Post void dribble is the loss of a few drops of urine after the main stream when the bladder appears empty. The medical term for this is post micturition dribble. Few men admit to having this problem but many suffer and are embarrassed by it; it affects all ages.
It usually happens just as the penis is being replaced and clothing rearranged, and results in the underwear and trousers getting wet and stained. Some men find that even though they wait a while and shake carefully it remains a problem. What is happening is the urethra (the tube leading from the bladder to the tip of the penis) is not being completely emptied by the muscles that surrounding it.
A sump of urine pools in the urethra (See diagram). The best wait to deal with this is to push the last few drops of urine from the urethra with your fingers before the final shake.
The technique is as follows:
- After passing urine wait a few seconds to allow the bladder to empty
- Place the fingertips of the left hand three finger-breadths behind the scrotum and apply gentle pressure (See A on the diagram)
- Keeping pressure in the midline gently but positively draw the fingers towards the base of the penis under the scrotum. This pushes the urine forward into the urethra where it can then be emptied by shaking or squeezing in the usual way
- Before leaving the toilet repeat the technique twice more to make sure the urethra is completely empty
difficulty in emptying the bladder, or frequency or urgency, please consult your
doctor.
