Is there anything I can do about urinary incontinence?

Most women will have some level of urinary incontinence at some point in their lives. It is completely normal. Stress incontinence – when sneezing, coughing, exercise or other activities cause urine to leak – is the most common type of incontinence and it becomes increasingly prevalent in women as they age. Behavioral modification, watching fluid intake and avoiding caffeine, alcohol and certain medications can help relieve stress incontinence. If stress incontinence is affecting your daily activities, talk to your gynecologist. There are procedures we can offer that improve and even resolve stress incontinence issues.

Urge incontinence is described by the loss of urine quickly after the urge is felt so that it can be difficult to get to the bathroom in time. This condition can be due to over-activity of the bladder muscles or irritation of the bladder tissues. Bladder training, physical therapy, medications, timed urination, and avoiding foods that irritate the bladder (such as acidic foods) can all help improve urge incontinence.

Overflow incontinence is continuous loss of urine regardless of activity and is due to an overfilled bladder. This is often due to a blockage to urine flow out of the bladder such as from pelvic organ prolapse or nerve damage causing the bladder to be less effective at contracting. This type of urinary incontinence often requires more complex treatment planning.