Incontinence Issues

Urinary incontinence or bladder leakage is a common problem that affects an estimated 30-50% of women. While urinary leakage is more common amongst the older population, it can also occur among younger women.

What is urinary incontinence or bladder leakage?

Broadly, urinary incontinence is the term used to describe when the bladder has lost its varying ability to control, hold and release urine. The categories of incontinence are:

• Stress Urinary Incontinence (SUI):
  It feels like a sudden, unintentional release of urine during daily activities such as sneezing, coughing, laughing, lifting a heavy object or exercising.
• Urge Incontinence or overactive bladder:
  This is when you feel like you need to rush to the toilet with a strong urge to urinate, which you may not be able to hold.  You may feel like you can’t get to the bathroom fast enough.
• Urge Frequency:
  This is the feeling of having to urinate many times during the day and night.
• Overflow Incontinence:
  This is the feeling you get when your bladder doesn’t completely empty. This occurs when the quantity of urine exceeds the bladder’s capacity to hold it.
• Mixed Incontinence:
  Any combination of the above conditions.

What causes bladder leakage?

While there isn’t a definite cause for urinary incontinence, certain events such as pregnancy and childbirth, menopause, obesity or chronic straining can often lead to problems with bladder control. Other causes for loss of bladder control could be related to medical conditions such as diabetes, stroke or multiple sclerosis. Some patients may also develop urinary incontinence following previous pelvic floor surgeries.

There is also a genetic component as some women are born with weaker pelvic floor muscles.

How can urinary incontinence be diagnosed?

Depending on your symptoms and after a physical examination, Dr Wong may request that you undergo a bladder test called Urodynamics to determine the best treatment for you. Dr Wong may also request that a cystoscopy be performed in conjunction with the urodynamics test as a way to gain a more detailed look at the inside of your bladder.

Treatment options:

Conservative treatment options for urinary incontinence may include lifestyle changes, improving diet and fitness, pelvic floor muscle exercises and bladder retraining. Dr Wong will be able to advise you on other types of conservative or invasive treatments based on your specific condition.