Genuine Stress & Urinary Incontinence

Affecting about 35 percent of American women over the age of 50, urinary incontinence is characterized by the involuntary loss of urine, according to the National Institutes of Health. Sixty percent of those suffering from urinary incontinence have genuine stress incontinence, the most common type of incontinence affecting older women.

Symptoms

• If you release urine when you cough, sneeze, laugh or exercise, you may be suffering from genuine stress incontinence (GSI). You may feel a few drops release or as much as a stream.

Causes

• A weak pelvic floor may lead to stress incontinence. A weak sphincter muscle can also contribute to it.

  Physical changes to your body can also cause GSI. For example, after a woman gives birth, her pelvic floor will weaken and she may lose control of her bladder during exercise or during a cough. Pregnant women may also experience a dropped bladder, preventing the urethra from closing all the way.

Diagnosis

• Urodynamic studies are conducted to determine the dysfunction of the urinary tract. For example, a cystometrogram measures the pressure and volume of fluid in the bladder during all stages. A urethral pressure profile tests the function of the urethra. Also, a leak point pressure exam tests the pressure in the abdomen that leads to incontinence.

Home Remedies

• Pelvic floor exercises, more commonly referred to as Kegels, strengthen the muscles of the pelvic floor, helping control the release of urine. These are especially helpful for women who suffer from GSI. To do a Kegel, pretend you are trying to stop the flow of urine in the middle of urinating. This contracts your pelvic floor muscles. Do five sets of 10 Kegels each day.

  Sufferers of GSI may opt to undergo pelvic floor stimulation (PFS), a noninvasive treatment that activates muscles and nerves in the pelvis. For GSI sufferers who cannot correctly perform Kegels, PFS ensures the strengthening of these pelvic floor muscles.

  Tampons and other pelvic organ support devices reduce GSI during exercise. Diaphragms can also be used to curb leakage.

Medical Treatment

• For more serious cases of GSI, you may opt to undergo urethra injections. Your doctor may inject a bulking substance, such as collagen, into the lining of your urethra to thicken the lining.

  Another option is surgery. Your surgeon may opt to perform a retropubic suspension, which involves attaching the neck of your bladder to your pubic bone. An alternative surgery, the sling procedure, requires a material wrapping around the bladder to attach it to the pubic bone.

  Alternatively, an artificial sphincter may be placed around the urethra. Most commonly used for men who suffer from genuine stress incontinence, a fluid-filled cuff is manually opened and closed by the wearer.

  As with all surgeries, these procedures come with side effects, such as the inability to urinate.