Stress urinary incontinence is a heartbreaking disorder that has hundreds of residents of Anguilla afraid to laugh or reluctant to exercise, and even being mindful when bending to lift a child, all because they are going to leak urine. Many individuals with stress incontinence often feel embarrassed, isolated, or limit their work and social life, especially exercise and leisure activities. With treatment, many individuals are likely be able to manage stress incontinence and improve their overall well-being.
What is stress urinary incontinence?
Urinary incontinence is the unintentional loss of urine. Stress incontinence happens when physical movement or activity — such as coughing, sneezing, running or heavy lifting — puts pressure (stress) on the urinary bladder. Stress incontinence is not related to psychological stress.
Stress incontinence differs from urge incontinence which is the unintentional loss of urine, caused by the bladder muscle contracting, usually associated with a sense of urgency. Stress incontinence is much more common in women than men.
How do you know if you have stress incontinence?
Stress incontinence is when you leak urine when your bladder is put under extra sudden pressure – for example, when you cough.
Other activities that may cause urine to leak include:
• sneezing
• laughing
• heavy lifting
• exercise
• having sex
You may not experience incontinence every time you do one of these things. The amount of urine passed is usually small, but stress incontinence can sometimes cause you to pass larger amounts particularly if your bladder is very full.
What causes stress incontinence?
Stress incontinence occurs when the muscles and other tissues that support the bladder (pelvic floor muscles) and the muscles that regulate the release of urine (urinary sphincter) weaken.
Factors that might contribute to weakening include, childbirth and prostate surgery.
Other factors that may worsen stress incontinence include:
• Illnesses that cause chronic coughing or sneezing
• Obesity
• Smoking, which can cause frequent coughing
• High-impact activities, such as running and jumping, over many years.
Diagnosis
If you have symptoms suggestive of stress incontinence you should visit your doctor. After a detailed history and medical examination, your doctor might have you undergo several investigations to confirm the diagnosis. Some of these tests to determine bladder function might not be needed in all cases. You and your doctor should discuss the results of any tests and decide how they impact your treatment strategy.
Treatment
Your doctor may recommend a combination of treatment strategies to end or lessen the number of incontinence episodes. If an underlying cause or contributing factor is identified, you will also receive treatment for that disorder. Your doctor might also recommend some lifestyle changes as well. For instance, if you are overweight measures to deal with this might be recommended.
Conclusion
Many individuals suffer from stress incontinence and some often refuse to see their doctor about this disorder. Treatments are usually available to significantly reduce the effects of incontinence on a person’s life. Stress incontinence can often be cured. Talk to your doctor today.
Ask Your Doctor is a health education column and is not a substitute for medical advice from your physician. The reader should consult his or her physician for specific information concerning specific medical conditions. While all reasonable efforts have been made to ensure that all information presented is accurate, as research and development in the medical field are ongoing, it is possible that new findings may supersede some data presented.
Dr Brett Hodge MB BS DGO MRCOG is an Obstetrician/Gynaecologist and Family Doctor who has over thirty-five years in clinical practice. Dr Hodge has a medical practice in The Johnson Building in The Valley (Tel: 264 4975828).
