IF YOU EXPERINENCE ANY OF THESE PROBLEMS, YOU ARE NOT ALONE :

Almost half of the women do not seek treatment, often because they mistakenly believe nothing can be done. Fortunately, there are effective solutions to the problem of involuntary loss of urinary control, or urinary incontinence.

Urination is a fairly complex process, requiring the coordinated function of various muscles and nerves. Therefore, it is not uncommon for a disruption in normal bladder control to occur. When this happens, involuntary loss of urine from the bladder – is the result. Causes of urinary control vary widely. For many women, bladder control problems may be caused by the stress of childbirth or when pelvic muscles weaken after menopause.

There are several different types of incontinence :

OVERFLOW INCONTINENCE
Overflow incontinence occurs when the bladder never fully empties and simply overfills to the point of leakage. Overflow incontinence may be caused by factors such as scar tissue resulting from prior surgery o from neurologic problems.

URGE INCONTINENCE
Urge incontinence is the loss of urine related to strong desire to void, regardless of how full the bladder is. Causes may be related to infection, nere problems, prior surgery or coexisting stress incontinence.

STRESS URINARY INCONTINENCE (SUI)
It is an involuntary leakage of small quantities of urine during physical activities that increase pressure in the abdomen. In describing this condition, the word “stress” does not refer to emotional stress, but to the stress of increased physical pressure on the bladder.

SUI is the most common cause of urinary incontinence among women. Women experience urinary leakage when lifting something heavy, during exercise, or simply when laughing, sneezing or coughing. SUI occurs because the valve mechanism in the urethra is not functioning properly or due to a condition called hypermoblity and / or internal sphincter deficiency.

NO MATTER WHAT THE CAUSE, YOUR DOCTOR CAN HELP YOU

Treatments can vary depending on the type of incontinence and is cause, but may be as simple as:

A basic work-up would include :

Overflow and Urge Incontinence do not require surgery and usually can be controlled with the help of Behavioral therapy, Bladder training and Medications.

In patients with mild SUI conservative therapy in the form of Pelvic Floor Exercise, Electrical Stimulation is tried failing which medical therapy can be instituted. Patients with severe SUI should go for surgical therapy.

SURGERY FOR STRESS INCONTINENCE
There are over 100 operations described to correct stress incontinence. The two most effective and popular operations are:

Your doctor will be able to decide whether you require surgery, and which surgery is best for you depending on you age, degree of pelvic floor relaxation, severity of incontinence, associated problems of he uterus etc.

TAKE CONTROL OF YOUR BLADDER
TAKE CONTROL OF YOUR LIFE
TALK TO YOUR DOCTOR