How to Diagnose Urinary Incontinence

Urinary incontinence becomes more common as people age, yet many doctors fail to question their patients about urine leakage. Additionally, many patients refuse to confess the problem to their physicians even if they are asked about it. Talking about urinary incontinence is the first step to being able to diagnose urinary incontinence. Read on to learn how to diagnose urinary incontinence.

Instructions

Use Your Medical History

• 1

  Note when urinary leakage began. If you are not sure exactly when, then just write down a time frame. Your doctor cannot diagnose you without this information.

• 2

  Keep a log of every time you urinate. This will help establish how your habits have changed over time.

• 3

  Track how many fluids you ingest every day. Notice what times of day you tend to drink the most.

• 4

  Write down how much caffeine and alcohol you consume daily. Both caffeine and alcohol affect your kidney function and bladder control.

• 5

  Pay particular attention to the time and amount of urine leakages. Be sure to write down what you were doing at the time. Certain activities, such as cardiovascular exercise or heavy lifting, may aggravate urine leakage.

• 6

  Focus on how strongly you felt the need to urinate before leakage occurred. This information can give you doctor clues as to possible causes of urinary leakage and may assist in the diagnosis of urinary incontinence.

• 7

  Note down any discomfort you experience during normal urination. Pain or burning can be indicators of infection in the urinary tract.

• 8

  Read your medicine bottles. Some medications can cause urinary leakage. Write out a list of medications you take, each dosage and how long you have been taking each.

• 9

  Check your urine for blood. Blood in the urine can be a sign of a serious underlying condition and should always be reported to your doctor.

• 10

  Keep track of the strength of your urine stream. A weak stream may be a sign of an enlarged prostate in men.

• 11

  Tell your doctor about any pregnancies or recent surgeries you have had. Post-operative urine leakage may be normal in some situations.

Go to the Doctor for a Physical Examination

• 12

  Make an appointment with your physician at the first sign of urinary incontinence. Delaying treatment could lead to serious complications, especially when your incontinence is caused by infection or trauma to the urinary tract.

• 13

  Request that your physician conduct abdominal, rectal and genital examinations. Abnormalities in these areas can lead to urine leakage.

• 14

  Ask your doctor to measure your post void residual urine volume, the amount of urine left in your bladder after you have urinated. This can be easily done with either a ultrasound or a catheter.