Urinary incontinence can be embarrassing and prevent you from leaving the house as often as you’d like. Fortunately, life doesn’t have to be that way. The doctors at Virtuosa GYN in San Antonio, Texas provide several conservative and surgical options to decrease incontinence symptoms. Call Virtuosa GYN or schedule online now to discuss your options and resolve your incontinence issues.
Urinary incontinence is involuntary leakage of urine and occurs when control over the urinary sphincter is lost or weakened. An estimated 30% of women aged 30-60 have some form of incontinence.
Incontinence occurs when the muscles of the bladder weaken, contract irregularly, or can't effectively contract when you cough, sneeze, or laugh. Changes to your bladder muscles occur for a variety of reasons, including:
Stress urinary incontinence (SUI) is one of the most common types, especially in older women, and occurs when weak pelvic floor muscles allow urine to leak out. SUI worsens with coughing, sneezing, bending, lifting, and exercising.
With an overactive bladder, also called “urgency” incontinence, you experience a sudden urge to urinate. With this condition, your brain signals your bladder to empty or the muscles in your bladder contract too frequently. This type is most common in women after menopause.
Some women have both an SUI and an overactive bladder concurrently.
In overflow incontinence, you cannot empty your bladder due to blockage from a bladder stone or tumor, leading to leakage. This type is rare.
Your treatment options depend on the cause of your incontinence. Your doctor usually chooses conservative methods to reduce the use of invasive procedures or surgery.
Specialized bladder tests include cystograms, cystoscopy, pelvic ultrasound, and urodynamic testing.
After these tests, your doctor can diagnose the form of incontinence and provide you with individualized treatment options.
Your treatment options depend on the cause of your incontinence. Your doctor chooses conservative methods in many cases to reduce the use of invasive procedures or surgery.
Conservative methods include pelvic floor exercises, bladder training, prescription medications to relax overactive bladder muscles or improve the tone of your pelvic muscles, and medical devices, like pessaries.
Pessaries are rigid silicone devices inserted into your vagina to support muscles and any prolapsed pelvic organs. Your doctor teaches you how to care for your pessary, including insertion and removal instructions and cleaning protocols.
The doctors at Virtuosa GYN offer surgical intervention when required.
There’s help for your urinary incontinence symptoms. Call Virtuosa GYN or schedule online today to learn about your options.
