Stress Urinary Incontinence

What is stress urinary incontinence?

Urinary incontinence is the unintentional discharge of urine; despite popular belief, stress urinary incontinence is not related to psychological stress. It happens when a physical movement (such as cough, sneeze, heavy lifting or even running or exercising) puts pressure on the bladder.

Stress incontinence is more common in women than in men and, while it is not a life-threatening condition, it can cause shame and isolation and, overall decrease the quality of life.

Stress urinary incontinence treatment 

Stress urinary incontinence typically affects women after childbirth or women who suffer from a tone loss of their pelvic muscles. The treatment varies according to the severity of the condition and it may entail:

• Physical exercises: certain exercises (like Kegels) are designed to strengthen your pelvic muscles
• Lifestyle changes: your doctor may recommend avoiding caffeinated beverages or any other type of foods and drinks that irritate your urethra, a healthy diet and exercise (obesity favors stress urinary incontinence), quitting smoking and so on.
• Scheduled fluid intake and bath trips: with the purpose of “training” your bladder, the doctor may recommend that you drink fluids and use the toilet at pre-determined hours.
• Pessaries or urethral inserts: the first device is typically used by people with organ prolapse, while the latter is designed to prevent spillage.
• Surgery: several types of surgical interventions can be performed in order to support the neck of the bladder or improve sphincter closure.

Stress urinary incontinence treatment in Barrie, Ontario

As depicted above, there are numerous treatment options for women who suffer from stress urinary incontinence. However, a patient should never choose one of them on her own; instead, consulting with a doctor and choosing the ideal treatment according to your medical history is always the safest choice. Give us a call today and schedule an appointment to see Barrie’s top specialist in stress urinary incontinence, Dr. Evgenia Fefelova.