150 Norwegian men with urinary incontinence living in the community were interviewed about their self care and help seeking behaviour. They were recruited to the study after responding to a marketing campaign for incontinence aids. A wide variety of control measures was used, the most popular being absorbent products. 25 men had not used any control measure. 104 men had mentioned their problem to a doctor. The consultation rate increased with the severity of urinary incontinence but was not correlated to its type or duration, nor to the patient's age or marital status. A multiple regression analysis showed that none of the recorded variables explained more than 10% of the total variation in consultation rate, and that no combination of variables explained more than 12%. Subtle personal and idiosyncratic mechanisms are probably more important, thus presenting a challenge for the case-finding strategy in general practice for urinary incontinence in men.