The first time it happened you were sure it was just a fluke. When it happened again with a sudden sneeze, you began to worry a bit. Then leakage became more of a regular problem. Now you are wondering, how is urinary incontinence diagnosed and treated?
What Is Incontinence
The unintentional loss of bladder control is known as incontinence, and women are more at risk to develop urinary incontinence, although men can develop it as well.
It can happen when the bladder muscles contract which forces urine out of the body, or it can be due to the sphincter muscles in the urethra becoming weaker.
There are several different types of urinary incontinence:
Urge Incontinence
This is when you have a sudden and uncontrollable urge to pee. Sometimes you can’t make it to the bathroom in time, also known as overactive bladder (OAB).
Stress Incontinence
This type of incontinence happens when someone experiences leakage when they sneeze, laugh, or cough.
Mixed Incontinence
This is a mixture of stress and urge incontinence. You have the sudden and uncontrollable urge to urinate, as well as the leakage when sneezing, laughing, or coughing.
Functional Incontinence
When someone has a disability and cannot make it to the bathroom in time but otherwise has no other bladder issues, this is called functional incontinence.
Overflow Incontinence
Sometimes a person doesn’t sense that their bladder is empty, or they cannot completely empty their bladder.
How Southland Urology Can Diagnose Urine Incontinence
Our urinary incontinence specialists in Orange County can diagnose your condition by performing a series of tests. They will begin by asking about your urinary habits and if there have been any changes.
Next they will do a thorough physical examination, take urine tests, a blood test, and measure kidney function. A PVR measurement assesses how much urine is left in the bladder after urinating. They may do a pelvic ultrasound, a stress test, or an X-ray of the bladder, plus others.
Treatments Available For Urinary Incontinence
Medications can stabilize muscle contractions that cause overactive bladder (urge incontinence). Other medications relax the muscles to allow the bladder to empty the bladder completely. Hormone replacement therapy is used to replace estrogen. Southland Urology will start with low doses and increase as needed.
Lifestyle changes are helpful as well, like some of the following:
- Exercises to strengthen pelvic floor muscles
- Emptying bladder at pre-scheduled times
- Peeing before physical activity
- Avoiding caffeine before activities or at bedtime
- Using pads to capture leakage
- Maintaining a healthy body weight
If necessary, there are multiple procedures and surgeries to treat incontinence if the other treatments are not sufficient. Southland Urology will provide options, and you can decide which might be best for you.
Don’t be embarrassed to discuss urinary incontinence with a doctor.
Schedule an Appointment for Urinary Incontinence in Orange County, CA
Contact Southland Urology at (714) 870-5970 if you are experiencing any of the symptoms of urinary incontinence.