Urinary Leakage: Not a Normal Part of Aging WRITTEN BY DR. BENJAMIN BARENBERG
This sentiment regarding stress urinary incontinence has been perpetuated for decades, and while leaking in these scenarios occurs in one in five women it does not have to be a “normal” part of aging. Few women are aware that there are simple, nonsurgical options that can improve their lives dramatically. Stress urinary incontinence, or SUI, happens when the pelvic floor muscles that support the urethra and bladder, such as during a cough, a laugh, a sneeze, or exercise, can no longer contract strongly enough to prevent urine from leaking. There are many risk factors for this kind of incontinence including childbirth, genetics, and obesity. Unfortunately, urinary incontinence is still considered a taboo subject which limits a physician’s ability to diagnose and treat it. On average, it takes five to seven years for women to discuss urinary incontinence with their physician due to the sensitive nature of the topic. With an experienced HAVE YOU HEARD physician, the diagnosis of SUI can be made through a physical examination and basic testing. Fortunately, there are effective, nonsurgical options that can improve or cure urinary incontinence. There are many lifestyle modifications women can use to improve their urinary leakage (or even delay onset) prior to seeking a medical opinion. First and foremost, maintaining a healthy lifestyle and a healthy weight can decrease the pressure on the bladder and lead to decreased leaking. Women who achieve a weight loss of 10% of body weight can improve bladder symptoms by up to 40%. Water intake should also remain consistent throughout the day, stimulating a void every four to six hours. For those with a chronic cough, smoking cessation and elimination of lung irritants that cause coughing are beneficial. There are anti-incontinence devices available over-the-counter and more tailored devices are available through your physician. Women can choose to use these devices as the sole therapeutic option or can choose to use these devices as a bridge to more advanced treatments such as surgery. Currently, all antiincontinence devices work through one of two mechanisms: increased support of the urethral sphincter (the hold-back muscle); or clitoral nerve stimulation which modulates WELL, IT’S NOT... the urethral nerves through subsensory tactile modulation. There are in-office therapies that are also effective treatments for stress urinary incontinence. First, vaginal laser therapies that stimulate the regeneration of collagen and elastin, which support the urethra, have been shown to improve mild to moderate stress incontinence. Second, the use of an electromagnetic energy chair also shows improvement. These chairs can quickly and efficiently strengthen the pelvic floor and urethral sphincter muscle by forcing the pelvic floor to undergo hundreds to thousands of painless muscle contractions in a short amount of time. In recent years, therapy using stem cells aimed at the regeneration of the urethral sphincter muscle has shown promise as a future low-risk intervention for stress incontinence and is available in the OKC metro.
“Leaking when you laugh, cough, sneeze, and exercise is a normal part of aging for women.”
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