What Should You Ask Your Surgeon
Talk with your surgeon before you agree to have surgery. Make a list of questions that you want to ask. You might ask:
- Why this type of surgery has been chosen for you? How well it will work?About the details of the surgery.
- What is your best option if you have not yet completed your family?
- What are the risks?
Drug Increasing Bladder Capacity To Hold Urine
Two medications, in the beta-three adrenergic agonist class of drugs, have been studied in women with urgency incontinence. These medications work by improving the bladder’s capacity to hold urine and therefore increase the time between “urgent” trips to the toilet.
Mirabegron and solabegron are newer drugs and have been designed to resolve urgency urinary incontinence without causing bothersome harms. However, fewer clinical studies have examined these drugs. Future research will help us to know more about the long-term safety of mirabegron and solabegron.
Should I Drink Less Water Or Other Fluids If I Have Urinary Incontinence
No. Many people with urinary incontinence think they need to drink less to reduce how much urine leaks out. But you need fluids, especially water, for good health.
Women need 91 ounces of fluids a day from food and drinks.11 Getting enough fluids helps keep your kidneys and bladder healthy, prevents urinary tract infections, and prevents constipation, which may make urinary incontinence worse.
After age 60, people are less likely to get enough water, putting them at risk for dehydration and conditions that make urinary incontinence worse.12
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What Will I Experience During The Recovery Process
Every patient is different, but most men expect a quick recovery time. A majority of our patients resume normal activities 1-2 weeks after the procedure and full activity can be resumed in 6 weeks. Complications are rare, but they include pain and inflammation, urinary retention, urethral or tissue damage and bleeding and irritation at the site of the wound.
Can A Urinary Infection Cause Incontinence
If you are wondering can a urinary infection cause incontinence, the answer is yes, especially the temporary type of this condition. Infections irritate the bladder and create the urge to urinate and constipation because the rectum is near the bladder and connected to the bladder via many different nerves.
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What Causes Bladder Leaks
There are two main types of urinary incontinence:
Stress incontinence
If you have this type, activities that raise the pressure inside your abdomen cause urine to leak through the ring of muscle in your bladder that normally holds it in. Coughing, sneezing, jumping and lifting heavy objects could lead to a leak.
Going through childbirth, smoking or being overweight can raise the risk of stress incontinence for women, Wright says. Stress incontinence in men is rare, and when it arises, its often due to prostate cancer treatment, such as radiation or surgery.
Urge incontinence
With this type, your brain, spinal cord and bladder dont work together properly to allow you to hold and release urine at the right time. Your bladder may suddenly empty itself without warning. Or you may feel like you need to urinate frequently, a problem called overactive bladder.
Some diseases that affect the nervous system, such as multiple sclerosis or stroke, can cause this kind of incontinence, says Wright. In men, an enlarged prostate may be the culprit. But in many cases, doctors dont know what causes urge incontinence.
It is possible to have both types of incontinence at the same time.
Medications For Overactive Bladder
Drugs used to treat OAB block the abnormal contractions of the bladder muscle and can therefore also help ease the symptoms of urge urinary incontinence in both men and women. Youll find a list of OAB medications available in Canada on page 20. Generally speaking, these drugs fall into three categories:
Anticholinergics
Anticholinergic medications block the action of acetylcholine, a chemical messenger that tells the muscles of the bladder wall to contract. Unfortunately, acetylcholine acts in other parts of the body as well, so medications that block it can cause unwanted side effects like dry mouth, blurred vision, impaired cognition and constipation. New extended or prolonged release versions of anticholinergic medications reduce the incidence of side effects and improve compliance because they only need to be taken once a day to produce a steady absorption rate and constant blood levels of the drug.
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What Is Overactive Bladder
Normally, your urinary tract functions quite well. Yourkidneys produce urine that is stored in the bladder, and your bladder isrelaxed when there is no urine present. As your bladder fills withurine, your nerves send a signal that it needs to be emptied. When youhave overactive bladder, the signals to empty the bladder are sent eventhough the bladder is not full. As a result, you may notice thefollowing: 1) you feel the need to urinate 8 or more times during theday, and 2 or more times during a typical night 2) you feel a sudden,strong, and immediate urge to urinate and 3) you leak urineuncontrollably after you have the sudden and strong urge to urinate.Further, when you attempt to urinate, there is often very little urineor no urine at all.
Overactive bladder is not the same as stress incontinence.With stress incontinence, you leak urine when sneezing, laughing, orcarrying out other physical activities.
How To Get Help For Female Urinary Incontinence
Still feeling unsure about your first step? Remember, incontinence doesnt have to stop you from enjoying daily life on your terms. Getting the right diagnosis and treatment can be a life changer.
If you think that you might have urinary incontinence, reach out to one of our primary care doctors. Well answer any questions you may have and guide you to treatment that will work for you. If specialty care is needed, well refer you to our team of compassionate urogynecology specialists.
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Best Supplements For Urinary Incontinence
You might most likely have taken a multivitamin- perhaps calcium or vitamin D for your bones.
But do you take anything for your urinary incontinence issues? You may be asking yourself, is that even possible?
If you are determined to live a more natural lifestyle, you are probably already familiar with different vitamins and supplements.
Millions of Americans are taking various vitamins and supplements- from vitamin C to fighting off colds in the winter to Melatonin to help them get better sleep.
However, it is essential to note that not all vitamins and supplements are tested or approved by the food and drug administration .
Your doctor may suggest you take supplements for certain health problems, especially if you are eating only a plant-based diet, breastfeeding, or pregnant.
Your nutrients need to be met mostly through consuming foods and proper supplementation.
For targeting your urinary incontinence, there are also vitamins and supplements. But it is very important to speak with your doctor before taking any vitamin or supplement regimen.
You need to ensure that nothing will interact with your medication if you are taking any of them.
What Causes Incontinence
There are many different reasons that you could experience incontinence. These causes can vary depending on if youre a woman or man. Some causes are temporary health conditions that usually go away once treated. In those cases, your incontinence also usually stops once the condition is treated. Incontinence can be caused by long-term medical conditions. When you experience leakage issues because of a chronic condition, its usually something you will have to manage over a longer period of time. Even with treatment, chronic conditions usually dont go away. Incontinence may have to be managed over time as a symptom of your chronic condition.
Temporary or short-term causes of incontinence can include:
- Urinary tract infections : An infection inside your urinary tract can cause pain and increase your need to pee more often. Once treated, the urge to urinate frequently usually goes away.
- Pregnancy: During pregnancy, your uterus places extra pressure on the bladder as it expands. Most women who experience incontinence during pregnancy notice that it goes away in the weeks after delivery.
- Medications: Incontinence can be a side effect of certain medications, including diuretics and antidepressants.
- Beverages: There are certain drinks like coffee and alcohol that can make you need to urinate much more often. If you stop drinking these beverages, your need to urinate frequently typically goes down.
- Constipation: Chronic constipation can cause you to have bladder control issues.
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How Big Is The Device
Medical technology has made significant advances in recent years, and implantable medical devices have gotten smaller. The current device, which is about the size of a thumbnail drive, is smaller than most pacemakers. A new version is available that has a rechargeable battery that lasts about 15 years. These devices also are MRI-safe so you can have scans of your hips, back or legs in the future, if needed.
Should You Have Surgery
If your symptoms are making your life difficult, surgery may be the answer. You need to think about a few things:
Your age. If youâre young, keep in mind that bladder prolapse can happen again. Even if you have surgery now, you may end up needing another operation down the road. If youâre older, any other health issues you have may affect your decision.
Your plans about having children. If you want more children, itâs best to hold off on surgery until you decide your family is complete.
Your general health. Surgery has some risks, such as infection, blood clots, or problems with the anesthetic. If you have a heart condition, diabetes, or breathing difficulties, any of these things could make an operation riskier. So could smoking or obesity.
Also, talk with your doctor about the chances that surgery could cause new problems. You might develop urinary incontinenceâ urine leaking out without your control. Sex might become uncomfortable, and you might feel pain in your pelvis.
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Pelvic Floor Muscle Exercises
Also known as Kegel exercises, these exercises are especially effective for stress incontinence but may also help urge incontinence. To do pelvic floor muscle exercises, imagine that youre trying to stop your urine flow. Then:
- Tighten the muscles you would use to stop urinating and hold for five seconds, and then relax for five seconds.
- Work up to holding the contractions for 10 seconds at a time.
- Aim for at least three sets of 10 repetitions each day.
Treatment Of Nocturnal Enuresis
While nocturnal enuresisdefined as involuntary loss of urine during sleep that occurs at least twice a week in children older than 5 years of age for at least 3 monthsis the most common urologic complaint in pediatric patients, it also affects a significant number of adults. Nocturnal enuresis in adults may have multiple underlying pathologies, and treatment should first target identifiable etiologies, although a generalized approach can then be followed, utilizing behavioral and lifestyle modifications followed by medical therapy.
Such basic measures as evening fluid restriction and daytime bladder training can be beneficial. Desmopressin decreases nighttime urine production it is administered orally for primary nocturnal enuresis and intranasally or sublingually for nocturnal polyuria. Imipramine has been one of the most common pharmacologic therapies. Oxybutynin and other anticholinergics have been used.
Although pharmacologic treatment can help, the underlying disorder often returns after discontinuation. Conditioning therapy with moisture-sensitive alarms are effective. Positive results usually persist even after the device is removed.
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Surgical Treatments For Ui
Bladder control surgery to treat stress incontinence is available and works by giving more support to the urethra. The support keeps you from leaking when pressure is put on your bladder or your urethra, putting you in control of when its time to go. There are also procedures available to treat urge incontinence.
Our doctors will help to decide if a procedure or surgery is the best option for you and will walk you through how it works as well as answer any questions you may have.
Cleavers And Corn Silk
Cleavers, or sticky willy, is a plant that clings to everything, as its name implies. Cleavers tea is marketed as detoxifying and as providing lymphatic support, but no evidence documents its use to reduce OAB symptoms.
Corn silk, the strands you pluck from corn before eating it, is also used to make a tea. This tea is said to ease urinary tract infection symptoms, but no data backs up that claim. Nor is there scientific proof that corn silk would help OAB.
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How Is Incontinence Treated
There are many different factors that your healthcare provider will consider when creating a treatment plan for your incontinence. The type of incontinence and the ways it affects your life are both big considerations. Your provider will also talk to you about the type of treatment you are most comfortable with. There are three main types of treatment you can explore for incontinence medications, lifestyle changes and surgery. Each option has pros and cons that your provider will discuss with you.
Medications to treat incontinence
There are quite a few medications that can reduce leakage. Some of these drugs stabilize the muscle contractions that cause problems with an overactive bladder. Other medications actually do the opposite thing relaxing muscles to allow your bladder to empty completely. Hormone replacement therapies can often involving replacing estrogen thats decreased during menopause may also help restore normal bladder function.
In many cases, medications can work very well to return normal function to the bladder. Your provider will carefully select a medication that matches your specific needs. Often, your provider will start you on a low dose of the medication and then increase it slowly. This is done to try and reduce your risks of side effects and to keep track of how well the medication is working to treat your incontinence.
Common medications that can be used to treat incontinence include:
Lifestyle changes to manage incontinence
Types Of Dogs More Likely To Have Urinary Incontinence
While urinary incontinence can happen to any dog, it is more likely in certain types.
Female Dogs. Middle-aged to older spayed female dogs are prone to what is referred to as âspay incontinence.â This is a form of incontinence commonly caused by lower estrogen levels, which can lead to a loss of muscle tone in the urethra. In some cases, incontinence may be caused by a weak bladder. This condition is referred to as weak bladder sphincter incontinence. Your vet may call it Urethral Sphincter Mechanism Incompetence . It is the most common cause of urinary incontinence in spayed female dogs.
Older Dogs. Bladder leaks are not an uncommon occurrence in older dogs. This is because the urethral muscles are not as strong as they used to be. As your dog ages, they may have a harder time holding in urine.
Often, incontinence starts when dogs are mature or middle-aged. Several factors are thought to play a role in USMI. These include:
- Abnormal bladder positioning
These tests can help determine the root cause and best treatment plans for your dog. A urinalysis may prove your dog has a bladder infection. Some other tests, like blood tests, may be necessary to rule out underlying causes like diabetes or Cushingâs disease. Radiographs can rule out urinary stones, and ultrasounds will rule out tumors or growth in the bladder. Depending on the findings of these tests, other tests may be necessary too.
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How To Talk About Urinary Incontinence
Bringing up the topic of urinary incontinence with your doctor or your spouse is never easy most people are at least a bit embarrassed. But open communication can help you find out about the causes of incontinence and whether your medications may be contributing.
One good opener might be something like this: I have been having bladder troubles.
If you will be visiting a new doctor, and have not yet selected them, you might seek out a doctor of the same sex, if you think that would help you feel more comfortable. Or, you might bring up the topic first with your doctors nurse.
Preparing for the conversation about urinary incontinence may help you feel more in control. That means being able to answer the questions your doctor is likely to ask, including:
- When did your urinary incontinence symptoms begin?
- Have you had urinary incontinence symptoms before?
- What drugs are you on, and when did you start each of them?
- Do you leak urine with physical activity, coughing or sneezing?
You may find it easier to talk about incontinence if you acknowledge it as a medical condition that needs treatment, just as high blood pressure, arthritis, or high cholesterol does. Treatment options for urinary incontinence are plentiful.
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Nay On Horsetail Cranberries
Horsetail , an ancient plant that resembles a bristly tail when dried, may produce a mild diuretic effect. The goal of OAB treatment is control over random bladder spasms, not increased urine flow. The diuretic effect and lack of studies mean you should cross horsetail off your list if youre looking for help for OAB.
The same is true for cranberries. The fruit is very acidic, which may aggravate the symptoms of OAB. Cranberries may change the way bacteria adheres to the bladder in a urinary tract infection, but bacteria isnt involved in involuntary contractions that cause OAB.
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