Small amounts of urine (wee) may leak as a result of activities that increase abdominal pressure and put pressure on the bladder. This condition is known as stress incontinence. A physical activity or movement, such as coughing, sneezing, running, heavy lifting, or laughing, may cause stress incontinence. Despite the fact that it mostly affects women, it can also affect men who have had prostate surgery, struggle with chronic constipation and strain to go to the bathroom, or who lift weights.
The major signs of urinary stress incontinence that can involve:
Urinary incontinence commonly manifests as the following symptoms. However, each person may have different symptoms. Some signs could be:
- Having to use the bathroom quickly and/or losing urine if you don’t get there in time
- Urinary leakage during activity or movement
- Urine leakage that interferes with activities
- Coughing, sneezing, or laughing and urine leakage
- Urine leakage that started or persisted after surgery
- Urine leakage that is embarrassing
- Persistent wetness without any signs of urine leakage
- An incomplete bladder emptying sensation
Urinary incontinence symptoms can resemble those of other conditions or health issues. Always seek a diagnosis from your urinary bladder specialist.
Reasons that can trigger urinary incontinence condition:
Problems with the muscles and nerves that support the bladder’s ability to hold or release urine are the most common causes of urinary incontinence. These muscles and nerves may experience issues as a result of certain health conditions that are specific to women, such as pregnancy, childbirth, and menopause.
Urinary incontinence can also result from:
Overweight:
Being overweight puts strain on the bladder, which over time may cause the muscles to deteriorate. A weak bladder is incapable of storing as much urine. Consult a doctor for frequent urination problems and find relief from them.
Constipation:
People with long-term (chronic) constipation may experience issues with bladder control. The pelvic floor muscles and bladder can become strained or stressed as a result of constipation or trying too hard to urinate. This results in muscle weakness and can lead to leaking or incontinence of the urine.
Nerve damage:
Damaged nerves may cause the bladder to receive signals improperly or not at all. The nerves that control the bladder, urethra, or pelvic floor muscles can become damaged as a result of childbirth or medical conditions like diabetes and multiple sclerosis.
Surgery:
Any procedure that affects a woman’s reproductive organs, like a hysterectomy, has the potential to harm the muscles that support the pelvic floor, particularly if the uterus is removed. 5 The bladder muscles of a woman might not function properly if the pelvic floor muscles are injured. Urinary incontinence may result from this.
What are the major risk factors of urinary stress incontinence?
Urinary incontinence can affect anyone, but twice as many AFAB suffer from it as people who were born with a male gender (AMAB). An estimated 50 percent of women over 65 have stress incontinence. Urinary incontinence, however, is not a typical aspect of ageing. It’s an indication of a problem that can be resolved with the right care.
Risk factors for stress incontinence include the following:
- Pregnancy and childbirth (particularly vaginal birth).
- Menopause.
- injuries to the nerves in the lower back or pelvis.
- Obesity.
- Pelvic surgery, such as a hysterectomy.
- Chronic coughing.
- Diabetes.
What are the complications that arise in case urinary incontinence is not treated?
Emotional distress:
If stress incontinence interferes with your daily activities, you might feel ashamed and distressed about the situation. It can interfere with your relationships, work, social life, and even your sex life. Some people feel ashamed of the fact that they require pads or incontinence apparel.
Mixed urinary incontinence:
Having both stress incontinence and urgency incontinence, or the unintentional loss of urine brought on by overactive bladder-caused bladder muscle contractions, is known as mixed incontinence.
Skin rash or irritation:
Skin that comes into constant contact with urine may become irritated or sore and may even start to degenerate. If you don’t take precautions, like using moisture barriers or incontinence pads, this can happen with severe incontinence.
What is the first line of treatment for people dealing with urinary stress incontinence?
Sling procedure:
The most frequent treatment for urine leakage in women is this one. In this procedure, the surgeon makes a sling or hammock to support the urethra out of the patient’s own tissue, synthetic material (mesh), animal, or donor tissue.
Men who experience mild stress incontinence can also use slings. Some men may find the technique helps with their stress incontinence symptoms.
Retropubic colposuspension:
Sutures attached to ligaments along the pubic bone are used during this incontinence surgery for women to lift and support tissues close to the bladder neck and upper part of the urethra. Laparoscopic surgery or abdominal incision both are options for this procedure.
Inflatable artificial sphincter:
Men can also undergo treatment for urinary stress incontinence with this implanted device through surgery. The sphincter’s function is taken over by a cuff that wraps around the upper portion of the urethra. A pressure-regulating balloon in the pelvic area and a manually operated pump in the scrotum are connected to the cuff by tubes.
Devices that also aid in the urinary stress incontinence:
Vaginal pessary:
Your provider will fit and affix a specialised urinary incontinence pessary, which is shaped like a ring and has two bumps that sit on either side of the urethra. When you move around, it supports the base of your bladder to stop urine leakage, especially if your bladder has dropped (prolapsed).
If you want to postpone surgery, this is a good option. A pessary will need to be regularly removed and cleaned. The majority of people who also have pelvic organ prolapse use pessaries. Consult the best gynecologist in coimbatore in case you are looking for treatment of urinary incontinence.
Urethral inserts:
This tiny, disposable item resembles a tampon and is inserted into the urethra to serve as a barrier and stop leakage. Although it can be worn all day, its typical use is to prevent incontinence during a specific activity.
Up to eight hours a day can be spent wearing urethral inserts. Urethral inserts are typically only used for strenuous activity, such as tennis, running, or repetitive lifting.
Stress incontinence can be significantly reduced with at-home treatments like pelvic floor exercises and working with a pelvic floor physical therapist. When necessary, additional therapies can significantly cut down or even end urine leakage. Reach out to the top gynecologist for urinary incontinence to avail best treatment.
