Stress incontinence is no laughing matter… or is it?

Stress incontinence is the leaking of urine when you put stress or pressure on the abdominal wall—like when you laugh, cough or sneeze. It can also happen when you run, play sports, or perform strenuous activities.

Women come to see me with a wide range of symptoms. Some say, “Oh, I only leak when I cough or sneeze, so I've been tolerating it up until now.”

Some women say, “I cannot play tennis or run without leakage, and that is really, really bothering me.”
 

To Treat or Not to Treat 

The first thing I want to do is determine how is this affecting your quality of life, and then I'll know which direction to go from there.

You don’t actually have to do anything about stress incontinence. It's not hurting you your health to not treat it. However, it can severely affect your daily life.

Treatment Options 

Once you're ready for treatment for stress urinary incontinence, we'll discuss what your goals are and identify the best treatment for you.

Treatments range from very conservative—like pelvic physical therapy—to surgery. If we go the surgery route, bladder testing can help us determine the best option.

One common surgical option is a mid-urethral sling. This is a small mesh graft placed under the urethra to act as sort of a hammock of support for when you exert pressure on the pelvic floor. This is a same-day minor procedure performed vaginally with very few restrictions and limited recovery time.

Another option I offer is urethral bulking. This involves looking into the bladder and urethra with a scope and injecting a gel-like material which helps strengthen the urethra’s ability to close. This procedure is also minimally invasive and same day, but in contrast has no recovery time. 

Get Help 

Stress incontinence can happen at any stage in life, but one-third of women over age 45 are affected by it.

Although you may think it is a normal part of aging, that absolutely doesn't mean that it has to affect your day-to-day life. We are here to help.