/ Incontinence

Incontinence

Incontinence is the accidental loss of urine. About 15% of women experience this problem at some point. Fortunately, it’s treatable and reversible.

Stress incontinence – Urine loss caused by pressure on your bladder from activities like coughing, laughing, sneezing or exercising; this is the most common type of incontinence
Urge incontinence – Sudden, strong need to urinate, sometimes due to overactive bladder

Overflow incontinence – Constant dribbling due to an inability to empty the bladder completely
Functional incontinence – Inability to make it to the toilet in time due to a mental or physical condition (for example, severe rheumatoid arthritis)

Your doctor might recommend managing symptoms with these habits.

Behavior

Diet

Exercise

Weight management

Manage your health

You don’t have to live with incontinence for the rest of your life. Treatment options include:

Biofeedback - Teaches you how to control and strengthen pelvic floor muscles
Botox® injections – Block the urge to urinate and enable the bladder hold more urine
Oral medications – Block the urge to urinate or help your bladder hold more urine

Pelvic floor physical therapy – Strengthens and trains pelvic floor and abdominal muscles to improve bladder control
Urethral bulking – Injects a bulking material to the area between the urethra and bladder to prevent urine leaks

Nerve stimulation

Surgery