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Urology

The questions below were raised by visitors to the STOMP (Straits Times Online Mobile Print) website in the AskST section of the website. eMenders doctors provided the answers to the questions raised as a public health education project. The information provided below is of a general nature and should not be treated as a replacement for medical advice. You should seek consultation from a medical or healthcare professional about your specific medical condition.

Is there any support group available in Singapore for spouses of erectile dysfunction (ED) sufferers?

To our knowledge, there is currently no support group in Singapore for spouses of those suffering from ED. However, there are many resources and help groups available on the Internet, and a simple Google search using the keywords «erectile dysfunction support» should give you all the resources and help you require.

I am a 58 year old healthy male who experienced frequent voiding of urine and urine leakage suddenly one evening. The incontinence stopped the next day but I still felt I had a full bladder most of the time. My condition improved after 3-4 days. I consulted a chinese physician but was told nothing was wrong. What could be the reason for this condition?

The symptoms you experienced could be due to enlargement of the prostate gland in view of your age. It may be associated with a urinary tract infection which resulted in frequency and fullness of the bladder.

If you have had no examination done for your prostate and bladder, please consult a urologist for an evaluation of the lower urinary tract including a blood test (PSA) with uroflow study as well as an ultrasound examination to rule out abnormality of the lower tract.

Contributed by Dr Tan Eng Choon, emenders Urologist.

What is the normal time for urine retention in the elderly?

There is no defined normal time for urine retention. Generally, one should not be retaining ones urine for more than 4 hours, even for an elderly person.

If an elderly person is unable to significantly control his urine, he is most likely suffering from urinary incontinence. This is a very common and difficult problem among the aged population.

Despite this, urinary incontinence is not a natural component of aging. Most often, incontinence indicates the inability of a person to control his physical and mental processes, which in turn do not allow him to hold his urine and clear his bladder at a suitable time.

Contributed by Dr Chin Chong Min, Urologist.

Assuming that my sperm count is fine, but my sperm motility is below par, are there any nutrients or herbs that I could take to improve sperm motility? Are there any lifestyle factors that could improve sperm motility?

To modify lifestyle so as to improve sperm motility, It might be useful to first understand the factors that can decrease sperm quality.

Smoking has been shown in studies to impair both sperm quality and quantity.
Exposure to high environmental temperature is also known to be harmful to the testes and reproduction of the sperm.
Excessive intake of alcohol or a stressful lifestyle is also harmful.

We will also generally advise a healthy lifesyle with sufficient exercise and consumption of food high in protein such as eggs, beef as well as plenty of green vegetables.

There is a preparation by the name of Tribestan, which contains a compound that has the ability to improve the sperm quality.

Sometimes, in 25% of males with fertility problems, the presence of varicocele (swollen veins) could also contribute to this problem of low sperm motility. In this case, it is advisable to seek consultation with a doctor.