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Urinary Incontinence Treatment

Urinary incontinence is a problem that limits daily life and creates both embarrassment and distress.

What is Urinary Incontinence?

Urinary incontinence means the sudden and involuntary leakage of urine during daily routine. Urinary incontinence is usually more common when the patient laughs, coughs, sneezes, lifts heavy, stands up from a sitting or lying position, and exercises. Urinary incontinence is a problem that reduces the quality of life of the person and seriously restricts the activities he/she always does. If the patient feels that the urine is not completely discharged when she/he goes to the toilet and cannot reach the toilet when the urine comes, she/he should consult a doctor.

Contents
  • What is Urinary Incontinence?
  • What Causes Incontinence?
  • Who Is It Seen?
  • How Is It Diagnosed?
  • Urinary Incontinence in Men
  • Urinary Incontinence in Women
  • Treatment Methods for Urinary Incontinence
  • Urinary Incontinence Treatment Frequently Asked Questions
What Causes Incontinence?

Urinary incontinence is a more common problem in women than in men, and anatomically, women have a shorter urinary tract than men. In women, the bladder is located under the uterus and it is elastic enough to expand as urine accumulates, and some muscles help hold urine at the bladder outlet, and in some cases, these muscles may not function properly. The main causes of urinary incontinence are:

  • urinary tract infection
  • Aging
  • childbirth
  • Neuromuscular diseases
  • Overweight
  • Constipation
  • Menopause
  • Prostate enlargement in men
  • Alzheimer
  • Vaginal infection
  • Bladder stones and tumors
  • Alcohol and coffee drinking habits
  • Diabetes
  • Psychological Reasons
Who Gets Urinary Incontinence?

Urinary incontinence is a common problem in women, especially as the number of births increases and hormonal changes occurs during menopause. It is more common in women aged 50 and over, due to the loosening of the muscles of the genital area depend on age and deformation. Urinary incontinence can occur when coughing, sneezing, laughing, or even just standing up. Urinary incontinence is more common in people with endocrine or metabolic diseases. Some important factors that cause urinary incontinence are: diabetes, urinary tract infections, rapid weight gain and loss, light-skinned race, intra-abdominal masses (fibroids, cysts, tumors, etc.), blood pressure, and antidepressant drug use.

Urinary incontinence is a situation that negatively affects daily life. People with this problem avoid going out and this causes serious psychological problems over time, and moreover, people with this problem avoid drinking water and experience kidney disorders that can cause much more serious consequences over time.

How Is It Diagnosed?

Urinary incontinence is a common problem nowadays. Patients with this problem experience social and psychological problems and are often embarrassed and late to consult a doctor. However, urinary incontinence is a problem that should be taken seriously, as it can be a symptom of serious illness.

The diagnosis of urinary incontinence is made by the following methods;

  • Evaluation of the patient’s health history
  • Physiological examination
  • Evaluation of the bladder diary
  • Urine analysis
  • Pad test

In addition, the doctor can make a definitive diagnosis by evaluating information about smoking, drug use, pregnancy history, and defecation.

Urinary Incontinence in Men

Although urinary incontinence is more common in women, it is a problem that affects men as are they get older. While it is seen between 5-10% in young men, this rate reaches 20% with advancing age. Urinary incontinence, which severely restricts social life in men as in women, should be treated promptly. Urinary incontinence in men is most commonly caused by prostate enlargement. The prostate enlargement causes the bladder to contract more than normal, causing urinary incontinence in men. The most effective method for urinary incontinence problems after prostate surgery is drugs that strengthen the urinary retention muscles, as well as injections that narrow the urinary tract and operations to compress the urinary tract, which is also among the methods applied in the treatment of urinary incontinence.

Urinary Incontinence in Women

Urinary incontinence, which is a more common problem in women, can be seen due to many reasons. Stress urinary incontinence is the most common type of urinary incontinence in women. Stress urinary incontinence is the involuntary and sudden leakage of urine while laughing, coughing, sneezing, exercising, and walking. The increase in pressure (coughing, sneezing, etc.) due to the weakness of the pelvic floor muscles causes the urethra to open and urinary incontinence. Conditions such as having difficult or multiple births, giving birth to a large baby, being overweight, genetics, and menopause increase the risk. Apart from the stress type, there are three more types of urinary incontinence: urge type, mixed type, and overflow type.

Treatment Methods for Urinary Incontinence

The problem of urinary incontinence treatment varies according to the type of urinary incontinence. Before the treatment, types of urinary incontinence are examined and a technique is determined depending on how and when incontinence. These three types are; stress incontinence, urge urinary incontinence and mixed urinary incontinence. Stress urinary incontinence is caused by coughing, sneezing, laughing, running, jumping, and lifting heavy objects. In this type of urinary incontinence problem, the pressure on the bladder increases. Urge incontinence is a type of urinary incontinence that is usually experienced in sudden and unpreventable situations, in this type experienced in bladder muscle contractions and involuntary urinary incontinence. In the mixed type, the characteristics of both stress and urge type are seen at the same time. For this reason, the techniques of treatment methods to be applied for each type may differ. In the Treatment of Urinary Incontinence, which is applied in cases of urge urinary incontinence, it is taught to hold a larger amount of urine in the bladder. For this reason, some techniques such as bladder gymnastics are recommended. Avoiding the consumption of caffeinated beverages, alcohol, soda, acidic foods, and spices is very important in the treatment process. As a result of these general measures and with bladder gymnastics, urine stays in the bladder for a long time and bladder capacity is increased. If this treatment method does not give results; drug therapy is used. In the treatment of stress urinary incontinence, pelvic muscle exercises are the first step the treatment. However, when the expected response from these exercise treatments cannot be obtained, laser therapy can be applied according to the patient’s suitability. Three painless ten-minute sessions with six-week intervals relieve up to 90% of the patient’s complaints. The surgical treatment method is used in cases such as vaginal anatomy disorders and sagging urinary bladder. In addition, there are many methods of surgical treatment used in the treatment of urinary incontinence. The most commonly used method is the suspension technique, and the success rate of this operation is quite high. Before the treatment, the patient’s backstory is questioned by the doctor in order to determine a clear method. Whether it is due to illness or other factors is revealed during this background check. Accordingly, a treatment method is arranged. For this reason, it is important to express all the details in clear language to the doctor in urinary incontinence problems. It should not be forgotten that the doctor will help all the problems that cause the complaint to be corrected or even completely healed.

For this reason, it is necessary to give correct and clear answers to all questions about urinary incontinence before the treatment. Inaccurate and incomplete information given as a result of hesitation or embarrassment may cause the treatment to be interrupted or the wrong treatment applied. This is not only a waste of time but also creates a basis for larger urinary incontinence problems.

After determining the causes of urinary incontinence, the treatment method or methods to be applied are decided. These treatment methods are as follows;

  • Change in lifestyle
  • bladder training
  • Exercise programs to strengthen the pelvic muscles
  • Medication
  • Surgical treatment methods

Frequently Asked Questions About Urinary Incontinence Treatment

What is Urinary Incontinence?

Urinary incontinence is a common problem, especially in women. The problem of urinary incontinence, which causes both psychological and sociological problems in daily life, significantly reduces the quality of life. The problem of urinary incontinence, which is a result of deformation or compression of the bladder for certain reasons, must be treated.

What are the Causes of Urinary Incontinence?

The causes of urinary incontinence can be listed as follows;

  • Urinary tract infection
  • being above ideal weight
  • The presence of infection in the vaginal area
  • The psychological and neurological causes
  • The excessive number of childbirth
  • advanced age
  • The stone or tumor in the bladder
How to Treat Urinary Incontinence?

In the treatment of urinary incontinence, first of all, a detailed diagnosis process is made and the causes are determined. In this way, the factors causing the urinary incontinence problem can be eliminated with the necessary treatment methods. At the same time, various muscle exercises are also effective in preventing the problem of urinary incontinence. Surgical methods can also be used in cases where non-surgical methods do not help in urinary incontinence.

How Long Does Urinary Incontinence Treatment Take?

Urinary incontinence treatment may vary depending on the treatment method to be applied, so a doctor must be consulted.

Does the Problem Recur After Incontinence Treatment?

Re-emergence of the factors that cause urinary incontinence may cause this problem to occur again, so the exercise programs recommended by the doctor should not be interrupted.