My Urinary Incontinence Is Embarrassing; Can You Help?

Urinary incontinence describes the loss of control of your bladder. Your bladder may leak just a little or empty bladder completely, and the condition can be temporary or chronic, depending on the underlying cause.

According to the Urology Care Foundation, millions of American adults experience urinary incontinence, but it affects women more than men by 2-to-1.

Incontinence also tends to affect more older adults, as the muscles that support your bladder tend to weaken over time, but it can affect anyone at any age since a number of health problems can cause it.

At Revive Health Clinic, our expert team of men’s and women’s health specialists diagnose and treat urinary incontinence at our Lady Lake, Florida, location. It can be embarrassing and uncomfortable, but treatments are available, so don’t lose hope. We can help.

Types of urinary incontinence

Urinary incontinence comes in three general types, plus an extra class that takes your environment into account. You may experience just one or multiple types of incontinence at the same time.

1. Stress incontinence

Stress incontinence is triggered by stress on the sphincter muscle holding urine in your bladder, and it can be triggered by exercise, coughing, sneezing, or even laughing.

2. Urge incontinence

With urge incontinence, you have a sudden urge to void your bladder that’s so strong, you might not be able to make it to the bathroom in time.

3. Overflow incontinence

Overflow incontinence happens when you don’t completely empty your bladder during urination. Some of the remaining urine may later leak out from the bladder. This is sometimes referred to as “dribbling.”

4. Functional incontinence

Unlike the other types of incontinence, functional incontinence occurs when you have physical or mental barriers that prevent you from making it to the bathroom in time. Some examples are a person with arthritis whose hands can’t undo their zipper quickly enough or a person with dementia who doesn’t realize they need to use the bathroom.

Causes of urinary incontinence

You can develop urinary incontinence for many reasons, including:

• Physical damage to the pelvic floor muscles, such as from childbirth
• An enlarged prostate
• Prostate or bladder cancer, which puts pressure on your bladder
• A urinary tract infection (UTI) or a kidney stone
• Being overweight or pregnant
• Having diabetes
• Going through menopause (hormonal changes reduce tissue elasticity and strength)

Some of these conditions, such as a UTI, are easily treatable and/or cause temporary urinary problems. Others, like cancer, are more serious and persistent.

Certain lifestyle factors can also cause temporary incontinence, such as drinking too much alcohol, caffeinated beverages, or other fluids.

Treating urinary incontinence

There are a number of different treatments for incontinence:

Bladder training

If you’re dealing with weak bladder or pelvic floor muscles, we may recommend bladder training exercises, known as Kegel exercises. By strengthening the muscles, you gain better control.

Behavior therapy

Learning to adjust your fluid intake and diet, or using the bathroom at pre-scheduled times before you feel the urge, may offer some relief.

Condition management

If your incontinence is caused by an underlying condition, treating that condition can also improve bladder issues.

EMSELLA®

The EMSELLA chair is an FDA-approved device that strengthens your pelvic floor muscles. You sit fully clothed in the EMSELLA chair, and it transmits painless electromagnetic waves into those muscles. The energy triggers thousands of rapid muscle contractions that tone and strengthen the pelvic tissues, improving bladder control.

By strengthening the muscles, EMSELLA also enhances sexual intimacy and increases your body’s core strength.

Embarrassed by urinary incontinence? Revive Health Clinic can help. To schedule a consultation, call our office at 352-290-0896, or book online with us today.