Condom Catheter for Incontinence

Condom catheters are a type of external catheter that helps manage urinary incontinence. They fit over your penis like a condom. You should change your condom catheter every 24 hours and empty the collection bag when it’s full. You’re less likely to develop a UTI while using a condom catheter than a Foley catheter.

Overview Procedure Details Risks / Benefits When To Call the Doctor

A condom catheter is a urine (pee) collection device. It fits like a condom over your penis. It has a tube at the tip that connects to a urine collection bag that you strap to your leg.

Condom catheters are a popular type of urinary catheter. Many males find them easier to use and change than Foley catheters (indwelling catheters). You must insert a Foley catheter through your urethra to access your urinary bladder.

There are many different names for a condom catheter. Some of them include:

  • Condom cath.
  • External catheter for men.
  • External urinary catheter.
  • Male condom catheter.
  • Male external catheter.
  • Penile sheath catheter.

Condom catheters are one of many treatment options for urinary incontinence that you can use outside of your body. Other external incontinence products include absorbent pads and underwear.

You may also use a condom catheter for other reasons, including:

  • Recent medical procedures that limit your movements.
  • You have a condition in which you shouldn’t use a Foley catheter, such as bladder muscle spasms, a bladder stone or a urinary tract infection (UTI).
  • You have overactive bladder (OAB).
 

You first need to choose a product. There are many kinds of condom catheters. Some use latex, while others consist of silicone. Don’t use a latex condom catheter if you have a latex allergy.

Condom catheters are also available in different sizes. You must measure around your penis (the circumference or girth) at the base of your shaft. This is where the girth is largest. You’ll use this measurement to find your size.

You can also choose the way you wish to apply the condom catheter. Some condom catheters are self-adhesive — they’re coated in a sticky substance that sticks to your skin. Others are non-adhesive. You secure the condom catheter in place with tape or a special type of glue that’s safe for skin.

Before you put on a condom catheter, it’s a good idea to wash your hands and penis with soap and water and gently dry them off. Otherwise, you put a condom catheter on the same way you’d put a condom on before sexual intercourse:

  1. Take the condom catheter out of the package.
  2. If you have foreskin, keep it pulled down over the head of your penis (glans).
  3. Gently grasp your penis shaft in one hand and use your other hand to roll the condom catheter onto your penis, leaving a small space at the tip of about half an inch (about 1.25 centimeters) to improve urine flow.
  4. Make sure the condom fits comfortably and securely, but not too tightly.
  5. Gently squeeze your penis to ensure the adhesive sticks to your shaft.
  6. Connect the tubing to the collection bag.
  7. Put on special underwear, if you’re using a condom catheter brand that requires it to help keep the catheter in place.
  8. After putting on a condom catheter, wash your hands with soap and water again.

No, you don’t need to shave your pubic hair to use a condom catheter. But it’s a good idea to trim your pubic hair around the base of your penis to ensure the adhesive sticks to your skin.

Empty the collection bag when it’s full. You should change your condom catheter every day.

It’s important to wash your hands with soap and water every time you put a new condom catheter on or take it off. Don’t reuse catheters. If you reuse the drainage bag, be sure to wash it thoroughly.

Condom catheters have many benefits, including:

  • Easy to use — a healthcare provider can teach you how to put it on.
  • Cause fewer catheter-associated UTIs than Foley catheters.
  • Cause less damage to your urethra than Foley catheters.

Many people also find condom catheters more comfortable than Foley catheters.

The risks or complications of condom catheters include:

  • Leakage.
  • Skin irritation, including abrasions, a rash or, in extreme cases, tissue death (necrosis).
  • UTIs.

Healthcare providers also may not recommend condom catheters if you have a bladder stone or you’re unable to put it on or take it off yourself.

When should I call my healthcare provider?

Reach out to a healthcare provider if you have any symptoms of urinary incontinence. They’ll work with you to find the best solution for treating leaks, which may include using condom catheters.

Call your provider if you’re using a condom catheter and you experience any of the following symptoms:

  • Blood in your pee (hematuria).
  • Discomfort or pain while peeing (dysuria).
  • Fever.
  • Peeing more than usual (frequent urination).
  • Skin irritation, including rashes or sores.
  • Carr RJ. Urinary Incontinence. In: South-Paul JE, Matheny SC, Lewis EL, eds. CURRENT Diagnosis & Treatment: Family Medicine. 5th ed. McGraw-Hill; 2020.
  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S.). CDC/STRIVE Infection Control Training (https://www.cdc.gov/infection-control/hcp/training/strive.html). Last updated 4/3/2024. Accessed 7/10/2025.
  • Feneley RC, Hopley IB, Wells PN. Urinary Catheters: History, Current Status, Adverse Events and Research Agenda (https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4673556/). J Med Eng Technol. 2015 Sep 18;39(8):459-70. Accessed 7/10/2025.
  • Gray M, Skinner C, Kaler W. External Collection Devices as an Alternative to the Indwelling Urinary Catheter: Evidence-Based Review and Expert Clinical Panel Deliberations (https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4870965/). J Wound Ostomy Continence Nurs. 2016 May-Jun;43(3):301-7. Accessed 7/10/2025.
  • Healthtalk.org. Condom Catheters (https://healthtalk.org/experiences/living-urinary-catheter/condom-catheters/). Last updated 10/2018. Accessed 7/10/2025.
  • Özkan HS, İrkoren S, Sivrioğlu N. Penile Strangulation and Necrosis Due to Condom Catheter (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23758994/). Int Wound J. 2015 Jun;12(3):248-9. Accessed 7/10/2025.
  • Sinha AK, Kumar N, Kumar A, et al. Condom Catheter Induced Penile Skin Erosion (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30364498/). J Surg Case Rep. 2018 Oct 22;2018(10):rjy275. Accessed 7/10/2025.
  • Urology. In: Iserson KV, ed. Improvised Medicine: Providing Care in Extreme Environments. 2nd ed. McGraw-Hill Education; 2016.
  • Urology Care Foundation (U.S.). Ask the Experts: Do Catheters Increase UTI Risk? (https://www.urologyhealth.org/healthy-living/urologyhealth-extra/magazine-archives/winter-2020/ask-the-experts-do-catheters-increase-uti-risk) Last updated Winter 2020. Accessed 7/10/2025.

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