seek the advice of a doctor. However, there are some pain management options other than medications or surgery that may help relieve symptoms related to fibroids. These strategies haven't been proven to relieve pain from fibroids, but The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, in a 2017 review of complementary approaches to chronic pain, found they have some promise in helping other types of chronic pain, specifically lower back pain. These include acupuncture, an alternative medicine treatment that uses small needles applied at specific sites on the body to relieve chronic pain; yoga, a type of low-impact exercise that includes a series of postures and breathing techniques; relaxation techniques, such as deep breathing and mindfulness (a practice that encourages staying focused on the present moment); tai chi, originally practiced as a form of self-defense, which incorporates slow, deliberate movements and deep breathing exercises; and massage performed by a massage therapist.

Recent guidelines for screening for hepatitis C focused on baby boomers because that population had most of the undiagnosed infections, but because new infections are increasing fastest in those 20 to 39, the guidelines have been revised.