A "stopping" problem

November 4, 2010 5:44 AM

24 year old man and wetting my pants (well, sort of).

I am a 24 year old male. Whenever I go pee if I don't do a few tugs at the end before I zip (maybe about 10 tugs), more times then not I get a roughly silver dollar sized wet spot in front of my pants - not a lot, just enough to be embarrassing.

Because of this, when I urinate at a urinal, I need to make sure I am all dry, usually like 20-30 seconds just standing idol. At a toilet, I usually sit down so I don't spray all over the place while tugging.

I have no problem holding it in, or knowing when to go or actually going and I am in generally good health. I had this problem maybe the last 8 or so years of my life.

I would just like to know if this is common among males, or just a condition name to search Google for.

posted by glenno86 to Health & Fitness (14 answers total)

Best answer: Here'ssome reasonable-sounding advice. This is pretty normal, and occurs for much the same reason that a hose dribbles after you've turned the tap off. Also, try this: circle your penis with thumb and forefinger, near to the base. Squeeze gently whilst pulling your hand forwards. The squeezing motion should force out most of the urine that would otherwise drip. You can do this fairly unobtrusively even at a urinal.
posted by le morte de bea arthur at 6:08 AM on November 4, 2010

I'll second that it's probably more normal than you suspect... If this wasn't a "thing" for most every male, the army never would have come out with the old saying "shake it once that's fine, shake it twice that's ok, shake it three times you're playing with yourself." (which, as far as I'm concerned, is a bit harsh... 5 or 6 times seems to usually be necessary).

And, last point... you'll someday get to the point where 30 seconds at the urinal qualifies you for the Olympic speed-peeing event...
posted by HuronBob at 6:14 AM on November 4, 2010

From le morte de bea arthur's link:

Nudge out what's left. "Men should learn to milk their urethra," says Dr. Pranikoff. First, urinate through your fly, not over the top of your pants or that constrictive elastic band around the top of your shorts. When finished, with one hand apply some gentle pressure behind the scrotum to coax out any remaining urine from the bulbus urethra.

Works for me.
posted by ghharr at 6:14 AM on November 4, 2010

Oh yeah, I do this and just wait the 20-30 secs, no big deal. It's just a matter of knowing your body and adjusting accordingly.
posted by nomadicink at 6:16 AM on November 4, 2010

Welcome to the first stop on the traincar to old age. Next stop ear hair.
posted by Potomac Avenue at 6:29 AM on November 4, 2010 [7 favorites]

Previously
posted by Obscure Reference at 6:46 AM on November 4, 2010

How much exercise do you get and how much alcohol do you drink? I had it from about age 35 to 45. Then I started jogging and everything kind of tightened up. I think I'm able to empty my bladder more efficiently now.
posted by bonobothegreat at 8:01 AM on November 4, 2010

Men can do Kegel exercises, too, y'know. While a little dab'll do ya, in the long run, control over your pelvic floor muscles will show benefits in this area and others.
posted by beelzbubba at 8:05 AM on November 4, 2010

Also suggesting Kegels. Helps with control and also getting that last bit out. And this is far more normal than you may think. It's like the common bathroom graffiti: "No matter how you shake and dance, the last few drops go in your pants."
posted by xedrik at 8:42 AM on November 4, 2010

Random, but possibly necessary, question: Are you wearing underwear or going commando (i.e. not wearing underwear)?
posted by RolandOfEld at 9:08 AM on November 4, 2010

Response by poster: Thanks guys (and gals). All great answers, I am relieved to know this is pretty normal behavior. I will work on some of these strategies and do kegel excercises.

Bonobothegreat, I rarely drink and I've got a physically demanding job, so I do way more exercise then most I suspect. I do admit I am a tad overweight (230LBs @ 6' 3") though. But this started when I weighed 205lbs and same height.
posted by glenno86 at 9:20 AM on November 4, 2010

I have no idea if this applies to you, but I've heard this is more common with uncircumsized penii.
posted by naju at 10:40 AM on November 4, 2010

One oft unmentioned solution to this problem... pee sitting down. Then you can read at the same time.
posted by drezdn at 11:40 AM on November 4, 2010 [1 favorite]

Interestingly, I'm going to suggest that for some men - like me - drezdn's advice is the precise opposite of what works. If I pee sitting down I just want to go a bit more as soon as I stand up. I need to pee standing up to get a good drain. But what is pretty unvarying is that after you finish you need to shake, squeeze the root between forefinger and thumb and move forward to drain the python like a toothpaste tube. Then shake again. Then put the boy away. If you still get the problem slip a folded piece of toilet paper between your end and your underkeks.

Bio-plumbing can be a pain. You have to work with it.
posted by Decani at 2:49 PM on November 4, 2010