Thousands of men treated for prostate cancer miss work or social events because of embarrassing side effects, research suggests.
Four in five patients suffering from urinary incontinence say the lack of public facilities is affecting their daily lives.
Meanwhile, a quarter said the problem had caused them to miss work.
Charities have warned that many men are confined to their homes as a result, leading to social exclusion and damaging their mental health.
Peter Jones, from Watford, Hertfordshire, was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2018 and underwent surgery to remove his prostate later that year.
The former IT manager’s treatment was successful in eliminating the cancer, but left him incontinent.
Thousands of men treated for prostate cancer miss work or social events because of embarrassing side effects, research suggests (file photo)
Prostate cancer is the most common male cancer, with more than 52,000 diagnoses and 12,000 deaths each year.
“My confidence plummeted,” she said, adding: “I remember the first time I went out in public after being incontinent and I had to go and change my pad in a theatre toilet.
‘I had nowhere to put it. In the end I had to put the used pad in a plastic bag and put it under the seat for the second half.
“Every time I went somewhere, I found it very difficult to know what to do with the pad. In the end, I thought that I didn’t want to do this anymore and that I didn’t want to go out anymore. I made up excuses for not going anywhere and that made me very depressed.”
The 76-year-old underwent another surgery, which he says has given him “his life back”, but said it should never have been a problem.
She added: “You wouldn’t expect a woman to take her sanitary pads out into the street to find them in a bin, so why would you think it’s OK for men to do that?”
In the UK, around 52,000 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer each year, and around half are likely to suffer from urinary incontinence.
But few public toilets for men – from workplaces to bars and restaurants – have simple facilities like sanitary waste bins.
The survey, carried out on behalf of Prostate Cancer UK and hygiene provider PHS Group, revealed that seven in ten men had missed seeing friends and family, while a third were avoiding doing the weekly shop or going to the pub.
Four in five patients suffering from urinary incontinence say the lack of public facilities is affecting their daily lives (file photo)
Others reported the impact on family life: 17 percent said they had chosen not to take children to school, while 13 percent had missed a parent meeting.
Prostate Cancer UK is campaigning for male sanitary bins to be available in men’s toilets across the UK.
Nick Ridgman, head of support services at Prostate Cancer UK, said: ‘Hundreds of thousands of men in the UK suffer from incontinence but are forced to suffer in silence due to an appalling lack of basic facilities.
‘Incontinence shouldn’t mean you miss out on a chance to live a full life, but many men are too anxious to leave the house because they have no idea whether they’ll be able to dispose of their used sanitary pads in a suitable sanitary container.
‘Two-thirds of men in this new study say their lives would be improved if there were incontinence containers and vending machines in men’s bathrooms.’