Urinary incontinence is a sign that you have a medical condition that may need treatment. Treatment options depend on the type of incontinence you are experiencing. To properly diagnose, we'll ask about your symptoms and medical history, including your pattern of urinating. You will be asked to complete a bladder diary for a few days. This helps us understand your voiding and leaking patterns. Depending on your type of incontinence, tests may be recommended. These may include a simple bladder filling study, complex urodynamics or cystoscopy.
If everyday activities, such as coughing, laughing, and sneezing, cause your urine to leak, you likely have stress incontinence. It can occur when you stress the bladder with a sudden increase in pressure such as sneezing, coughing, standing up, exercising, lifting heavy objects, laughing. We will help determine the reason for your stress incontinence. Treatment depends on the severity of your symptoms. Options include exercises, lifestyle changes, medications and surgery.
If you have sudden urges to urinate that can be difficult to suppress, or have difficulty making it to the restroom before leaking, you probably have an overactive bladder. This occurs when your bladder muscles contract without warning, causing you to urinate more frequently than normal. This may or may not be associated with urge incontinence (frequent, sudden urges to urinate followed by leakage). Symptoms include: Sudden urge to urinate followed by urine leakage; urinating more than eight times a day; frequent nighttime urination. If an overactive bladder disrupts your daily routine, talk to us. Treatments are available that can help considerably. They may include bladder training, exercises, medication, and sacral neuromodulation.
If you experience symptoms of both urge and stress incontinence, this is called mixed incontinence. It is treated with a combination of therapies, tailored to your symptoms.
If you think you have this issue, or are experiencing symptoms, please contact Cincinnati Urogynecology Associates at (513) 463-4300, or find a urogynecologist near you.