Understand and Treat your Stress Urinary Incontinence
Stress urinary incontinence is a common condition among women over 50. Aside from the discomfort, it also has the potential to be embarrassing. At Dr. Fefelova’s clinic in Barrie, Ontario, we deal with such cases almost on a daily basis. Read on and find out what causes stress urinary incontinence and what your treatment options are.
What is stress urinary incontinence and what causes it?
Stress urinary incontinence is the involuntary release of urine during a physical activity that puts stress on your bladder. Said physical activity can be something as simple as sneezing or coughing, it doesn’t have to be strenuous exercises.
Stress urinary incontinence occurs in women whose muscles that support your bladder and control the release of urine are weakened. The weakening of these muscles with age, after menopause (due to lower estrogen levels) or after childbirth, injuries to the urethra or pelvic surgery.
Some women only lose a few drops of urine, while others can lose entire streams. Some of the factors that can aggravate stress urinary incontinence are: certain foods and drinks (alcohol, coffee, spicy foods, citrus fruits) or UTIs (urinary tract infections, weight problems, certain drugs that increase the urine output or diabetes.
What is the right treatment for stress urinary incontinence?
In mild cases, a few lifestyle changes can suffice to treat this condition. Losing weight, giving up certain physical activities like running or jumping, limiting your liquid output – all these are recommendations your doctor can make. Medication is also an option: drugs that control an overactive bladder or drugs that reduce bladder contractions can be prescribed by your doctor. Other non-surgical options include Kegel exercises to strengthen your pelvic muscles) or a vaginal pessary – a small ring inserted in your vagina to support your bladder.
If your stress urinary incontinence is severe, surgical treatment is recommended. Collagen can be injected in your urethra to reduce incontinence. Another surgical option is TVT (tension-free vaginal tape) – -during this surgery a mesh is placed around the urethra in order to support it. Bladder reparatory surgery or retropubic suspension surgeries are also viable options.
One of the most important things to remember is that stress urinary incontinence is nothing to be ashamed of. You should not seek remedies on your own, but see an experienced doctor who can diagnose you properly and find out if there are any underlying causes to your condition. If you want to get rid of stress urinary incontinence, call and make an appointment with Dr. Fefelova in Barrie, Ontario. With extensive experience in this field, she can help you turn this unpleasant condition into a distant memory.
