If you leak urine when you laugh, sneeze or pick up something heavy, you are not alone. This happens to about one-third of women at some time in their lives. It’s called Stress Urinary Incontinence (SUI), and it is treatable.
SUI is when pressure (or stress) is placed on the bladder and causes urinary leakage. This often happens with physical movement, like laughing, sneezing, coughing or exercising.
How SUI happens
It all has to do with the bladder, which has two functions. Number one is to store urine produced by the kidneys. The second function is to contract to push the urine through the urethra.
The sphincter muscle controls the urine coming out of the bladder. Your nervous system detects when the bladder is ready to be emptied and tells the sphincter to relax, which allows you to pee. When there is any sort of abdominal stress on the pelvic organs, which include the bladder, vagina, uterus, and rectum, SUI can happen.
SUI is not the same as urge incontinence
SUI and Urge Incontinence (UUI) are not the same and they are treated differently.
UUI involves the sudden and unstoppable loss of urine, and SUI doesn’t bring the same sensation of a sudden urge to urinate. Also, the underlying cause for stress incontinence is different from that of UUI.
Stress incontinence is caused by a weak sphincter muscle and/or pelvic floor. Some people have both SUI and UUI, known as mixed incontinence.
This means that you leak urine when you cough, sneeze, or exert pressure on your abdominal muscles (SUI) but also feel the urgent need to go to the toilet and may not make it in time (UUI).
There are two types of SUI
Urethral hypermobility. The urethra shifts positions due to an increase in abdominal pressure.
Intrinsic sphincteric deficiency (ISD). This the inability to effectively seal off the sphincter. There is no specific test for ISD, it’s believed that many women with SUI have at least some degree of ISD.
Symptoms of SUI
With SUI, you might feel a sudden and intense need to urinate. Or, you may feel nothing at all and it just happens. Some of the more common activities that can lead to leakage include:
Coughing
Sneezing
Laughing
Exercising or Working out
Having sex
Lifting something heavy
Standing up
Getting in or out of a car
Leakage can mean just a drop or two or urine, or it could be a strong stream. Of course, any amount is unwanted.
Whether it happens here and there or always happens during some of the above activities, there are treatment options available, so don’t dismiss your concerns.
The Primary Causes of SUI
SUI is the most common form of incontinence in women under age 60. Since SUI is caused by weakened pelvic floor muscles or a weak sphincter muscle, pregnancy and childbirth top the list for causes of stress incontinence. But there are other health factors that may put you at risk, including:
Hysterectomy (or any other surgery that affects your pelvic floor)
Nerve and muscle damage from childbirth or surgical trauma
Obesity
Menopause
Chronic coughing due to smoking and lung disease
Anatomical predisposition
Repeated heavy lifting or high impact sports
How SUI Can Affect Your Life
As you can imagine, or are currently experiencing, SUI can have a huge effect on your quality of life. SUI creates physical and emotional demands that can leave you feeling exhausted, embarrassed and even depressed.
Many women with SUI are ashamed and fear accidents, which leads them to avoid things they once enjoyed, including spending time with friends. This can lead to loneliness and depression if treatment isn’t sought.
There are also skin care issues. Constant moisture, especially urine, can cause your skin to be irritated and sore. You can find absorbent pads in the drugstore that have wicking materials to help keep moisture away from your body to avoid irritation. There are also moisture barrier creams to protect your skin from coming into contact with the urine.
Treatment Options for SUI
One offshoot of the aging of the population is increased attention on incontinence, which has led to innovative treatments. There are also simple management techniques that can help you get your life back on track.
Ask your urologist if one of these might improve your condition:
Lose weight. Obesity is a risk factor in developing stress urinary incontinence due to the extra pressure placed on the pelvic floor and the bladder.
Stop smoking. Coughing from smoking can put stress on your pelvic floor, and that can lead to muscle weakness and leakage.
Kegel Exercises. They help to strengthen the pelvic floor muscles so you’re able to better hold in urine. Consult your urologist, because pelvic floor exercises are not for everyone and can actually do more harm than good for some people.
Bladder Retraining. This means timing your trips to the toilet and slowly increasing the length of time between each visit. This can reduce the amount of fluid in your bladder and also help condition your bladder to hold urine for longer.
Pelvic Floor Stimulation or E-Stim. This delivers a small amount of electrical stimulation to the nerves and muscles of the pelvic floor and bladder to help strengthen them.
Injection Therapy. This technique uses a bulking agent injected into the tissue around the urethra. This helps to close the sphincter without interfering with urination.
Pessary. This ring-like fits inside the urethra. It helps to support the base of the bladder to prevent urine leaks, and is custom-fitted and inserted by your doctor.
There are also surgical treatments available based on the characteristics of your SUI. If none of the above techniques work, your urologist will discuss further options.
Don’t Suffer In Silence. The Experts at Norman Urology Can Help
Don’t be embarrassed. After all, you are one of millions of women who suffer from SUI. Don’t suffer physically or mentally or avoid the things you love.
Whether you’re suffering from SUI, or just want advice to keep both your bladder and your pelvic floor fit and healthy, Norman Urology has the answers and the most current treatments.
And you can count on superior, specialized care from experienced, compassionate professionals.
Reach out to us today to schedule an appointment. We can’t wait to meet you!
Sources:
https://www.urologyhealth.org/urology-a-z/s/stress-urinary-incontinence-(sui)
https://www.nafc.org/mixed-incontinence