AboutStephen W. Leslie, MD Expertise Questions concerning erectile dysfunction, kidney stones and prostate disorders including prostate cancer. I have a special interest in kidney stone disease prevention.
Experience Full time practicing urologist with 20 years experience. Assistant Clinical Professor of Urology at the Medical College of Ohio. Editor in Chief of eMedicine Urology internet textbook. Author of only book written for patients by a urologist on the subject of kidney stones "The Kidney Stones Handbook". Inventor of the "Parachute" and "Escape" kidney stone baskets and the "Calculus" stone prevention analysis computer program.
Organizations American Urological Association, Ohio State Medical Association, Sexual Medicine Society
Publications Men's Health, Journal of Urology, Urology, Healthwatch Magazine, Emergency Medicine Monthly, eMedicine, "The Kidney Stones Handbook", and numerous articles in various newspapers. He is also the editor of the Urology Board Review by McGraw-Hill used by urologists to study for their Board Certification Examinations.
Education/Credentials Graduate of New York Medical College with residencies completed at Metropolitan Hospital New York, Albany Medical Center and University of Wisconsin-Madison
Awards and Honors Thirlby Award of the American Urological Association.
Question Hello,
I've been reading some of the past questions regarding this issue and I'm fairly certain you are going to tell me to see a urologist, but I figured I would see what your other thoughts were. I have been having issues like this for at least a few years, but was always uncomfortable with seeing a doctor and I figured it would go away. I'm currently 23 years old.
I have been having to frequently urinate for a long time and finally figured that it was a problem. It has begun to have an effect on my sex life because I always feel like I have to urinate and so my erections are harder to get and maintain. I also have a very weak urination stream and I find that I dribble urine frequently after urinating. I researched this problem a little bit a year or so back and began milking the penis shaft after urination, but it rarely keeps all the urine from leaking out afterward.
One of the reasons I decided to post here was because I'm slightly different from all the other frequent urination posts in that I mentioned this problem to my step-mom who is a RN and in the course of talking about it, she remembered that when I was younger (3-4) I had to have my urethra enlarged. I am wondering if this is a part of the problems I am having now or just a coincidence.
Please let me know your thoughts.
Answer Urethral enlargement could mean dilation of a stricture or a meatal stenosis. Either way, it's impossible to know for sure if that is having an effect at this point without an examination.
The feeling that you always have to urinate could be overactive bladder, prostatitis or a low grade infection. Post void dribbling may be due to the same problem, the previous treatment of the urethra or some other issue. Milking the penis may be helpful, but the area to press is usually further down, just behind the scrotum which is where a small amount of urine often sequesters.
