Urinary Incontinence, what is it? In simple terms, it is the accidental leakage of urine. Peeing your pants. Maybe a little, maybe a lot. Many females experience urinary incontinence at some point in their life, and yes, there is something you can do about it!
Different types of urinary incontinence:
- Stress Incontinence: Imagine you are laughing hard and suddenly you feel a dribble. Sneezing, coughing, laughing, running, lifting and jumping, anything that puts “stress” on your bladder may allow urine to leak out. Stress incontinence results from weakened pelvic floor muscles, which can be due to childbirth, surgery, muscles weakening with age, or menopause.
- Urgency Incontinence: Urge incontinence is characterized by a sudden, intense urge to urinate followed by involuntary leakage. Think, “I need to pee SO bad, RIGHT now.” This is also sometimes referred to as Overactive Bladder.
- Overflow Incontinence: This occurs when the bladder doesn't empty completely, leading to overflow and leakage. It’s often associated with nerve damage, diabetes, or a side effect of certain medications.
- Functional Incontinence: This type is not caused by problems with the urinary system but by physical or mental impairments that prevent a person from reaching the toilet in time. Conditions like arthritis or cognitive impairments are factors, such as struggling to unbutton pants, or being unable to move at a fast enough pace to reach a toilet.
Treatment Options
- Pelvic Floor Exercises (Kegels): Strengthening the pelvic floor muscles through regular exercises can help reduce or eliminate symptoms, especially for stress incontinence.
- Bladder Training: This technique involves learning to delay urination after feeling the urge, gradually increasing the time between trips to the bathroom.
- Medications: There are oral medications available that can help relax the bladder muscles, preventing spasms of the bladder or even allowing the bladder to hold more. In some cases botulinum toxin (Botox) or fillers can also be injected if other medications don’t work. For postmenopausal incontinence, topical estrogen may be helpful.
- Lifestyle Changes: For some, either increasing or decreasing your fluid intake, reducing caffeine intake, avoiding spicy or acidic foods, cutting back on alcohol, and increasing fiber can significantly reduce symptoms. Smoking can weaken pelvic floor muscles, and as coughing puts pressure on those muscles, a “smoker’s cough” can dramatically increase leakage. Quitting smoking is a great place to start.
- Maintain a Healthy Weight: Shedding excess pounds can reduce the pressure on the bladder and pelvic muscles.
- Surgery: In cases that don’t respond to the above, surgical options such as sling procedures or bladder neck suspension can provide relief.
- Medical Devices: Devices like pessaries, which support the urethra, or electrical stimulation devices, which strengthen the pelvic floor muscles, can also be effective.
Whether it's a sudden urge to go or an unexpected leak, urinary incontinence can significantly impact quality of life. While urinary incontinence becomes more common with age, urinary incontinence is not an inevitable part of aging, and it’s essential to understand the underlying causes.
Don’t hesitate to reach out to your provider at Northfield Hospital + Clinics to explore treatment options.