Q Tip Test for Incontinence

Incontinence can be an embarrassing problem. It affects more women then men. It can be triggered by physical problems, medications or urinary tract infections. Your doctor can help you find a solution. She will ask you questions and can perform tests that will identify the cause of your incontinence, which will allow her to suggest treatment for it.

Incontinence

• Urinary incontinence occurs when you lose control of your bladder and experience an involuntary leakage of urine. Doctors classify incontinence into four categories: stress, urge, overflow and mixed. Classification is based on when and how the incontinence occurs. Your doctor will ask you to describe the circumstances and sensations that surround each urine leakage. A doctor can perform tests to help determine the cause of incontinence. These tests include urine culture, cytoscopy and the Q-tip test.

Q-tip Test

• The Q-tip test is a useful tool for diagnosing stress incontinence. It can be performed in your doctor's office. During the test, you will lie back on a table, like you do when you visit the gynecologist for an annual exam. Your doctor will inject a sterile gel into your urethra, and then will insert a Q-tip into the front part of your urethra. Your doctor will ask you to cough or move your muscles like you are straining to urinate.

Interpretation

• Your doctor can diagnose stress incontinence by observing the action of the Q-tip when you cough or strain. If the Q-tip points more sharply upward when you cough, then your urethra is more mobile than is normal. A more mobile urethra is an indication that your incontinence should be categorized as stress. Stress incontinence occurs when sudden pressure on your bladder, like when you sneeze or cough, causes you to leak urine.

Use in Treatment

• The Q-tip test can also be useful in treating your stress incontinence. Kegel exercises will build strength in your pelvic floor muscles. Strengthening these muscles will help support your urethra and reduce its mobility. Performing the Q-tip test after you have begun doing Kegel exercises can help you and your doctor evaluate how well the exercises are working. It can also work as a biofeedback control, allowing you to better visualize the effects of Kegel exercises if you find them challenging to do.

Considerations

• The Q-tip test is a useful tool for diagnosing stress incontinence but it cannot diagnose other forms of incontinence. It is also not a definitive form of diagnosis, so it cannot be used to either eliminate or confirm stress incontinence as the problem. Your doctor will need to do more testing to be sure of the cause of your incontinence. After the test is performed, you might feel slight discomfort. A warm bath can help relieve the pain.