Urinary Incontinence Treatment
What is Urinary Incontinence?
Also known as involuntary urination, Urinary Incontinence is the unintentional passing of urine. It is also commonly referred to as ‘loss of bladder control’. This condition can be embarrassing at times, and is often faced by expecting mothers during pregnancy. The severity of this condition can either range from a few drops of urine leakage while sneezing or coughing to an uncontrollable urge to urinate without being able to get to a toilet in time. While both, men and women can be affected with this condition, it is more commonly seen in females.
Types and Symptoms of Urinary Incontinence
There are around four types of Urinary Incontinence commonly seen in patients:
- Stress Incontinence – This type of incontinence occurs when your bladder is under pressure such as when you cough or laugh.
- Overflow Incontinence -This type of incontinence is typically faced when you experience frequent or sometimes even constant dribbling of urine, which is mostly due to a bladder that doesn’t empty completely.
- Urge Incontinence – As the name suggest, in this type of incontinence, you get an intense and uncontrollable urge to urinate, followed by an uncontrollable loss of urine. Patients suffering from this condition tend to urinate more frequently, and the exact cause of this condition is unknown.
- Functional Incontinence – This condition is usually faced by patients who are unable to reach a toilet in time. Patients suffering from conditions leading to immobility or one that interferes with the mental function may face functional incontinence.
Causes of Urinary Incontinence
In women, the most common type of Urinary Incontinence faced is Urge and Stress Urinary Incontinence. Urinary Incontinence may have other easily treatable causes such as
- Urinary tract infection -Infections can irritate your bladder, causing you to have strong urges to urinate, and sometimes incontinence.
- Constipation-The rectum is located near the bladder and shares many of the same nerves. Hard, compacted stool in your rectum causes these nerves to be overactive and increase urinary frequency.
Urinary Incontinence may be a persistent condition and may be associated with:
- Obesity
- Hereditary
- Pregnancy and vaginal birth- A vaginal delivery can weaken the muscles needed for bladder control and also damage the bladder nerves and supportive tissue. Thus, leading to a dropped (prolapsed) pelvic floor.
- Age- Ageing of the bladder muscle can interfere with the capacity of the bladder to store urine.
- Hysterectomy- During surgery, there may be damage to the supporting pelvic floor muscles, which can lead to incontinence
- Neurological disorders– Parkinson’s Disease, stroke, brain tumour or spinal injury can all interfere with the nerve signals that control the bladder, resulting in incontinence.
Urinary Incontinence Treatment
Our healthcare experts strongly suggest that you take a few simple measures to improve the symptoms of the condition being faced. Improvement can be made, either by changing your lifestyle, losing weight, pelvic floor exercises or even bladder training. According to your case history, there are also certain forms of medications that may be prescribed by our consultants.
In cases where such measures fail to help, surgical procedures can also be suggested for effective Urinary Incontinence treatment. Treatment for frequent urination that our healthcare experts may recommend include a sling procedure that reduces pressure on the bladder, surgery on the pelvic floor for prolapse, retropubic suspension or tension-free vaginal tape surgery. Schedule a health check-up or an appointment with us to get a detailed diagnosis and advice.
