Do you suffer from urinary incontinence? If the answer is yes, you’re not alone. An estimated 50% of women experience incontinence, or involuntary urine leakage, during their lives.
It’s a common medical problem, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t embarrassing. Worrying about involuntary leakage can make you put your life on hold and miss out on your favorite activities. While the causes of bladder-control issues vary, it’s important to know that it isn’t an inevitable part of aging.
Treatment for urinary incontinence can help restore your control and your confidence. At Advanced Urology in Southern California, our team is dedicated to diagnosing and treating all of the most common types of female urinary incontinence.
Read on to learn more about the reasons behind incontinence and what you can do about it.
Stress urinary incontinence (SUI) can develop when your pelvic floor muscles weaken. The pelvic floor supports your bladder and urethra, but pregnancy, childbirth, and menopause can make these muscles stretch and weaken.
Simple activities like laughing or coughing may trigger urine leakage if you have SUI. When your bladder isn’t properly supported, these activities create pressure in the pelvic area, and you simply can’t control accidental leakage.
Urge incontinence is a condition that makes you feel the frequent, sudden urge to urinate. Also called overactive bladder (OAB), urge incontinence may make you rush to the bathroom with an intense need to urinate.
You may urinate more frequently throughout the day if you have OAB. It’s also common to experience urine leakage, especially if you can’t make it to the toilet fast enough when you feel the urge to go. The risk of urge incontinence increases with age, and it may be more likely if you have other health conditions like diabetes or multiple sclerosis.
Overflow incontinence develops when you can’t completely empty your bladder when you use the toilet. Some urine remains in your bladder, and it may cause the frequent urge to urinate, even if only small amounts are released each time.
Constant dribbling is another symptom of overflow incontinence, because you’re not able to fully empty your bladder, and it overflows. Overflow incontinence is more common in males, but it can also affect women.
If you experience more than one type of incontinence, it’s often referred to as mixed incontinence. For example, having OAB increases the chances that you’ll also experience stress incontinence from time to time.
Functional incontinence is diagnosed when your urinary system is fully functional, but something else is causing bladder-control problems. For example, mental or physical impairment could keep you from making it to the restroom with adequate time to avoid involuntary urine leakage.
Whatever the cause of your urinary incontinence, our team is dedicated to helping you find a treatment that works for you. We offer a range of solutions that we customize to address the severity of your incontinence and the symptoms you experience.
Don’t ignore urinary incontinence. Schedule a consultation with the experts today by contacting our Culver City, Los Angeles, or Redondo Beach, California, office, Send us a message or book online.
