Find Out If You Are Susceptible To Stress-Related Urinary Incontinence

If you happen to be one of those people who accidentally pee a bit while laughing, working out, or dancing, you might have a condition called stress urinary incontinence.

Discover If You Are Susceptible To Stress-Related Incontinence

As per the official foundation of the American Urological Association, the Urology Care Foundation, this condition can certainly be treated, even though it can quite troublesome. Some simple changes in daily lifestyle can also make a huge difference.

For starters, losing weight and quitting smoking can help a fair bit as that will reduce instances of coughing. Besides, according to the Urology Care Foundation, doing simple exercises like Kegels, which is known to provide strength to the pelvic muscles can also be helpful in supporting your bladder.

Products that are meant to contain accidental leaks can provide some comfort in the short term as well as long term.  Over and above these changes, you can even get a medical device prescribed by your doctor, which can be fitted by a health care professional. Some of these devices can even be purchased OTC (Over counter).

As per the Urology Care Foundation, there are mainly two types of urinary incontinence; the first of which is popularly referred to as Stress Urinary Incontinence (SUI). In SUI, you accidentally happen to leak a moderate or small quantity of urine during physical activities like sneezing, coughing, dancing, or laughing.

The second type of urinary incontinence is referred to as either Overactive Bladder or Urge Urinary Incontinence. Under this kind of urinary incontinence, there is an uncontrollable and sudden urge to pass urine, often without any warning and urine leaks can be anywhere between moderate to excess.

Some of the most common factors that put a person at a high risk of developing Stress Urinary Incontinence (SUI) are; gender, as women are, by default, more susceptible to developing this condition, chronic coughing, pregnancy, and the birthing process, excess body weight, neurologic disease, spine injuries, old age or a history of prostate or pelvic surgery.

As per the Urology Care Foundation, even though there are no drugs that can treat Stress Urinary Incontinence (SUI), apart from the above-mentioned lifestyle modifications; surgery can be another option in certain cases.

Patients can consult a urologist, who has a fair bit of experience in conducting Stress Urinary Incontinence (SUI) surgeries. Reconstructive Surgeons as well as Female Pelvic Medicine surgeons are authorized to carry out Stress Urinary Incontinence as well as other pelvic surgeries.

According to the foundation, there are multiple varieties of surgery options like bulking agencies, in which a woman’s urethra can be bulked up, which in turn will decide how the sphincter of the bladder will shut the bladder, although this procedure is likely to need repeat overtime or an alternative option would be administering urethral injections.

One of the other surgical options would be a sling surgery for women, in which a mesh is inserted under the woman’s urethra in order to support its shutting down while coughing, sneezing, or any other physical activities. A similar surgery for men will have a mesh tape placed below the urethra with the help of a cut between the rectum and scrotum, though it is not recommended by the foundation for men with an Overactive Bladder or a history of radiation in that region.

Another one of the procedures would be Bladder neck suspension, in which stitches are placed along the neck of the urethra and bladder in order to provide support to the sphincter and urethra muscles.

The foundation also recommends placing an artificial sphincter, which is a device with three parts that help to stop leaks by shutting the urethra.