Urinary incontinence in women

How to treat urinary incontinence?

Urinary incontinence is one of the most common complaints in women.

We distinguish between two basic types of the disease: the urgent ii stress incontinence. The first type relates mainly to women who have completed 60-65 years of age, when it comes to stress incontinence, it appears a little earlier in the perimenopausal period (45-60 years).

You can also simultaneously suffer from stress and urge incontinence. Technically it called then mixed urinary incontinence.

Exercise most common variety of disease (49%). Urine leaks out when a slight increase in pressure inside the abdomen (when sneeze, cough, laugh). Urinary incontinence that is associated with a feeling of urgency on the bladder plagued 22% of patients, and mixed urinary incontinence affects 29% of women.

Urinary incontinence can also affect very young women, but in general, the older a woman is, the risk of developing the disease is higher. In women aged 30-35 disorder occurs more or less in every six women, female 50-year-old - already one third of women have this problem and, in almost every other lady in a tight elderly meets incontinence.

The risk of the disease (over a lifetime) is as high as 35%. So the risks are greater than the risk of developing hypertension (25%), depression (20%), diabetes (8%). However, for this condition it is not mentioned, compared with hypertension or depression. Urinary incontinence is unattractive and embarrassing problem.

Women also do not want too much talk about their problems, and worse do not want to heal. The disease is carefully hidden from relatives and doctors.

The reason usually are two powerful myths:

Urinary incontinence is not a disease but physiology. This is due to labor and is simply the effect aging. So you can not do anything about it and women suffer in silence.

There is no effective treatment for this disease. So why talk about it to the doctor. It makes no sense to swallow pills, the treatment in the hospital is no longer at all is not an option - so again suffer in silence.

The test to determine the type of urinary incontinence

1) In the last three months we have seen at home leakage of urine (even slight) - if the answer is no, it can end in this test.

2) In the last three months leak occurred during:

• cough, sneeze, exercise,
• sense of urgency on the bladder,
• in a different situation (check all the points that you refer)

3) There was a leak urine most often the result of:

• effort,
• urgency,
• both effort and pressure.
• in a different situation.

Can you prevent it?

You can not really prevent disease, but worth exploring two factors over which we have influence - namely smoking and obesity.

Smoking is the cause of frequent and chronic cough, and this leads to a weakening of support for the urethra. Nicotine acts also directly on the detrusor muscle (causing their contraction). There also allows for proper operation estrogen, ato not good for the good functioning of the bladder.

When it comes to obesity, this in itself is not the cause of incontinence, only very indirectly complicates matters. If a woman is heavily overweight, then her bladder, he must still defend itself across pounds, which for him are pressing. And when you carry a dozen years or dozens of extra kilos, it will become a reason of sheer fatigue.

How to deal with urinary incontinence?

Once the problem appeared, it must first brew that modern medicine getting better coping with this disease.

So (to overcome shame) go to the doctor, we have to choose a gynecologist, family doctor and urologist.

The doctor will diagnose and finds out what type of disease we are dealing (depending on the treatment).

The hospital performs more complex diagnostics (eg. the so-called, urodynamic study). Studies are needed when surgery should be performed.

Surgery is not indicated when sick woman suffering only to the urgent pressure on the bladder.

Use tablets that act on the parasympathetic nervous system and allow you to master the urgent needs of the bladder. there is a whole bunch of drugs, most of it is refunded, they have their drawbacks, as their action is not directed at the same bladder and can cause unpleasant side effects (eg. dry mouth, abdominal pain, headache, gastrointestinal symptoms).

The drug expensive, the side effects less (however, the effectiveness of old and new drugs is similar).

The treatment is also used Botox, which is injected into the bladder wall. The disadvantage of this method is the need to repeat the procedure from time to time.

When dealing with stress urinary incontinence is most effectively treated with this method of operating.

About two cases, doctors recommend that their patient exercise. Can some of them do the same: eg. Kegel muscle exercises.

What exercises for urinary incontinence?

1. Stand on your feet slightly apart, bend your knees, pull shoulders, hands put on put on the buttocks. As you exhale pull inwards and upwards abdominal muscles. Inhale and relax your muscles, Repeat 10 times.

2. Lie on your back, legs bent at the knees at 90 degrees lean against the wall. While inhaling press against the wall one time, once the second leg. Inhale, then exhale, pushing into the wall both legs. Repeat the entire sequence of exercises 10-12 times.

3. Lie on your back, arms at your sides. Place a pillow between your legs. Exhale while lifting the hips so that your thighs and torso form one line. Squeeze your knees pillow. Lower the hips, making breath. Repeat 15 times.

4. Lie on your side, between bent knees insert pillow. Exhale, clutching a pillow and pulling the most stomach. During inhalation relax your muscles. Repeat 15 times and put the other side.

5. Sit on a chair. Straighten your back, pull the blade. Lean forward (back straight), resting his hands on his thighs. As you exhale pull your abdominal muscles during exhalation pushes the outside. Repeat 8-10 times.