There are several types of urinary incontinence. If you struggle with any of them, you know it’s embarrassing. The good news is that you can get the help you need by talking to our team.
Almost a third of American adults deal with urinary incontinence. While it impacts people of all genders, it is twice as common in women.
That is because women have a shorter urethra, and the female reproductive life cycle stresses the urethra, bladder, and supporting muscles. But no matter your gender, you might be looking for help to stop your urinary incontinence.
At Urological Associates in Charlottesville, Virginia, our providers have years of experience diagnosing and treating people with urinary incontinence. Although incontinence can be embarrassing, we are here to help.
Take a moment to learn more about urinary incontinence and the therapies we offer.
Why urinary incontinence happens
Many people associate urinary incontinence with aging. While you’re more likely to experience this condition as you get older, it’s not a normal part of aging.
Incontinence is a sign of one or more underlying issues unrelated to age. The underlying issue causing your urinary incontinence determines the type.
After determining the type, we can recommend an appropriate treatment method.
Types of urinary incontinence
Let’s look at the types of urinary incontinence and its causes.
- Functional incontinence: a temporary form of incontinence often caused by an injury, medication, or a urinary tract infection
- Overflow incontinence: when you leak or drip urine without realizing you need to go
- Stress incontinence: when the muscles supporting your urethra and bladder are weakened, so any pressure or stress on your bladder leads to leakage
- Overactive bladder: or urge incontinence, when strong and sudden urges to urinate occur because the muscle that controls your bladder contracts before your bladder is full
- Mixed urinary incontinence: when you have multiple types of urinary incontinence
Knowing what type of urinary incontinence you have is essential in getting the proper treatment.
How we can help
Many treatments are available for urinary incontinence, but the first step is meeting with our bladder specialists.
We perform a health assessment, review your medical history, and listen to your symptoms to build a personalized urinary incontinence treatment plan. Here are some of the treatments your plan may include:
Sacral neuromodulation
This implant therapy targets the sacral nerves at the base of your spine. These nerves can become dysfunctional and send the wrong signals from your bladder to your brain.
This dysfunction can trigger some forms of incontinence. Sacral neuromodulation stimulates those nerves to improve their function and stop incontinence. It involves a small implant under the skin of your upper buttocks.
Sacral neuromodulation isn’t a cure for urinary incontinence. Instead, it’s a long-term and drug-free management tool.
Urethral Bulking Agents
Bulkamid and Macroplastique injections are useful for those with stress incontinence.
We inject directly into the tissue surrounding your urethra. This helps improve the function of the muscles that close off the bladder and stops urine from leaking.
Pubovaginal sling
A pubovaginal sling is a treatment for people with severe stress incontinence. The treatment involves outpatient surgery.
A strip of fibrous tissue is taken from your abdomen during the procedure. This strip is placed around the neck of your bladder and urethra, helping control leakage and improving bladder resilience.
If you’re ready to put an end to your urinary incontinence, we’re here to help. Schedule an appointment online or over the phone at Urological Associates in Charlottesville, Virginia, today.