Don’t stress
incontinence:
Make plans to see
your doctor today
Women make up 85 percent
of those with incontinence
and one in three women
older than age 60 is
estimated to have bladder control
problems.
“After her childbearing years, a woman’s bladder tends to fall closer to the vagina,” explains Kent Adkins, M.D., a urologist on the SSM DePaul medical staff. “In addition, older adults experience incontinence because their pelvic muscles have weakened over time.”
There are several types of incontinence, the most common being stress incontinence (leakage during normal activities that put pressure on the bladder).
Ask yourself these questions. Do you lose urine when:
- You laugh, cough or sneeze?
- You lift something or exercise?
- You feel a strong urge that you can’t seem to stop?
Physical therapy can be a cure for some. Certain exercises can train the pelvic floor to be stronger and contract at the right times. This helps control the urge and prevent urine leakage.
If this conservative approach does not work, surgery may become necessary.
“Some surgical repair procedures still require traditional open surgery, but others can be done laparoscopically, with no abdominal scar and a shorter hospitalization and recovery period,” says Dr. Adkins.
If you experience leakage or the other common incontinence symptoms for more than six weeks, Dr. Adkins advises you talk with a doctor.
