Incontinence

What is incontinence?

Incontinence is the inability to retain urine until you’re ready to empty your bladder, leading to leakage, or in some cases, full voiding of the bladder.

There are two main types of incontinence:

Stress urinary incontinence

Stress incontinence occurs when there’s pressure on the pelvic region, such as coughing, sneezing, or laughing.

Urgency urinary incontinence

Urgency incontinence occurs when you suddenly need to pass urine and find it hard to keep it in. As a result, you may find you leak urine before you reach the bathroom.

What are the causes of urinary incontinence?

There are a number of possible causes for urinary incontinence, including:

• Urinary tract infection (UTI)
• Diuretic medications
• Excess caffeine or alcohol
• Pelvic floor disorders
• Constipation
• Neuromuscular problems
• Bladder stones
• Bladder or urethral growths

Women who gave birth vaginally often experience incontinence as a result of the stretching of pelvic muscles during childbirth. Menopause can also increase the likelihood of developing incontinence.

How is incontinence diagnosed and treated?

When you visit Southern Crescent Women's HealthCare, your provider looks at your medical history and talks through your symptoms with you, then carries out a physical exam.

You may also need to undergo urinalysis and other tests, such as:

• Flow cystometry to evaluate bladder function
• Electromyography (EMG) to test nerve and muscle function
• Urethral pressure profile to test urethral function
• Uroflowmetry to measure the rate of urine flow
• Voiding pressure study to check bladder pressure
• Cough test to see if you leak urine when you bear down
• Pad test to measure the amount of leakage
• Diagnostic imaging tests

If there’s a clear cause for the incontinence, your provider prescribes treatment to resolve the problem. For example, if the incontinence is due to a UTI, then treating the infection should cure the incontinence.

Other cases may require a combination of treatments, such as:

• Bladder training
• Physical therapy
• Using bladder support devices
• Losing weight
• Managing fluid intake
• Mirabegron medication
• Botox® injections
• Biofeedback
• Kegel exercises
• Pessary to support the vagina and lift the bladder
• Urethral bulking
• Percutaneous tibial nerve stimulation (PTNS)

Southern Crescent Women's HealthCare provides an expert program of pelvic floor exercises with Innovative Healthcare Systems LLC that helps to strengthen the muscles in your pelvic floor and reduces incontinence.

Surgery may be necessary when other treatments don’t provide relief from incontinence. Surgical options include:

• Supportive slings
• Colposuspension
• Sacral neuromodulation

Whatever the cause of your incontinence, the team at Southern Crescent Women's HealthCare can help you regain control, so call the clinic today, or book an appointment online.