Urinary Incontinence

Approximately 30-65% of women experience urinary incontinence (involuntary loss of urine). Possible causes include injuries from childbirth, aging, certain vaginal surgeries, radiation therapy, and medications that interfere with muscle, nerve, and bladder function.

It’s nothing to be embarrassed about.

Just like any other system in your body, the urinary tract can stop functioning well. And that’s nothing to be ashamed of.

It’s not inevitable.
People used to think stress urinary incontinence came with the territory of aging. But the truth is, it’s a condition that affects both young women and old. Stress urinary incontinence is the most common type of urinary incontinence in women under 60 years old and can be related to a number of factors, including pregnancy, vaginal childbirth, strenuous exercise, menopause, and gynaecologic surgery. And unfortunately, ignoring it can’t help and won’t make it go away.

It’s treatable.
Stress urinary incontinence isn’t a disease; it’s a condition that can be successfully treated. And that’s the good news.

There are four types of urinary incontinence that are most common in women:

Stress urinary incontinence: the unintentional release or leakage of urine during sudden movements such as coughing, sneezing, laughing and exercising.
Urge Incontinence: the sudden, intense urge to urinate, followed by a loss of urine. You may feel like you never get to the bathroom fast enough, you may wake several times a night with the strong urge to urinate.
Mixed Incontinence: occurs when women have symptoms of both stress and urge incontinence.
Overflow Incontinence: occurs when the bladder doesn’t completely empty. It may be caused by dysfunctional nerves or a blockage in the urethra that prevents the flow of urine.

Some facts about Stress Urinary Incontinence

It is Common: It is estimated that 1 in 3 women over 18 years of age suffer from stress urinary incontinence.
Women whose mother and/or sisters are incontinent have an increased risk of developing stress urinary incontinence symptoms and if you have an incontinent grandmother, the risk is increased further.
Urinary incontinence and especially stress urinary incontinence symptoms are much more common in women than men.
Women are more susceptible to stress urinary incontinence symptoms.
Weakened muscles of the pelvic floor can increase the risk
It is not necessarily a “normal” part of getting older that a woman just has to accept
It can affect women of all ages, for all kinds of reasons

Common causes

Pregnancy and childbirth- Stress urinary incontinence symptoms are common in pregnant women. While most naturally improve after delivery up to 30% of women may suffer from stress urinary incontinence symptoms within five years of childbirth.
Pelvic surgery and radiotherapy – Certain types of pelvic surgery (such as some types of major hysterectomy) are known to cause pelvic floor muscle dysfunction and this, in turn, increases the likelihood of a woman developing stress urinary incontinence symptoms. Other medical procedures like radiation can lead to nerve and muscle damage of the lower urinary tract.
Obesity and Constipation- Obesity and constipation have been found to put increased pressure on the pelvic floor or interfere with the ability of these muscle structures to withstand this pressure.
Smoking and lung disease
Hormone Changes- The menopause has also been found to weaken the pelvic floor or interfere with the ability of the Pelvic floor muscles.

Treatments

The choice between non-surgical and surgical treatment depends on the severity of the incontinence, the patient’s general health, how much the incontinence is affecting the quality of patient’s life, and most importantly, the patient’s ultimate goal.

Non-surgical treatments for this condition include Kegel exercise with biofeedback to strengthen the pelvic floor muscle and medication to increase the tone of the muscle around the urethra.
Surgical treatments to restore continence include Burch colposuspension, Marshall-Marchetti- Krantz procedure, suburethral sling procedure, anterior repair (usually in conjunction with another procedure), paravaginal repair (usually in conjunction with another procedure), needle suspension (this procedure is rarely performed), and tension free vaginal tape (TVT – for selected patients). Most surgical repairs require 1-2 days of hospitalization.