What are the potential side effects of prostate surgery?
• Incontinence. After prostate surgery, some men are unable to control the flow of urine from the bladder (urinary incontinence). If the rectum is injured, men may be unable to prevent the escape of stool from the body (fecal incontinence). • Impotence. Some men may become impotent. Nerve-sparing surgery is an attempt to avoid the problem of impotence. When the doctor can use nerve-sparing surgery and the operation is fully successful, impotence may be only temporary. In some cases, however, even men who have this procedure become permanently impotent. Men can talk with their doctor about medicine and other ways to help manage the sexual effects of cancer treatment. • Lack of sperm production. Men who have a prostatectomy no longer produce semen, so they have dry orgasms. Men who wish to father children may consider sperm banking or a sperm retrieval procedure.
