Incontinence, or urinary incontinence is a condition in which urine is released from the body unintentionally. Over thirteen million people in the U.S. experience urinary incontinence, and women experience it twice as often as men, particularly women who are post-menopausal. This issue can occur when you experience the need to go to the bathroom, but can’t make it there in time, or when you cough, sneeze, laugh, or exercise and urine is accidentally released. There are two types of incontinence that are the most common for women: stress incontinence and urge incontinence.
Stress incontinence is the most common type of bladder control issue for women. Urine leakage caused by “stress” refers to urine leaked during certain activities, such as those mentioned above (coughing, laughing, and etc). These actions put pressure on the bladder, and this pressure causes urine to be pushed out. Stress incontinence is most often caused by the weakening of support in a women’s urethra, which occurs when there’s been damage to pelvic support muscles. Childbirth is an example of an event in which pelvic support muscles can be damage.
Urge incontinence occurs when you just can’t make it to the bathroom in time, and can happen regardless of how much urine your bladder is holding. Women who experience urge incontinence may not have any warning prior to urine being released and will often release a large amount of urine than those who have stress incontinence. Urge incontinence is caused by abnormal bladder contractions, meaning that the bladder is not functioning properly, and may even be damaged.
When women experience symptoms associated with both stress and urge incontinence, they are experiencing mixed incontinence.
PGOMG offers in-office diagnostics in order to determine the best possible course of treatment we have available. Our in-office diagnostics include:
- Urodynamics Procedures (measurements that evaluate the bladder’s function)
- Neuromodulation
- Cystoscopy (endoscopy of the bladder through the urethra)
For more information on these diagnostic procedures, please contact your PGOMG specialist who will be happy to discuss each test with you in detail. Once a diagnosis has been made, your PGOMG specialist will move forward and recommended a treatment plan or procedure. Our practice offers a range of treatment options, some of which include:
- Urethral Bulking
- Interstim
- Tibial Nerve Stim
- Botox
- Minimally Invasive Surgery
- Pelvic Floor Therapy
- Medication
- Biofeedback
For more of PGOMG’s treatment options for Incontinence Management, please visit us here or speak to your PGOMG specialist. Incontinence is a very common condition and shouldn’t lower the quality of life for anyone experiencing symptoms. Please contact us today, either by phone (415) 923 – 3123, or online.
