Mar 16th, 2020

How Do You Know if You Have Urinary Incontinence?

Urinary incontinence is a condition where you are not able to control the release of urine. The urine that is stored in the bladder is held there by the sphincter muscles. When one needs to urinate, we instinctively tighten the bladder muscles and relax the sphincter muscles.

When incontinence is present, the sphincter muscles are not strong enough to keep the urethra pinched closed until we feel like we need to urinate. Urinary incontinence can refer to conditions where a small amount of urine is released occasionally, or uncontrolled urination occurs and large amounts of urine are released.

What Are the Symptoms of Urinary Incontinence?

The symptoms of urinary incontinence can vary depending on age, gender, and overall health and well-being. Some of the more common symptoms can include:

• Uncontrolled urination of any amount of urine.
• Muscle spasms in the pelvis that cause the bladder muscles to contract and release urine.
• Weakened sphincter muscles that are not strong enough to keep the urethra closed.
• The feeling like you need to urinate.
• Excessive urination where you use the bathroom numerous times during the day and at night.
• Accidental bedwetting while sleeping.

Often, these symptoms are accompanied by another type of condition, such as pregnancy, menopause, and so on.

What Are Some Treatments for Urinary Incontinence?

Treatments for urinary incontinence will vary based on the underlying symptoms and cause of the condition.

Focused Exercises

For example, women who have given birth to multiple children may experience minor incontinence when coughing, laughing, or sneezing. The incontinence typically is the result of weakened pelvic floor muscles.

In this example, learning the right exercises to help strengthen the pelvic floor muscles, called Kegel exercises, could help resolve the condition since the muscles that regulate urination would be stronger.

Retrain the Bladder

Another viable treatment is training yourself to go to the bathroom on a set schedule. Each day, you increase the interval between bathroom breaks by 15 minutes. Taking this approach helps “retrain” the bladder muscles so that the bladder is capable of holding more urine.

Lose Excess Fat

Being overweight can be another underlying cause of incontinence. The excess fat puts pressure on the bladder and makes you feel like you need to urinate more frequently. It can also cause you to lose control of your bladder since there is more fat than muscle.

Diet and exercise can help you lose fat and rebuild muscle. You can also consider cosmetic procedures like liposuction to help remove the fat faster—although you will still need to exercise to strengthen the muscles.

Reconstructive Surgery/Injectables

For some people, reconstructive surgery or the use of certain injectables can help address urinary incontinence. These types of procedures should be thoroughly discussed in detail so that you can understand what is involved and the potential risks and side effects.

Urinary incontinence can be embarrassing. Fortunately, there are different treatment options that can help with this condition.

To learn more about cosmetic procedures that could help resolve your urinary incontinence, please feel free to contact Grossman Plastic Surgery at (818) 981-2050 to schedule a consultation appointment today!