Urinary Incontinence
Women's Healthcare Physicians of Naples
OB/GYNs located in Naples, FL
Most women don’t talk about urinary incontinence because they’re embarrassed or think it’s a rare problem. But an estimated 13-17 million adults have incontinence, and about two-thirds of them are women. Please don’t hesitate to contact the team at Women’s Healthcare Physicians of Naples if you have any concerns about urinary incontinence. They’re experts at determining the cause and successfully treating the problem. You can reach them by phone at their Naples, Florida, offices or by scheduling an appointment online.
Urinary Incontinence Q & A
What are the Different Types of Urinary incontinence?
Urinary incontinence occurs when you accidentally leak urine, whether that means you occasionally have a small leak or you have uncontrollable wetting. The different types of urinary incontinence include:
- Stress Incontinence: Leakage occurs when you cough, laugh, sneeze, or lift a heavy object due to pressure on the bladder.
- Urge Incontinence or Overactive Bladder: Bladder muscles unexpectedly contract, causing a strong urge to urinate even if there’s only a small amount of urine in your bladder.
- Overflow Incontinence: A frequent or constant flow of urine that occurs because your bladder doesn’t empty when you urinate.
- Functional Incontinence: A physical or mental condition prevents you from getting to the toilet in time. Examples include osteoarthritis which slows down mobility and rheumatoid arthritis which makes it hard to unbutton pants.
- Mixed Incontinence: You have more than one type of urinary incontinence at the same time.
What Causes Urinary Incontinence?
You may temporarily develop urinary incontinence due to a urinary tract infection or after drinking or eating things that stimulate your bladder, such as caffeine, alcohol, and artificial sweeteners.
Urinary incontinence can also be caused by:
- Weak pelvic floor muscles: When muscles that support the bladder weaken, the bladder may drop toward the vagina or muscles that control urine flow won’t work properly.
- Pregnancy and childbirth: Vaginal delivery may weaken muscles or affect nerves needed for bladder control; hormonal changes and the weight of a baby during pregnancy can cause stress incontinence.
- Menopause: Loss of estrogen causes deterioration of the urinary bladder lining.
- Age-related issues: As you age, involuntary bladder contractions may increase as bladder muscles weaken
- Obstruction: Stones may be blocking the urinary tract, causing overflow incontinence.
How is Urinary Incontinence Treated?
Each type of incontinence requires its own treatment. Following urodynamic studies to diagnose the cause of your incontinence, the team at Women’s Healthcare Physicians of Naples may recommend one of the following:
- Exercises to strengthen pelvic floor muscles
- Bladder training
- Medications
- Collagen injections
- Botox® injections
- Urethral insert
- Transvaginal tape procedures
- Laparoscopic bladder suspension
- Minimally invasive surgery to restore pelvic floor muscles and insert the Advantage Fit™ transvaginal mid-urethral sling system
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