Dr. Heripsime Ohanian offers on-site services to diagnose the underlying cause of your urinary incontinence and design a treatment plan.
The underlying causes of urinary incontinence
There are a number of different causes that trigger the unexpected urine leaks of urinary incontinence.
The types of incontinence include:
Stress incontinence
Stress incontinence causes urine leaks when you put pressure on your bladder, like when you cough, sneeze, or laugh.
Urge incontinence
Urge incontinence describes a sudden urge to urinate that’s so intense, you might not be able to make it to the bathroom in time.
Overflow incontinence
Overflow incontinence occurs when your bladder doesn’t empty completely, and you experience a persistent leakage of urine.
Mixed incontinence
Mixed incontinence describes a combination of two or more types of urinary incontinence.
For many women, it’s changes in the strength of their pelvic floor muscles that cause stress or urge incontinence. These muscles help control the flow of urine, and weakening occurs as you get older, during pregnancy, and following childbirth.
If you’re transitioning to menopause, the time when your periods stop for good, you’re no longer producing estrogen and other hormones at the same levels. This hormone imbalance can also weaken your pelvic floor muscles and cause stress incontinence.
Other possible causes of urinary incontinence include:
- Having a hysterectomy
- Chronic constipation
- A neurological disorder
- Urinary tract obstruction or infection
Whatever is causing your urinary incontinence, Dr. Ohanian can identify it through a pelvic exam, urinalysis, and other diagnostic testing. It’s also helpful if you keep a diary that tracks your bladder activity over the course of a few days.
Lifestyle changes to treat mild urinary incontinence
In cases where your urinary incontinence is mild or temporary, Dr. Ohanian can help you make lifestyle changes to reduce the frequency of your urinary leaks.
This might include avoiding caffeine and using the bathroom on a schedule. If you have an underlying infection, you might need a course of antibiotics to clear it.
You can wear a liner or pad throughout the day in case you do leak urine. When you’re still experiencing incontinence issues even after lifestyle changes, or if you often can’t make it to the bathroom on time, Dr. Ohanian can recommend additional therapies that reduce the frequency and severity of your condition.
Treatments for moderate or severe urinary incontinence
To help strengthen your pelvic floor muscles, Dr. Ohanian can recommend pelvic exercises. Several times a day you should squeeze your pelvic floor muscles as if you’re stopping the flow of urine, hold for a moment, and release.
If exercises and lifestyle changes aren’t enough to treat urinary incontinence, you might benefit from electrical stimulation therapy, a special medical device, or surgery to tighten your pelvic muscles.
You don’t have to be embarrassed by urinary incontinence. Discuss your options for treatment with Dr. Ohanian by calling Bergen Aesthetics today.