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Urinary Incontinence
Urinary Incontinence
By Dr. Sheri Task
The last time you went to the grocery store did you find yourself looking at the aisle of adult diapers wondering if this is your future? Trust me, you are not alone. The involuntary loss of urine, or urinary incontinence, is a common problem for many women. It is not something you would casually discuss with a friend over lunch, but you are not the only one hoping that you won’t sneeze and embarrass yourself in public. In fact, up to 50% of women become incontinent of urine as they age.
One established risk factor for urine incontinence is childbirth. Pregnancy and delivery weakens the pelvic muscles that support the bladder making it harder for these muscles to work properly when you cough, sneeze, or are active. Other risk factors include obesity, smoking, chronic lung disease, and problems with mobility.
The two most common types of incontinence are urge and stress. A person with urge incontinence will generally have an abrupt, overwhelming urge to urinate, followed by urine leakage that can range from a few drops to soaking. Stress incontinence occurs when the muscles around the bladder opening, the urinary sphincter, do not stay closed during an increase in the pressure of the abdomen, leading to urinary leakage. Activities like coughing, sneezing, exercising, and laughing all increase the pressure in your abdomen and can lead to leakage.
It is important to be open and honest with your doctor about your symptoms. While this is not any easy problem to talk about, a good history of your symptoms will help your doctor provide you the best treatment options. Your doctor may ask you to keep a bladder diary. This is a log of your symptoms over a 1 to 2 day period that helps identify triggers for your leakage. Your doctor may also do tests in the office that help her identify if you have urge incontinence, stress incontinence, or both(mixed).
It is highly recommended that you have a medical evaluation if you are experiencing incontinence. It may be related to a bladder infection, or a medical condition which affects the bladder function such as diabetes. Medications can also have related bladder effects. Once your evaluation is complete your doctor will be able to provide you with treatment options. While medication may help urge incontinence and mixed incontinence, the best treatment for stress incontinence is surgery.
In most centers worldwide, minimally invasive sling procedures are the primary surgical approach for stress urinary incontinence. The sling is a permanent mesh material placed so that it provides support for the weakened muscles around the opening of the bladder. It is very effective and often can be done as an outpatient procedure. Recovery is quick and serious complications are rare. Fortunately, at St. Rose Hospital you can find Gynecologists and Urologists who are well trained and highly skilled in these minimally invasive procedures as well as other treatment options.
Incontinence of urine is an embarrassing and frustrating problem. It's also a very common problem, and there are good effective treatments available. Don’t let this problem keep you from living a good active life. Call St. Rose Hospital or Bay Valley Medical Group to see a specialist today.
Dr. Sheri Task is a board certified Obstetrician and Gynecologist who practices at Bay Valley Medical Group.
Dr. Task is joined by Dr. Kala Chandler and Dr. Suman Veeragandham in their Women’s Services practice in Hayward.
Bay Valley Medical Group offers multi-specialty services and has offices in Hayward, Castro Valley, Danville and Pleasanton. Dr. Task is located at 27212 Calaroga Avenue in Hayward (510) 785-5000.
We welcome your questions!
Physicians on staff at St. Rose Hospital are interested in responding to your questions about health care and related topics such as health education and prevention.
Please send any questions to: TheDoctor@strosehospital.org