How Common Is It
The NHS says that: After having a baby, it’s quite common to leak a bit of pee if you laugh, cough or move suddenly.
The National Childbirth Trust says almost half of women experience urinary incontinence.
But despite it being a common problem, their research found a third of women, 33 per cent, were embarrassed to discuss the issue.
And nearly half, 46 per cent, were not comfortable talking about it with their friends.
And the Baby Centre claims that around a third of women will experience urinary incontinence in the first year after having their baby.
What Are The Most Common Types Of Urinary Incontinence
Stress incontinence and urge incontinence are the two most common types of incontinence. Some people have one or the other, while some experience a mixture of both conditions.
If you experience stress incontinence, a small amount of urine may leak out when you cough, laugh, or exercise. With urge incontinence, you experience a sudden urge to urinate and urine loss thats uncontrollable.
Other types of incontinence include overflow incontinence, which is the frequent dribbling of urine, and mixed incontinence, in which you experience several types at the same time.
You may experience just a minor urine leak, or you may lose a moderate amount of urine more frequently, and it can become embarrassing and difficult to manage.
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Why Am I All Of A Sudden Having Bladder Leakage
Urge incontinence. You have a sudden, intense urge to urinate followed by an involuntary loss of urine. You may need to urinate often, including throughout the night. Urge incontinence may be caused by a minor condition, such as infection, or a more severe condition such as a neurological disorder or diabetes.
Signs and symptoms of a displaced IUD
- not being able to feel the IUD strings with your fingers.
- feeling the plastic of the IUD.
- your partner being able to feel your IUD during sex.
- bleeding in between periods.
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Can Urinary Incontinence Cause Utis
Urinary incontinence is the involuntary loss of urine. Its a real condition, it’s common, and there are treatment options.
Types Of Urinary Incontinence.. > > > > Impact Of Urinary Incontinence.. > > > > Treatment Options For Urinary Incontinence.. > > > > What Can I Do If I Have Urinary Incontinence?. But there are actually many different types of urinary incontinence, each with their own causes, and their own treatment options.. Other conditions that can lead to incontinence in both males and females are:. While many people see incontinence as embarrassing, until youve experienced it yourself you may not realize the true physical impact that it can have on your life.. If youve ever had a urinary tract infection you may know that a common symptom is urine leakage.. But one thing you may not know is that urinary tract infections are actually more common in people who already experience some types of incontinence.. Female Pelvic Floor Muscles. Male Pelvic Floor Muscles. Your doctor will be able to help you find a treatment option that works specifically for you.
When To See A Health Care Provider And What To Expect
Talk to your health care provider if you have urinary incontinence or any signs of a bladder problem, such as:
- Needing to urinate more frequently or suddenly
- Cloudy urine
- Urinating eight or more times in one day
- Passing only small amounts of urine after strong urges to urinate
- Trouble starting or having a weak stream while urinating
Your doctor may recommend urodynamic testing and perform the following to try to figure out what might be causing your bladder problem:
- Give you a physical exam and take your medical history.
- Ask about your symptoms and the medications you take.
- Take urine and blood samples.
- Examine the inside of your bladder using a cystoscope a long, thin tube that slides up into the bladder through the urethra. This is usually done by a urinary specialist.
- Fill the bladder with warm fluid and use a cystoscope to check how much fluid your bladder can hold before leaking.
- Order or perform a bladder ultrasound to see if you are fully emptying your bladder with each void.
- Ask you to keep a daily diary of when you urinate and when you leak urine. Your primary care doctor may also send you to a urologist, a doctor who specializes in urinary tract problems.
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What Can I Do To Prevent Bladder Problems After Birth
There are some simple steps you can take during pregnancy to help prevent incontinence.
- Drink 6 to 8 cups of fluid a day, unless your doctor tells you otherwise. Avoid drinks containing sugar or caffeine, as these can irritate the bladder.
- Eat a high fibre diet with 2 pieces of fruit, 5 serves of vegetables and 5 serves of cereals/bread per day.
- Make sure you have a healthy weight.
- Stop smoking.
- excessive twisting and turning activities
- exercises that require you to hold your breath
- exercises that require sudden changes of direction or intensity
- exercises that make you use one leg more than the other, or lifting your hip while you are on your hands or knees
- exercises that involve standing on one leg for a period of time
- activities involving sudden changes in intensity
- exercises that increase the curve in your lower back
Medications That Can Cause Or Worsen Incontinence
Ask your doctor if you think medicines may cause your incontinence.
If you are showing signs of urinary incontinence or if your incontinence problem seems to be getting worse, take stock of your medicine cabinet. Not for a new remedy, but to find overlooked causes of incontinence, or the explanation for your worsening symptoms.
Commonly recommended medications could be the cause of your incontinence, or at least contributing to them.
Medications affect people differently, so one person with incontinence may not notice worsening symptoms, while another person does.
If you suspect medications may be worsening or the cause of your urinary incontinence, describe your incontinence symptoms to your doctor and let him or her know about all the medicines you take, both prescription and over-the-counter. That way, your doctor can help determine whether these medicines should be adjusted or stopped, or if a treatment should be modified.
Here are the most common medicines that can worsen or cause urinary incontinence:
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An Extremely Common Condition
Sorry to report this, but postpartum urinary incontinence is quite common. According to the latest research, women who give birth vaginally are more likely to experience these complications afterward. In some cases, issues of urinary incontinence can last up to a year, and smaller percentages of women are still living symptoms after 5 years.
Contributing factors include the fact that the bladder and pelvis muscles are weakened during childbirth. In addition, the uterus will begin to shrink back to its normal size, which causes repeated compressions on the bladder. Rapid changes in hormones also need to be considered as the body attempts to balance its female sex hormones after a child is born. Women over the age of 35 and those who are obese are also at a greater risk for urinary incontinence following childbirth.
All together, these influential factors lead women to face a much higher risk for urinary incontinence. The good news is that most women can recover with the proper precautions and effective treatment options recommended by Dedicated to Women.
Living With Urinary Incontinence
Urinary incontinence does, unfortunately, become a long-term problem for some women. Here are some tips on living with it:
- use incontinence pads, which are made for urine leakage, rather than sanitary pads
- take a change of underwear or set of clothes when you go out
- know where toilets are located so you can find them quickly
- cross your legs when sneezing or laughing
- modify your exercise routine to avoid high impact exercises such as jumping
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Diuretics As A Cause Of Urinary Incontinence
Commonly called “water pills,” diuretics work in the kidney to reduce blood pressure by flushing excess water and salt out of the body.
“If you take your diuretic, you are making more urine,” says David Ginsberg, MD, a urologist and associate professor of clinical urology at the Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles.
That translates to more bathroom visits and a worsening of incontinence symptoms, he says.
“If you need the diuretic, you need it,” says Ginsberg. But he recommends you pay more attention to the recommended incontinence treatments, following your doctor’s instructions to the letter.
That may mean paying more attention to doing your Kegel exercises, designed to strengthen the pelvic floor muscles. Weakened pelvic floor muscles are often the cause of a common type of urinary incontinence called stress incontinence, in which small amounts of urine are leaked, especially when you cough, sneeze, or laugh.
Once you learn how to do Kegel exercises correctly , you can do them nearly anytime — even while driving a car or watching TV or sitting at your desk.
If nighttime incontinence is a problem, you might ask your doctor if you could take the diuretic in the morning, suggests Jennifer Anger, MD, MPH, a urologist at Santa Monica — UCLA Medical Center, Santa Monica, Calif., and an assistant professor of urology at the University of California Los Angeles’ David Geffen School of Medicine.
Birth Control Pills In Perimenopause According To Functional Medicine
The discovery of birth control pills is a revolutionary product of the human mind. Life is a priceless gift and responsibility is just as important! We all know that BCPs were primarily created to prevent unwanted pregnancy, but over the years, BCPs were also seen to help women in perimenopause. Well, heres a question that Ive been getting from many midlife ladies:
Do birth control pills benefits for perimenopause symptoms outweigh the risks? Or is it the other way around?
In this article, we will have a quick recap first about the symptoms of perimenopause. Then, we will focus on the pros and cons of taking BCPs with regard to perimenopause symptoms! After we tackle all accounts from functional medicine experts, I will share some natural alternatives proven to relieve perimenopause symptoms. Oh, youll love them!
Read on and may you find the answer to that question above!
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When Should Women See A Doctor About Postpartum Incontinence
Women should talk to their doctor or a female pelvic health specialist six weeks after delivery if they had incontinence before, during or after pregnancy. Regular, unintended urine leakage may mean a woman has another medical condition. The loss of bladder control should be treated sooner rather than later, or it can become a long-term problem.
Episiotomy considerations
We have a postpartum pelvic floor program uniquely designed to help women who experienced third- and fourth-degree anal sphincter lacerations during delivery. Women will meet with our pelvic floor physical therapists and begin therapy treatment 6-8 weeks post-delivery.
What Is A Uti
A urinary tract infection is a bacterial infection in the urinary system, which encompasses the urethra, bladder, ureter, and kidneys. UTIs are extremely common, affecting more than half of women and a smaller percentage of men at least once in their lives.
Doctors split UTIs into two categories: Lower tract UTIs, which occur in the urethra and bladder , and upper tract UTIs , which tend to be more severe. Lower tract UTIs are more common and easier to treat.
UTI symptoms include:
- a burning or stinging sensation during urination
- feeling the urge to urinate frequently
- noticeable blood in the urine
- abdominal discomfort
Upper tract UTIs can also cause nausea, fever, body chills, lower back pain, and side pain.
If your UTI is mild, you may only feel slightly off at first, but in serious cases, a UTI can cause major discomfort and pain. And the longer its left untreated, the worse it tends to become.
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How Are Bladder Control Problems During Or After Pregnancy Diagnosed
Although most problems with bladder control during or after a pregnancy disappear over time, you should talk to your healthcare provider if the problem continues for six weeks or more after birth. Its a good idea to keep a diary that records your trips to the bathroom. In this diary, youll want to make sure to keep track of how often your have urine leakage and when it occurs.
During an appointment, your healthcare provider will perform a physical examination to rule out various medical conditions and see how well your bladder is functioning. Your provider may also order various tests, including:
- Urinalysis: During this test, you will be asked to provide a urine sample. This sample will be analyzed for possible infections that could cause incontinence.
- Ultrasound: Images produced by ultrasound waves can make sure that your bladder is emptying completely.
- Bladder stress test: During this test, your provider will check for signs of urine leakage when you cough forcefully or bear down.
- Cystoscopy: This test involves a thin tube with a miniature camera at one end being inserted into your urethra. Your provider will be able to look inside your bladder and urethra during this test.
- Urodynamics: A thin tube is inserted into your bladder during this test. Water flows through this tube to fill the bladder, so that the pressure inside the bladder can be measured.
Nhs Guide To Incontinence
- stress incontinence when urine leaks out at times when your bladder is under pressure for example, when you cough or laugh
- urge incontinence when urine leaks as you feel a sudden, intense urge to pass urine, or soon afterwards
- overflow incontinence when you’re unable to fully empty your bladder, which causes frequent leaking
- total incontinence when your bladder can’t store any urine at all, which causes you to pass urine constantly or have frequent leaking
Overflow incontinence is usually caused by an obstruction in the bladder or a blockage, which prevent it emptying fully.
Total incontinence can stem from a spinal injury, a bladder fistula or some people are born with it.
For women who have given birth, the most likely form of incontinence they suffer is stress induced.
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Treatments For Female Urinary Incontinence
First off, just know that this is very common and youre not the only one suffering from the issue. Second, this condition can be effectively dealt with. When you come in to see us, well do a full analysis and determine the best and most productive course of action. Treatment options include:
- Behavioral therapy like bladder training, and Kegels
- Surgical procedures like bladder suspension, which use sutures to support the urethra and bladder neck
- Tension-free vaginal taping , which involves putting polypropylene tapeunder the urethra to close it
- Medications are possible in some situations
- Medical devices like a pessary, a ring thats placed into the vagina can also support a fallen bladder
Please dont be ashamed of your condition, as its more common than you think. Its our mission at Ozark OB/GYN to help you with the most sensitive and personalized care. Get in touch with us and set an appointment by .
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How Do Health Care Professionals Diagnose A Cystocele
To diagnose a cystocele, health care professionals ask about your symptoms and medical history and perform a physical exam, including a pelvic exam to check your lower abdomen. You may be asked to stand during part of the exam, which may feel awkward but allows your health care professional to determine the severity of your cystocele. Your health care professional may also order medical tests to determine how advanced the cystocele is or to help find or rule out other problems in your urinary tract or pelvis.
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What Clinical Studies For A Cystocele Are Looking For Participants
You can view a filtered list of clinical studies on cystoceles that are open and recruiting at www.ClinicalTrials.gov. You can expand or narrow the list to include clinical studies from industry, universities, and individuals however, the National Institutes of Health does not review these studies and cannot ensure they are safe. Always talk with your health care provider before you participate in a clinical study.
Risk Factors For Incontinence After Childbirth
Women are more likely to have incontinence if they also had leakage problems during pregnancy, particularly in the first or second trimester. Women who also had long deliveries or needed forceps during labor are also more likely to experience urinary leakage.
According to the National Institutes of Health, women who have a natural delivery are 50% more likely to experience incontinence than women who deliver by C-section.
Women with a high BMI, or those who retain pregnancy weight gain after the birth of their child, are more likely to experience incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse after giving birth. Postpartum weight loss decreases the risk of urinary incontinence, even if other risk factors such as age and/or type of delivery method exist.
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Sleeping Pills As A Cause Of Urinary Incontinence
Only a small percent of people with incontinence have a problem with bed-wetting, according to Anger, who estimates about 10% of patients with incontinence wet the bed. However, sleeping pills may pose a problem for those with incontinence at night.
“Sleeping pills can make things worse because people don’t wake up ,” she says.
As an alternative, cut down on caffeine so you sleep better on your own, Anger suggests.
“Sleeping pills are overprescribed,” Appell tells WebMD. And if you already have incontinence, it can worsen the situation. “You wake up in a puddle,” he says.
He encourages patients to look for alternatives to help them sleep. “If someone needs a little something to help them go to sleep, an antihistamine, like Benadryl, can be helpful,” Appell says.
Paying attention to lifestyle can help, too. “Exercise so you will be tired,” Appell suggests.
Sleep will come more easily if you keep a regular bedtime and wake-up schedule, according to the National Sleep Foundation. You can also develop a relaxing bedtime ritual, such as reading a book or listening to soothing music.