Although urinary incontinence is not a life-threatening medical condition, it can significantly affect quality of life. When urinary incontinence becomes bothersome, people often stop traveling, exercising, visiting family and friends — in short, people stop doing the activities they enjoy.
If left untreated, urinary incontinence can lead to frequent accidents, which can cause skin rashes, recurrent UTIs, and other issues. If overflow incontinence is left untreated it can lead to recurring urinary tract infections and upper urinary tract damage.
Perhaps you've been living with incontinence for some time, thinking it will go away on its own or you're just too ashamed to talk about it. Whatever the reason, the good news is, incontinence can be effectively treated. Living with incontinence is not only a physical problem.
Urge incontinence happens when people have a sudden need to urinate and cannot hold their urine long enough to get to the toilet. It may be a problem for people who have diabetes, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, or stroke.
Urinary incontinence almost never goes away on its own. But there are steps you can take to help relieve your symptoms. "Alleviating urinary incontinence starts with understanding which type of incontinence you're experiencing and what's causing it," says Dr. Lindo.
If you're embarrassed about a bladder control problem, you may try to cope on your own by wearing absorbent pads, carrying extra clothes or even avoiding going out. But effective treatments are available for urinary incontinence. It's important to ask your doctor about treatment.
This condition can occur at any age, but it is more common in women over the age of 50.
Study results are published online today in Menopause, the journal of The North American Menopause Society (NAMS). Urinary incontinence symptoms are common in women and typically worsen as women age.
The word incontinence starts with two little letters that make all the difference. Continence is the ability to control your bladder and bowel function, while incontinence is the opposite – bladder or bowel leakage. But continence problems also include other bladder and bowel issues.
Red flags for continence issues in women
Microscopic haematuria in women aged over 50 years. Visible haematuria. Recurrent or persisting UTI associated with haematuria in women aged 40 years or over.
Urge incontinence, or urgency incontinence, is when you feel a sudden and very intense need to pass urine and you're unable to delay going to the toilet. There are often only a few seconds between the need to urinate and the release of urine.
Being dehydrated leads to dark, concentrated urine which can irritate the walls of the bladder, causing them to contract more often, and leak more urine. Every person is unique, so try to balance your need to stay hydrated with how much fluid can make your urinary incontinence worse.
Vaginal mesh surgery (tape surgery)
Vaginal mesh surgery is where a strip of synthetic mesh is inserted behind the tube that carries urine out of your body (urethra) to support it. Vaginal mesh surgery for stress incontinence is sometimes called tape surgery. The mesh stays in the body permanently.
absorbent products, such as pants or pads. handheld urinals. a catheter (a thin tube that is inserted into your bladder to drain urine) devices that are placed into the vagina or urethra to prevent urine leakage – for example, while you exercise.
You may feel uncomfortable discussing incontinence with your doctor. But if incontinence is frequent or is affecting your quality of life, it's important to seek medical advice because urinary incontinence may: Cause you to restrict your activities and limit your social interactions.
Incontinence can occur in the middle and late stages of dementia. Doctors generally define incontinence as the inability or limited ability to control when the body releases urine or stool. It can range in severity from occasional leakage to the full loss of control of these functions.
TREATMENT OF URGE INCONTINENCE
The anticholinergic agents oxybutynin (Ditropan; Oxytrol) and tolterodine (Detrol) are used widely to treat urge incontinence.
Many causes of incontinence are treatable. Suggest going to the bathroom on a frequent, scheduled basis. Rushing after the urge strikes will increase the chance of accidents. Every 2 hours is too often for most people; start with every 3–4 hours.
Urinary Incontinence Treatments
Urethral bulking agent – reduces the opening of the urethra to prevent urine leakage. Sling procedure – body tissue or synthetic material is used to create a “sling” to keep the urethra closed and prevent urine leakage.
Sudden stress (pressure) on your bladder causes stress incontinence. Common causes include coughing, sneezing, laughing, lifting and physical activity. Younger and middle-aged women and people assigned female at birth (AFAB) near or experiencing menopause are most likely to have stress incontinence.
Encouraging those with urinary incontinence to drink more water might sound counterproductive, but it can actually help them. Some people are tempted to drink less water and other liquids in general in order to reduce the need to urinate frequently.