Urinary Incontinence Specialist

What is urinary incontinence?

Urinary incontinence is the term that describes involuntary urine leakage. It’s a common problem that affects as many as a quarter of American women. You may feel embarrassed about urinary incontinence, but it’s often a simple problem that can be controlled or corrected. 

There are several different types of urinary incontinence. 

Stress incontinence

This type of incontinence causes urine to leak when you sneeze, cough, laugh, exercise, or perform any other action that places pressure on your bladder. 

Urge incontinence

This type of incontinence is characterized by a sudden, intense need to urinate followed by an involuntary loss of urine. It’s often caused by an underlying medical condition.

Overflow incontinence

This type of incontinence occurs when you are unable to completely empty your bladder during urination, and it’s marked by urine dribbling between bathroom visits. 

Functional incontinence

This type of incontinence is the result of a medical condition that prevents you from reaching the bathroom in time. People with arthritis often suffer from functional incontinence.

It’s also possible to have a combination of different types of incontinence, which is sometimes referred to as mixed incontinence. 

When should I see a specialist about urinary incontinence?

An occasional inability to control your bladder is usually nothing to worry about. But if the problem persists, you should consider coming in for a diagnostic work-up. Some of the issues that should prompt medical treatment include:

• Feeling as though you need to limit your activities or social interaction due to fear of an accident
• Feeling that your quality of life is negatively affected by frequent incontinence
• Concern that changes in urinary function might indicate another medical condition
• Increased need to rush to the bathroom to try to prevent an accident, which can increase your risk of falling

There is no need to accept urinary incontinence as just another part of growing older when there are treatments that can help. 

What are some treatment options for urinary incontinence?

The first step in charting a course of treatment is a thorough diagnostic examination. Your specialist begins with a discussion of your personal and family health history and a physical examination. 

You might be asked to keep a log of your urinary habits over a period of several days to give your doctor more insight into your condition. A test called urinalysis checks your urine for signs of infection and other problems. 

A diagnostic tool called postvoid residual measurement checks how much urine remains in your bladder after you urinate. A catheter or ultrasound helps take the measurement.

There are multiple treatments that can help with urinary incontinence. Behavioral techniques work by training your bladder to hold urine for longer periods of time, and fluid management trains you to refrain from drinking fluids too close to bedtime. 

Pelvic floor muscle exercises can prevent or reduce some types of bladder leakage. They are easy to perform at home and have no risk of side effects. Certain medications can also improve your bladder control. 

In some cases, a medical device worn inside your vagina can control urinary incontinence. There are also advanced treatments in which your doctor injects small particles into the tissue around your urethra to prevent leakage or gives you BotoxⓇ injections to reduce muscle contractions. 

When you’re ready to learn more, call Ganesh OBGYN to set up a visit, or schedule online using the easy booking tool.