What Is Urinary Incontinence?

Urinary incontinence is the involuntary leakage of urine, due to a lack of control of the urinary sphincter. It is a pretty stressful condition both physically and mentally, as no one likes to stain their clothes or go to the bathroom too frequently. While there are several possible causes behind urinary incontinence, it is luckily a curable medical problem.

How Common Is Urinary Incontinence?

Urinary incontinence is far more common of a medical issue than you may think. A lot of people hesitate to disclose it due to its unhygienic nature, yet the statistics are alarmingly high. Here are some facts which will help you understand the prevalence of urinary incontinence:

•       Urinary incontinence is the most common disease associated with poor quality of life worldwide.
•       According to the Urology Care Foundation, a quarter to a third of men and women in the US suffer from some degree of urinary incontinence.
•       Women suffer 5 times more often than men.
•       It is considered the most common complication in women after childbirth with prevalence as high as 30%.
•       There are several types of urinary incontinence, but stress incontinence is the most common type and is associated with obesity, pregnancy, coughing, etc.
•       About 4 in 10 women above the age of 65 years are suffering from bladder incontinence.

What Predisposes You To Urinary Incontinence?

Urinary incontinence is a debilitating disease both physically and mentally. Its incidences increase with age and show a greater degree of prevalence in women. The are several reasons why women are at a higher risk:

•       Pregnancy is the most notorious risk factor for bladder incontinence as the child inside the mother’s womb distorts the whole anatomy and weakens the bladder tone and ligament support.
•       Menopause deprives the female body of estrogen, leading to the loosening of the bladder and its ligaments. This produces bladder incontinence leading to urine leaking.
•       Short female urethra.

Other factors for urinary incontinence include; obesity, digestive and kidney diseases, multiple sclerosis, overflow incontinence, diabetes, urinary tract infections, pelvic trauma or surgery, etc.

Some Types Of Urinary Incontinence One Should Know:

There are several types of urinary incontinence, but the most common ones are:

Stress Incontinence:

It is more common in females and is caused by an underlying stressful condition like pregnancy, menopause, age, and obesity.

Urge Incontinence:

The increased urge to urinate and is mostly associated with urinary tract infections, multiple sclerosis, and strokes.

Overflow Incontinence:

An obstruction or blockage to the bladder. When the bladder is full, the extra urine dribbles automatically without any urge.

How Debilitating Is Urinary Incontinence?

Urinary incontinence has more social trauma and embarrassment attached to it than a physically visible problem typically does. There is no voluntary control over holding your urine, and a weak bladder always keeps dribbling and staining the clothes. If you are experiencing urinary incontinence, you either have to use adult diapers or have to be socially disconnected in order to keep up with the urge and frequency of urination. Most nights you will have to sacrifice sleep because the urge to go to the restroom will continuously wake you up throughout the night.

How Do You Know When To Consult A Doctor?

Leaking urine can be physiological in pregnancy or it can be a psychological issue. It can also be a sign of simple stress or overflow incontinence and a symptom of chronic disease. If you experience any of the following symptoms you should consult a doctor:

•       When the onset of urinary incontinence is sudden.
•       When your lifestyle starts being affected by it.
•       You constantly feel a full bladder.

What Treatment Options Are Available For Urinary Incontinence?

No doubt urinary incontinence is a stressful condition but it is completely curable. There are several treatment options available which, according to the severity of incontinence, have their own effectiveness.

Pelvic Floor Training:

Kegel exercise is a pelvic floor training method which helps to strengthen the pelvic floor and urinary sphincter. It is a primitive method and you can do it at home without going to a physician.

Bladder Training:

Several exercises include delaying urination to increase control, double urination with a space of 2 minutes apart and scheduling can improve symptoms.

Medications:

Medicines like anticholinergics, topical estrogen, and Tricyclic antidepressants can delay the urge and help you gain some control.

Medical Devices:

Several devices which are medicated or use medical injections can also help alleviate the symptoms of urinary incontinence. These include; urethral inserts, pessaries, botox injection in the bladder muscle, radiofrequency ablation and bulking agents.

Surgeries:

If the above methods fail, one may opt to receive surgical procedures to reduce the frequency or urge of urination. These procedures include; sling operation, colposuspension, or an artificial urinary sphincter.

Other options that are also available include; adult diapers, urinary catheters, and absorbent pads.

The Latest Medical Therapy For Urinary Incontinence –  The O-Shot:

The O-shot requires a PRP (Platelet-Rich Plasma) injection into the vaginal area which results in eliminating most of the symptoms of urinary incontinence. The biggest advantage of the current O-shot technique is the ready availability of PRP injections because they are obtained from your own body and it helps to avoid any adverse cross-reactions. A sample of your own blood is spun in a centrifuge, and after a numbing cream is used, injected into the vaginal area using a very tiny needle.  PRP treatment can take as little as 30 minutes.

The O-Shot At Restorative Health:

The O-shot is currently a very popular treatment of choice for urinary incontinence, as its beneficial effects in treating such a debilitating and socially awkward disease go beyond the cure rate of any other treatment. Restorative Health is a renowned name in the field of age management, and the work of our highly qualified and experienced team is praised all around the world. Our services in the field of hormone replacement management are unparalleled and clearly depict our vision of improving the life-quality of women and helping them fight age-related problems.

We are currently offering free consultations for first-time patients to speak with a specialist about customizing a treatment program.  Financing is available while also working with your insurance to help mitigate any out of pocket costs. If you are experiencing urinary incontinence, call us at (314) 300-9199 or schedule your free consultation below.