The Most Common Cause of Urinary Incontinence is an Overactive Bladder
Urinary Incontinence in Women
Urinary incontinence affects women from every walk of life
at any age. Though an often embarrassing problem, there are fortunately many
effective therapies that are available to treat urinary incontinence.
Most women empty their bladder every 3-4 hours during the day and may awake at
least once a night to void. It is not uncommon for some women to leak a small
amount of urine with strenuous movements, during pregnancy and with coughing or
sneezing. If the loss of urine becomes frequent and severe, it is called urinary
incontinence and requires treatment.
Normal urination occurs when a woman is able to empty her bladder when she has a
desire to. Voiding is a complex process involving several steps. Several things
can go wrong leading to urinary incontinence including:
The bladder contracts and pushes urine into the
urethra, allowing urine to pass out of the body when a person is not ready
to urinate.
The bladder fails to contract properly when it
should, allowing a build up of urine in the bladder and leakage.
The sphincter muscles don't close or stay closed
properly under pressure, causing leaking.
The urethra is obstructed preventing proper
drainage and improving the likelihood for leakage in the future.
The Most Common Risk Factors for Urinary Incontinence Some women are more at risk for urinary incontinence than others. Generally 10
to 30 percent of women will experience some form of urinary incontinence. More
often than not the chances for incontinence increase with age. Urinary
incontinence is also associated with a number of conditions including:
High impact physical activities
Obesity
Heart failure
Lung problems
Vaginal deliver
Pregnancy
Depression
Episiotomy
Estrogen depletion
The Types of Urinary Incontinence There are several different types of urinary incontinence including transient
(more likely to occur in pregnant women or as the result of a urinary tract
infection) and established, where a problem exists with the process of
urination. Established urinary incontinence is typically associated with urge,
stress or overflow incontinence.
Diagnosis of Urinary Incontinence Diagnosis is the first step toward treating a urinary problem. It is important
that you disclose any trouble you may be having with your health care provider
as soon as possible, so your physician can help you determine the cause of your
problem.
Your physician will rule out any underlying conditions before assessing the best
possible treatment method for your condition. This may include a health history
and complete physical, to rule out urinary tract infections or other common
causes of urinary incontinence. You may be asked to keep a voiding diary. This
diary will be used to record the time and amount of urine loss, frequency of
urination and how much water or other fluids you drank. You should also include
a history of what you were doing when you experienced urine loss. The voiding
diary is a very helpful tool in making the diagnosis of urinary incontinence.
Other tools to help diagnosis the cause of urinary incontinence include:
Lab tests: urine analysis and culture may be
performed to rule out a bladder infection. Blood tests may be obtained to
evaluate the overall functional health of the kidneys.
Stress test: you may be asked to stand and cough a
few times, in order to record any urine loss.
Urodynamic testing: Cystometry can be used to
evaluate the bladder capacity and measure the rate of flow of urine during
voiding.
Treatment of Urinary Incontinence Treatment will generally depend on the type of urinary incontinence you are
experiencing. Most transient forms resolve themselves as the underlying
condition (such as pregnancy) resolves itself.
Urge incontinence, where an abrupt and overwhelming urge to urinate followed by
leakage commonly occurs, can typically be resolved via behavioral therapy. Drug
therapy may also be used to help suppress bladder muscle activity in some cases.
In cases where stress incontinence is an issue, patients may be instructed in
pelvic and muscle exercises geared toward reducing leakage.
In few cases surgery may be recommended. Surgery often offers a higher cure rate
particularly for stress incontinence; however it is invasive and may be
associated with more complications.
Overflow incontinence is typically associated with leakage that occurs because
the bladder fails to empty properly. This can be due to an obstruction of the
urethra or bladder, or because the bladder has weak muscle contraction. This is
a relatively uncommon cause for incontinence in women. There are numerous
treatments available including surgery that may help.
General measures that can also be adopted to help reduce urinary incontinence
include the following:
Avoiding alcoholic beverages.
Relaxing when voiding.
Using the bathroom regularly, particularly when
the urge first strikes.
Reducing potential triggers including coffee or
tea, tomatoes, spicy foods, chocolate, artificial sweeteners, honey or
sugar.
Use of pads and protective garments.
It is important that you discuss your condition and
treatment conditions with your physician. Studies suggest that more than ½ of
people with urinary incontinence fail to discuss the issue with their physician.
Remember however, that with adequate treatment most forms of urinary
incontinence can be resolved or minimized. Together with your health care
provider you can come up with a plan for beating and curing urinary
incontinence.
