A proper diagnosis is key to finding the best treatment option for incontinence.

The two most common types of incontinence are stress incontinence and urge incontinence.

• Stress incontinence causes you to leak urine when things every day activities put pressure on your bladder. You may experience stress incontinence when you sneeze, cough, laugh, jog, or lift heavy objects .

You may also leak urine during low stress activities such as walking or changing position.

• Urge incontinence is the sensation of needing to urinate or a sudden, strong urge to go. Unlike stress incontinence, urge incontinence occurs without pressure on the bladder from activities. You may have to go eight or more times a day or multiple times at night.  Touching or hearing running water may also cause you to feel the urge to go.

• Urinary tract infection. Urinary tract infection, also known as a UTI, can irritate your bladder, resulting in a strong urge to urinate, or incontinence.
• Pregnancy and childbirth. The strain from carrying a baby and giving birth can weaken muscles, ligaments, and nerves in the pelvis, resulting in incontinence.
• Hysterectomy. If you have your uterus removed, the muscles and ligaments that support the bladder may become damaged and may cause incontinence.
• Menopause. Estrogen helps keep the bladder, pelvic muscles, and urethra healthy so incontinence is more common in menopause, due to a reduced level of estrogen.
• Smoking. While the reason is unknown, smokers are at an increased risk for incontinence compared to nonsmokers.
• Being overweight. Being overweight can put pressure on your bladder, causing you to leak urine.
• Medical conditions. Nerves or muscles can become damaged due to some conditions such as diabetes, multiple sclerosis, and Parkinson’s disease. Anxiety can also cause incontinence.
• Medications. Some medications, such as sleeping pills, some drugs used to treat depression, diuretics, and sedatives can cause incontinence or make it worse.

It’s important to discuss with your doctor your symptoms, medical history and vitamins and supplements you’re taking. Your doctor will also perform a physical examination. Other tests including a urine culture, ultrasound, neurological tests may be needed to rule out any other problems.

More extensive analysis may include:

• Urodynamic testing. A urodynamics test studies the bladder, sphincter and urethra performance to measure urine flow, bladder pressure, and residual urine left after voiding.
• Cystoscopy. A cystoscopy is a scope used to study the bladder and urinary tract.

Some treatment options include:

• Medication. Over-the-counter and prescription drugs can calm muscles and nerves and prevent bladder spasms.
• Devices. A pessary is a ring that’s inserted into a woman’s vagina to reposition the urethra to prevent leaks.
• O-Shot. The O-Shot is an in-office, nonsurgical procedure used to treat incontinence.
• Surgery. Your doctor may suggest surgery if your symptoms are severe and other treatments don’t help. One common type of surgery, called a sling procedure, uses a small ribbon of mesh to support the bladder.
• Bladder training. You can slowly gain control over your bladder and increase the time between bathroom trips by using the restroom at set times instead of waiting for the urge.
• Kegel exercises. Squeezing your pelvic floor muscles, which hold up your bladder, can make them stronger and help stop leaks. Here’s how to do them:
• Biofeedback. An electrical patch is placed on your skin over your bladder and urethra. The patch is connected to a monitor so you can see when the muscles contract, which will help you learn to control them to prevent leaks.
• Nerve stimulation. Nerve stimulation can help strengthen muscles around the bladder by sending quick pulses of electricity to the muscles.

• Physical therapy
• Minimally invasive surgical procedures
• Medications
• Watch what you eat. Cutting back on alcohol, carbonated drinks, coffee, tea, and spicy and acidic foods may improve your symptoms.
• Lose weight. Taking off extra pounds can make incontinence better. Losing just 5% percent of your body weight can help. That’s 10 pounds for a 200-pound person.
• Quit smoking. You’ll raise your chances of leaking less if you stop smoking.

If you suffer from any of these symptoms, help is available. Our double board-certified urogynecologists are experts in female pelvic health, including diagnosing and treating urinary incontinence. Call us today at 770.721.6060 or request an appointment online.