Incontinence

What causes urinary incontinence?

Urinary incontinence occurs when you accidentally leak urine, whether it’s a small dribble or an embarrassing accident. In some cases, urinary incontinence is a temporary problem that develops when you have a urinary tract infection or eat something that irritates your bladder.

If your incontinence doesn’t clear up, however, it’s usually caused by an underlying problem, such as weak pelvic floor muscles.

The pelvic floor muscles are a group of muscles that hold your bladder and uterus in place. They also control the flow of urine. These muscles can weaken from the loss of estrogen at menopause, aging, and pressure during pregnancy and vaginal childbirth.

When pelvic floor muscles weaken, your bladder and uterus can drop out of their normal position (prolapse) and you’re more likely to develop urinary incontinence.

What are the different types of urinary incontinence?

Many women develop one type of incontinence, but it’s possible to have several, which is called mixed incontinence. The three primary types are:

Stress incontinence

This type of urine leakage occurs when you cough, laugh, pick up a heavy object, or do anything that puts pressure on your bladder.

Urge incontinence or overactive bladder

You may have this type if you can’t hold it in when a sudden and strong urge to urinate strikes.

Overflow incontinence

This occurs when your bladder doesn’t empty properly and you leak the remaining urine.

A fourth type of urinary incontinence, called functional incontinence, occurs when a physical or intellectual disability prevents you from getting to the bathroom in time to urinate.

How is urinary incontinence treated?

Your provider at OB-GYN Associates PC may conduct urodynamic studies to identify the underlying cause of incontinence. Then your treatment is customized based on your unique condition, using one or more of the many of the following options:

• Bladder training, to delay urination
• Pelvic floor therapy, to strengthen muscles
• Medications, to relax bladder muscles
• Collagen injections, to partially block the urethra
• Urethral insert or pessary, to block urine leakage
• InterStim® medical device, that targets nerves
• Minimally invasive surgery

Although nonsurgical therapies are always the first choice for treatment, you may need minimally invasive surgery to restore pelvic floor muscles or repair a bladder or uterine prolapse.

The physicians at OB-GYN Associates PC are highly experienced in minimally invasive surgery, including using the da Vinci® robotic system. This process uses a few very small incisions, so you have less trauma, less pain, little-to-no scarring, and a fast recovery.

When you’re ready to put a stop to urinary incontinence, call OB-GYN Associates PC or book an appointment online.