A person with urinary incontinence leaks urine accidentally. Overactive bladder, or urinary incontinence, is more common among older people, especially women. However, it can happen to anyone.

People who suffer from bladder control issues often avoid normal activities due to embarrassment. However, incontinence can often be stopped or controlled. There are four types of urinary incontinence including stress, urgency, overflow, and functional incontinence.

The bladder is part of the urinary system which includes the kidneys, urethra, and ureters. It is a hollow organ located in the lower abdomen. To move urine from the bladder into the tube-shaped urethra, muscles in the bladder tighten during urination. Meanwhile, the muscles surrounding the urethra relax, allowing urine to pass. Incontinence occurs when the muscles in and around the bladder don’t function properly.

A number of factors can cause incontinence, including infection in the urinary tract, vaginal infection or irritation, and constipation. There can be short-term problems with bladder control caused by some medications.

When patients experience longer-lasting urinary incontinence it can be caused by several factors. Weak pelvic floor muscles or bladder, an overactive bladder, or damage to the nerves controlling the bladder resulting from diseases like diabetes, multiple sclerosis, or Parkinson’s disease, may be responsible for continued incontinence. A pelvic organ prolapse occurs when pelvic organs such as the uterus, rectum, or bladder, shift from their normal place which prevents the bladder and urethra from functioning properly and may result in a leak.

Usually, when men experience incontinence, it is due to problems in the prostate gland. Prostatitis (inflammation of the prostate gland), damage or injury to muscles or nerves from surgery, or an enlarged prostate (which can result in a condition causing the prostate to grow as men age called benign prostate hyperplasia) can all cause urinary incontinence in men.

Urinary incontinence can now be treated and managed in more ways than ever before. You can choose a treatment that fits your lifestyle and your bladder control problem based on the type and severity of your problem. Generally, the simplest and safest treatments should be tried first. You may be able to better control your bladder with a combination of treatments.

A doctor may advise patients to begin by attempting bladder control training exercises such as pelvic muscle exercises (strengthening the muscles supporting the bladder to gain better control), urgency suppression (training yourself to control strong urges to urinate), and timed voiding (scheduling and timing your urination to gain more control). There are several behavioral and lifestyle change options that may also help manage incontinence including diet and exercise and overall health.

For patients with persisting urinary incontinence problems, various treatment options are available tailored to each condition’s specific nature and severity. Medications of various types are available, vaginal estrogen cream may help women with incontinence, and bulking agents may be used to close the bladder opening.

It is also possible for medical devices such as a catheter to be used to manage incontinence, biofeedback can help patients regain control of their muscles, electric nerve stimulation can assist with bladder reflex, and surgery may be the best option depending on the type of problem. Behavioral therapies may also be beneficial depending on the nature of the condition.

Urinary incontinence is quite common, especially as one age. Over 25 million American adults have experienced chronic or temporary urinary incontinence. Urinary incontinence can occur at any age however, it is most common in individuals over the age of 50 and affects women more frequently than men.

Dr. Elise Grenier MD, and her team at the G Spa are available to help patients cure their urinary incontinence and relieve the stress and discomfort related to the condition that affects so many. For more information, call us or book an appointment online. We are conveniently located at 490 Post St, Suite 1703, San Francisco CA 94102. We serve clients from San Francisco CA, Oakland CA, Pacifica CA, Brisbane CA, Millbrae CA, and San Francisco Bay Area CA.