Urinary incontinence is known as loss of bladder control. It is a common and usually inconvenient problem. The severity ranges from occasionally leaking urine when you cough or sneeze to having the urge to urinate that’s so sudden and strong you don’t get to a toilet in time.
however, it develops more usually as people get older, and urinary incontinence isn’t an inevitable issue of aging. Don’t hesitate to see a Gynaecologist in Ludhiana if urinary incontinence affects your daily activities. Most people can treat their urinary incontinence symptoms with simple food, lifestyle changes, or hospital care.
Most men and women have urinary incontinence, but the problem is far more common in women by two to one. There are various reasons why twice as many women occur problems with bladder control, and they all have to do with conditions unique to women.
To explain the differences that can lead to more urinary incontinence in women, Gastro Doctor in Ludhiana team presents three female-specific conditions that can contribute to involuntary leakage.
- Pregnancy
During the starting days of pregnancy, you shouldn’t have any problems with urinary incontinence, but as your fetus develops, so do your exposure to stress incontinence. This type of incontinence happens because of added pressure on your pregnancy and the bladder certainly adds some pressure.
- Childbirth
While pregnancy can cause issues with stress incontinence, childbirth could lead to problems with stress incontinence or urge incontinence (or a combination of both).
The pregnancy could have weakened your pelvic floor, which supports your bladder. You may have stress incontinence after childbirth until your pelvic floor regains strength.
Also, your pregnancy may have damaged some of the nerves that control your bladder, leaving you with urge incontinence. The hallmark of this type of incontinence is frequent and sudden urges to urinate.
In either case, the problem typically resolves itself as your body slowly returns to normal after childbirth, although some women have ongoing incontinence issues.
- Menopause
This cause of urinary incontinence in women is the most prevalent because the combination of age and a loss of hormones is inevitable. When you pass through menopause in your late 40s or early 50s, your estrogen production drops considerably.
Since estrogen hormones play a role in strengthening the tissues supporting your reproductive organs, their absence can lead to pelvic organ prolapse. The most common type is bladder prolapse, a condition where your bladder shifts downward.
Treating urinary incontinence
While women may be more prone to urinary incontinence, the good news is that there is a wide range of treatment options. After evaluating your urinary incontinence, we come up with the best treatment plan for your needs, which might include the following:
- Pelvic floor strengthening exercises
- Hormone replacement therapies
- A pessary (a bladder-support device)
- Injecting bulking agents into your urethra
- Bladder training
- In many cases of urinary incontinence, we may advise a surgical process to create a sling for your bladder.
If you’re struggling with urinary incontinence and want to explore your treatment options, please contact Ludhiana Gastro & Gynae Centre, to set up an appointment.