Incontinence, or urinary incontinence – causes, types, methods of treatment

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Urinary incontinence is a shameful and extremely troublesome ailment for many women. The problem with urinary incontinence significantly hinders everyday functioning. Panic at the thought of a sneeze? Reluctance to lift something heavy? Fear that the outburst of laughter will end in a “wet incident”? These are just some of the many fears that accompany women suffering from urinary incontinence. What is urinary incontinence, how does it manifest itself and what do you need to know about it?

1. Urinary incontinence is a condition that most often affects women
2. It can significantly reduce the quality of life. Fear of an “incident” discourages leaving home and engaging in many activities
3. Urinary incontinence can be countered before it occurs. If it does, there are still ways to get it at least partially alleviated
4. More current information can be found on the Onet homepage.

Urinary incontinence – characteristics

Urinary incontinence is defined as unintentional and involuntary partial or complete emptying of the bladder. The problem with urinary incontinence is considered to be one of the most common chronic diseases in women, although it also affects men to some extent. What is incontinence?

In order to understand the problem of urinary incontinence, it is worth looking at the functioning of the urinary system. Urine is produced by the kidneys and then drains into the bladder. It is an organ resembling a sack with walls made of muscles, the shape of which is close to a sphere, which is gradually filled with urine constantly flowing.

The pelvic floor muscles that surround and constrict the urethra are responsible for keeping the urine in the bladder. When the bladder is full, our brain receives the appropriate signal that makes us feel the need to urinate. The brain then sends a feedback signal to the pelvic floor muscles, which relax at the same time as the bladder muscles contract. In this way, we can consciously urinate.

If there are any abnormalities at any of the stages of this process, there is a problem with incontinence. Urinary incontinence usually affects women over 40 – even 1 in 5 women in this age range struggle with it. Increasingly, however, is also diagnosed with urinary incontinence at a young age.

Also check: Inflammation of the urethra and bladder – symptoms

Urinary incontinence at a young age

Most of us, when we hear the term “urinary incontinence,” automatically think of postmenopausal women, elderly ladies who experience such “embarrassing” problems. Nothing could be more wrong: although this problem most often affects women in their XNUMXs, it does not spare even thirty-year-olds. The statistics are merciless: as many as one-third of women in their thirties struggle with “wet troubles”.

However, these are only statistics. Doctors suspect that this is a problem on a much larger scale, because many women (especially younger women) do not admit their disease out of embarrassment. Older women believe that urinary incontinence is an inevitable part of the aging process and do not complain about it either.

Urinary incontinence – types of the disease

Urinary incontinence can be of various causes and nature. There are usually several types of this disease.

1. Stress urinary incontinence. This is the most common type of urinary incontinence and is associated with weakening of the pelvic floor muscles. They are then unable to properly close the urethra. As a result, urine, without our awareness, leaks from the bladder when the pressure in it increases – mainly during exercise, but sometimes also when coughing, sneezing or laughing. Women suffer from stress urinary incontinence more often than men for various reasons (including shorter urethra and weaker pelvic muscles).
2. Urgent incontinence (with urgency). This type of urinary incontinence is associated with overactivity of the bladder muscles – they contract too suddenly and too soon before receiving the correct signal from the brain. The result is a sudden, intense, and often very strong urge to urinate immediately, which ends in your urine flowing out within seconds. This often happens, for example, when changing the position of the body, during orgasm or under the influence of the sounds of pouring water. It can also appear with cystitis, and also as an accompanying ailment, e.g. with multiple sclerosis.
3. Mixed urinary incontinence. We talk about it when there are symptoms of incontinence associated with both the effort and the urgency of the urge to urinate.
4. Overflow incontinence. In this type of urinary incontinence, the problem is the inability to completely empty the bladder and retention of urine, which gradually leads to an overflow. It is a condition that usually accompanies other diseases such as prostatic hyperplasia, disc herniation, diabetic sensory neuropathy, and spinal stenosis.
5. Urinary incontinence on a neurological background. Various types of injuries and diseases can damage the brain, spinal cord and nerves. They often disrupt communication between the brain and the bladder muscles, resulting in urinary incontinence. It can appear as a result of dementia, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis or after a stroke.
6. Droplet urinary incontinence. If you feel the need to go to the toilet almost immediately after urinating, it is still in the urethra. This incontinence problem, known as droplet incontinence, occurs more often in women than in men due to differences in the structure of the urethra.
7. Functional urinary incontinence. It is the inability to reach the toilet on time due to mobility limitations, cognitive problems, and environmental barriers. It concerns chronically ill people, often unable to function independently.

Stress urinary incontinence – the stages of the disease

The most common type of this disease – stress urinary incontinence – progresses systematically, making everyday functioning more and more difficult. There are three stages of these diseases:

1. Grade I refers to a condition in which an uncontrolled leakage of urine occurs when the abdominal wall suddenly becomes tense, when pressure in the abdomen rises rapidly – that is, when sneezing, laughing, lifting the baby, or coughing.
2. Stage II means that the leakage of urine occurs during normal activities such as running, manual work, and climbing stairs. Any activity that makes us spread our legs wide can be a pretext for the appearance of moisture on the underwear.
3. Stage III, the most troublesome, is that urine flows out even when standing normally. This stage is obviously the most onerous, because it means not only wet underwear, but also stigmatizing symptoms, such as the smell of decomposing urine, perceptible to the environment. Therefore, affected women withdraw from social life, sometimes even falling into depression. But that is only one side of the coin. The second is secondary infections: when linen is still – or very often – wet, the epidermis macerates, and the urine develops bacteria due to air contact, which can cause inflammation.

In the treatment of urinary incontinence, among others, pessaries that stimulate the muscles responsible for micturition. At Medonet Market you can buy, for example, Calmona silicone ring pessar available in various sizes.

Urinary incontinence – causes

Incontinence can have multiple causes, sometimes running in parallel. One of them – which is also the easiest opponent to defeat – are urogenital infections. It turns out that urinary incontinence can be one of the symptoms (often the first) of such infections. It can be suspected that we are dealing with a bacterial infection if, next to urinary incontinence, there are:

1. pinching or pain when peeing;
2. need urinating frequently (although in practice it turns out to be only a few drops);
3. blunt pain in the lower abdomen (if you have cystitis).

It may also appear fever or low-grade fever. Such a problem can be dealt with relatively easily. If the urine test confirms the presence of bacteria, it is enough to take antibiotics for a few days (up to two weeks) and the problem disappears.

Another cause of urinary incontinence may be hormonal changes. When the level goes down estrogen, the elasticity of the pelvic floor and urogenital diaphragm decreases. These are the muscles that hold the genitals in place. Their work is extremely important in the reproductive period.

The decrease in estrogen levels negatively affects their functioning. Flabby muscles no longer maintain the internal structure so steadily and the organs descend, change their position – also changes in the position of the urethra. This is why urinary incontinence mainly affects a postmenopausal woman.

Another cause of this ailment is childbirth. Urinary incontinence at an early age is usually related to having a baby. Despite the high level of hormones, the tone of the pelvic floor muscles is reduced because they are stretched or damaged during childbirth. As a rule, gynecologists know how to deliver the baby so that the baby’s head does not damage the perineum.

However, when the baby’s head is exceptionally large, the baby is positioned incorrectly or, for example, a forceps delivery is necessary, despite the perfect preparation of the doctor, the muscles may be damaged. As a rule, young mothers underestimate the problem because they are preoccupied with caring for a newborn and believe that this state of affairs is the norm after childbirth. In the meantime, they should report urinary incontinence to a doctor as soon as possible and start appropriate treatment as soon as possible.

To others common causes of urinary incontinence include, among others:

1. hard physical work that affects the condition of the muscles of the perineum;
2. obesityburdening the whole organism;
3. abuse of diuretics;
4. frequent constipation.

Also read: Cranberry juice protects against urinary tract infections

Urinary incontinence – diagnosis

What tests do you need to do to confirm – or rule out – urinary incontinence? The first step is to see your GP. He can learn a lot from the interview. You should come for the tests with a full bladder – it will help you to initially estimate the severity of the problem. If your history shows that an infection may be the cause, your doctor will order it urine test.

However, if there is no urinary tract infection, consultation with a specialist will be necessary – a gynecologist or urologist – and further diagnostic activities. You will probably need to do a series of tests, including:

1. abdominal ultrasound examination;
2. urine culture;
3. neurological research;
4. gynecological and / or urological examination;
5. cystouretroskopia.

A frequent element of the diagnosis of urinary incontinence is also a painless and not burdensome urodynamic test. It allows you to determine the pressure inside the bladder and identify the type of disease we are dealing with. This turns out to be helpful in choosing the right therapy.

Find out more: Is surgery necessary for urinary incontinence?

Urinary incontinence – treatment methods

Treatment depends on the type of urinary incontinence and the severity of the symptoms – it may be surgical (surgical with the use of tapes or meshes, laser) or pharmacological.

One of the basic forms of treatment – especially in postpartum women – is regular Kegel exercise. It is the pubo-coccyx muscle that is involved in the control of the bladder sphincter, but is also active during orgasm. These exercises are recommended to virtually all women – some will help avoid problems with urinary incontinence in the future, while others will simply help improve sex life and increase the intensity of orgasms.

Special accessories known as geisha balls, which are placed in the vagina, are also designed to perform Kegel exercises. The lighter balls are intended for beginners, but the load can be increased over time. Choose geisha balls according to your needs:

1. kulki gejszy Pretty Love Kegel Tighten Up III;
2. Teneo Uno geisha balls – an improved version;
3. Teneo Duo geisha balls – an improved version;
4. progressive Ami Je Joue geisha balls of various sizes and shapes;
5. Luna – replaceable Lelo geisha balls (set of 4).

Sometimes, when exercise is not enough, you have to resort to more complex methods. They can be, for example drugs that affect the tone of the bladder. Special vaginal inserts are also used, which, on the basis of a support, improve urinary incontinence. Biofeedback exercises are also effective, where the electrical impulse irritates the pelvic floor muscles and improves the effectiveness of their work.

Many patients benefit from treatment with the NeoControl electrostimulation device. How it’s working? The patient (in clothes) sits down in a special armchair with a built-in device generating electrical impulses. They reach the pelvic day, causing them to tighten and relax. The therapy lasts about two months – in more than half of the respondents there is a significant improvement. The only contraindication is hip replacement.

1. Urinary incontinence – you can order the Nu-Tek Levator Mini electrostimulator today at Medonet Market.

It often helps postmenopausal women Hormone Replacement Therapy or estrogen ointments that are applied around the perineum. The good news is that conservative treatment and rehabilitation are successful in up to 70% of women. ProDry Incontinence Maintenance Tampons can also be used.

However, if they do not help, doctors decide to undergo surgery. This is the most effective – but also the most invasive – way to overcome the problem.

The treatment is about implanting a special tape inside the vagina, improving the urethro-urethral angle. Fortunately, such a procedure is not too burdensome, because nowadays it is usually performed from the side of the perineum, without cutting the abdominal wall. Therefore, it can be performed even at an advanced age – anesthesia is not necessary, which is burdensome especially for older people. However, abdominal surgery is also possible if the patient has other diseases that require surgical intervention.

Many patients observe significant improvement immediately after surgery. For others, you have to wait a little longer for the effects, about 2 weeks. It is important to avoid physical exertion and heavy lifting for some time after such a procedure. You should also take care of your overall health and eliminate risk factors that previously contributed to urinary incontinence, such as excess body weight or the abuse of coffee and alcohol.

Also read: “Women seek confirmation that they are not alone, that this is not a problem that only concerns them.” The silent ailment of Polish women

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