A leaky bladder is an unwelcome condition that can turn life’s special moments into embarrassing ones.
No one enjoys spending quality family time in the bathroom trying to prevent a leaky bladder episode or heading home early from an outing because you just couldn’t make it in time.
Leaky bladders, also known as urinary incontinence, affect both men and women but are most common among women over the age of 50. Women frequently find themselves needing to change their underwear or clothes due to an episode of leakage or even start wearing pads or adult pull-ups.
Thankfully, there are options for managing and treating a leaky bladder.
Types of urinary incontinence
There are two primary types of urinary incontinence:
1. Stress incontinence occurs when you sneeze, laugh, jump, exercise, or lift a heavy object. The urethral muscles are weakened, causing the urethra to open slightly instead of tightly closed. When an activity increases pressure on the bladder and pelvic floor, it can result in urine leakage.
2. Urgency incontinence occurs when you experience strong, sudden, and frequent urges to urinate and can’t hold urine long enough to reach a restroom. This is due to the misfiring of the bladder nerve, which causes the bladder to contract before your brain can tell it to stop. This is often unpredictable and can cause any amount of urine to leak— whether just a few drops or the whole bladder.
DIY & doctor-approved incontinence treatments
You may think incontinence pads are the only option for a leaky bladder. While these help manage urinary incontinence, there are many other options to help women improve their quality of life and treat the underlying condition. Even though it may be an embarrassing conversation, be sure to talk to your healthcare provider about which option would be best for you.
- Watch what you eat and drink. Certain foods and beverages can worsen your leaky bladder. Avoid coffee and other caffeinated beverages; citrus foods and drinks, such as tomatoes or orange juice; alcohol; carbonated beverages; chocolate; and spicy foods. Consuming these can trigger a urinary incontinence episode.
- Bladder training. You may also try training your bladder by scheduling times to go to the restroom. This keeps your bladder from getting too full and can help you avoid an incontinence episode.
- Exercise and strengthen your pelvic floor. Added pounds can put extra pressure on your bladder and pelvic floor. Exercising and maintaining a healthy weight may help alleviate that pressure and improve urinary incontinence. Strengthening your pelvic floor muscles can also enhance bladder control. If needed, a specialized pelvic floor physical therapist can provide additional guidance.
Effective medical interventions for urinary incontinence
While practical strategies and lifestyle changes, like bladder training and dietary adjustments, can make a huge difference, they may not be enough to manage your urinary incontinence. Fortunately, medical advancements have made it possible to effectively treat urinary incontinence through tailored interventions. From minimally invasive procedures to advanced therapies, a range of options are designed to target the underlying causes of a leaky bladder.
Specifically for stress incontinence, treatments include:
- Incontinence pessary: This is a silicone ring device that you can insert and remove yourself to help control urinary leakage during activity. When the pessary is placed in the vagina, it pushes up on the urethra, decreasing urine leakage caused by physical movement.
- Urethral bulking injections: A filler or bulking agent is injected into the urethra. The bulking agent narrows the inside of the urethra, helping it remain closed as the muscles should, thus decreasing urinary leakage during activity.
- Mid-urethral sling: The sling is a mesh device that is surgically placed under the urethra through the vagina. It works by increasing resistance to the flow of urine and decreasing urinary leakage with physical activity.
Specifically for urgent urinary incontinence, treatments include:
- Bladder Botox: Using a specialized camera to look into the bladder through the urethra and guide the procedure, Botox is injected into the bladder muscles. Botox reduces the number of bladder spasms or contractions, which helps decrease the frequency, urgency, and amount of urinary leakage.
- Sacral nerve modulator: This pacemaker-type device helps “pace” your bladder nerve to reduce misfiring for 10 to 15 years. It is implanted into the upper buttock, where the bladder nerve exits the spine. A trial phase is conducted first to see if you experience significant improvement before the device is implanted.
- Medications: Some medications can help manage urinary incontinence by calming the misfiring of the bladder nerve. Talk to your provider to determine which medication could be right for you.
Improving quality of life
Urinary incontinence can be embarrassing, but it doesn’t have to be something you simply tolerate. NGPG Urogynecology can help create a customized treatment plan to help you regain confidence and improve your quality of life and management of urinary incontinence.
Ready to schedule an appointment? Visit here to find our three convenient locations or call 770-219-9300 to schedule an appointment with one of our Urogynecology specialists.