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Swan Corporate Center
4715 E. Camp Lowell Dr.
Tucson, AZ 85712
520.881.3144
fax 520.881.1123
A Common Health Problem for Women of All Ages
Women of all ages have bladder control problems.You may think bladder control problems are something that happen when you get older. The truth is that women of all ages have urine leakage. The problem is also called incontinence. Many women leak urine when they exercise, laugh hard, cough, or sneeze. Often women leak urine when they are pregnant or after they have given birth.
Women who have stopped having their periods (menopause) often report bladder control problems. Female athletes of all ages sometimes have urine leakage during strenuous sports activities. Urine leakage may be a small bother or a large problem. About half of adult women say they have had urine leakage at one time or another. Many women say it’s a daily problem. Urine leakage is more common in older women, but that doesn’t mean it’s a natural part of aging. You don’t have to “just live with it.” You can do something about it and regain your bladder control. Incontinence is not a disease. But it may be a sign that something is wrong. It’s a medical problem, and a doctor or nurse can help.
How does the bladder work?
The bladder is a balloon-shaped organ that stores and releases urine. It sits in the pelvis. The bladder is supported and held in place by pelvic muscles. The bladder itself is a muscle. The tube that carries urine from your body is called the urethra. Ring-like muscles called sphincters help keep the urethra closed so urine doesn’t leak from the bladder before you’re ready to release it.
What are the different types of bladder control problems?
Not all bladder control problems are alike. Some problems are caused by weak muscles, while others are caused by damaged nerves. Sometimes the cause may be a medicine that dulls the nerves. To help solve your problem, your doctor or nurse will try to identify the type of incontinence you have. It may be one or more of the following six types.
Temporary incontinence. As the name suggests, temporary incontinence doesn’t last. You may have an illness, like a urinary tract infection, that causes frequent and sudden urination that you can’t control. Or you may find that a new medicine has the unexpected side effect of increasing your urination. These problems go away as soon as the cause is found and corrected.
Stress incontinence. If you leak urine when you cough, laugh, sneeze, or exercise, you have stress incontinence. Mental stress does not cause stress incontinence. The “stress” is pressure on the bladder. When your pelvic and sphincter muscles are strong, they can handle the extra pressure from a cough, sneeze, exercise, or laugh. But when those muscles are weak, that sudden pressure can push urine out of the bladder.
In stress incontinence, weak pelvic muscles can let urine escape when a cough or other action puts pressure on the bladder.
Urge incontinence. If you leak urine after a strong, sudden urge to urinate, you have urge incontinence. This bladder control problem may be caused by nerve damage from diabetes, a stroke, an infection, or another medical condition.
Mixed incontinence. Mixed incontinence is a mix of stress and urge incontinence. You may leak urine with a laugh or sneeze at one time. At another time, you may have a sudden, uncontrollable urge to urinate just before you leak.
Functional incontinence. Some people have trouble getting to the bathroom. If you have urine leakage because you can’t walk or have other mobility problems, you have functional incontinence.
Overactive bladder. If you have to urinate eight or more times a day, you may have an overactive bladder. Getting up to urinate two or more times each night is another sign of overactive bladder. With an overactive bladder, you feel strong, sudden urges to urinate, and you also may have urge incontinence.o include taking an ultrasound picture of your bladder. Or the doctor may examine the inside of your bladder using a cystoscope, a long, thin tube that slides up into the bladder through the urethra.
Aspen ObGyn provides relief for urinary incontinence through an out-patient procedure called a Sling. The FDA approved procedure is safe (minimally invasive) and effective (93% success rate).
The procedure will, in general, follow these steps:
1. A small access incision and a few small skin incisions are made. You may either have an incision at the
crease where your upper thigh meets your buttocks or in the middle of your buttocks on both sides.
2. A mesh is inserted through an incision and placed in the body.
3. The mesh is secured with stitches.
4. The incision is closed.
Please discuss your options with your physician to see if the Sling procedure is right for you.
Surgical & Non-Surgical Treatment for Urinary Incontinence
Our treatment includes IN-OFFICE Urodynamics (urninary output testing) with Surgical and Non-Surgical options offered by our Providers.