Urinary incontinence and bowel incontinence are health conditions that can be a nuisance, they can be humiliating, isolating, maddening and they can also be treated.

For the millions of people suffering from incontinence, it may seem like the constant worry never ends. It can be embarrassing to discuss the topic of incontinence, but it is a health issue that can affect all aspects of life. Here are some questions to ask yourself about incontinence:

• Do you always map out a route to the closest bathroom?
• Do you cancel social plans or avoid outings for fear of a leak?
• Do you avoid all travel or long car rides?
• Does your incontinence cause you to feel anxious or depressed?
• Do you only wear dark-colored clothing in case of an accident?

If you answered yes to these questions, then it is time to seek treatment for your incontinence. It does not have to rule your life, and it does not help to be in denial of the severity of your condition. It is a myth that you just have to live with it, because there are solutions to this health issue. It is important to discuss your incontinence with a physician. There are many options available to treat both urinary and bowel incontinence, including conservative treatment, injections and surgery.

Feel free to take our incontinence questionnaire online, or contact us to learn more about treatment. You can also call our discreet, dedicated Medical Concierge.

Urinary incontinence is usually broken down into three types, stress incontinence, overflow incontinence, and urge incontinence. Stress incontinence is an involuntary urine leak that occurs during coughing, laughing, sneezing, or exercise. Overflow incontinence is when the pelvic muscles allow for urine to leak consistently in small amounts throughout the day. Urge incontinence is characterized by a sudden, uncontrollable urge to urinate. It can happen at any time, even when there is not a bathroom nearby.

How Common is Postpartum Incontinence?

Stress incontinence can be an after effect of childbirth, known as postpartum urinary incontinence. In fact, it can also happen during pregnancy. There is more pressure on the bladder during pregnancy. The muscles in the bladder and the pelvic floor cannot handle the extra stress and pressure, leading to postpartum incontinence. This pressure leads to stress urinary incontinence, also known as overactive bladder (OAB).

The urethra and bladder move during pregnancy, which can later lead to incontinence. Giving birth can cause damage to the nerves that control the bladder, resulting in a weakened pelvic floor. Some women need an episiotomy, a cut made to get the baby out, but this cut goes through the pelvic floor muscles. All of these are factors can contribute to urinary incontinence after childbirth. Some new moms also experience postpartum flatulence as a result of their weakened pelvic floor.

A prolapsed bladder can also happen due to childbirth. Prolapsed bladder is when the bladder is no longer supported and descends into the vagina. This happens because of damage to the vaginal wall, often because of giving birth.

How to treat Postpartum Incontinence

During pregnancy, the best methods for managing stress urinary incontinence are bladder training and Kegel exercises. Bladder training refers to spacing out the time between urinations, in an attempt to strengthen the pelvic floor. Kegels are exercises that tighten and strengthen the pelvic floor muscles. Talk to your doctor before beginning any sort of treatment or exercise plan, especially during pregnancy.

Stress urinary incontinence is not normal, but it does happen and it is treatable. If incontinence continues 2-3 months after giving birth, it is time to see a physician. Stress urinary incontinence is treatable with both surgical and non-surgical treatment options.

Schedule a Consultation

At the Incontinence Institute, we have individualized treatment plans for all incontinence needs. Our physicians can determine what options would work best for you, and if you are a candidate for urethral sling surgery, an outpatient procedure that lifts the urethra back to its proper place, working to eliminate symptoms of stress urinary incontinence. Call our discreet, dedicated Medical Concierge at 800-771-1953 to learn more.

Prostate enlargement, or benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), is an enlarged prostate gland. It happens most with aging, though the cause of the enlargement is unknown.

The prostate is a small gland that forms part of the male reproductive system. It is located just below the bladder, where urine is stored. The prostate also surrounds the urethra, the canal through which urine passes. It is common for the prostate gland to become enlarged as men age. In fact, men rarely have any prostate enlargement before age 40. After age 40, the likelihood of it happening increases to the point where more than half of men in their sixties, and a majority of men in their seventies and eighties have some signs of BPH.

When the prostate is enlarged, the gland is pressed against the urethra. The bladder begins to contract, causing more frequent urination. Eventually, this weakens the bladder and it loses the ability to empty itself completely, so some urine remains in the bladder. The urethra narrows, and the bladder only empties partially; this causes many of the problems of BPH.

The symptoms of enlarged prostate include a weak stream of urine, not feeling empty after urination, urgency, and more frequent urination especially at nighttime. BPH is not a serious condition but it can worsen over time, and in some rare cases could signify prostate cancer. You should seek treatment if you have BPH symptoms and they interfere with your daily life. Leaving BPH untreated can make it more severe, which leads to urinary tract infections, kidney damage, bladder stones and increased incontinence.

Another prostate condition that can affect men is called prostatitis. This means the prostate is inflamed, or irritated and the main symptom is burning during urination or the urge for more frequent urination. Prostatitis is caused by a bacterial infection of the prostate gland. Men over age 50 who have BPH are at an increased risk for prostatitis. Prostatitis is treatable but can be painful.

There are treatment options for BPH including lifestyle changes, medicine and surgery. If you are suffering from signs of an enlarged prostate, contact your physician who can refer you to a specialist. If you are experiencing incontinence, contact us. Or call our discreet, dedicated Medical Concierge at 800-771-1953 to learn more.

How do we diagnose some urinary problems in women? Urodynamic testing is a painless procedure to test how the bladder acts when it fills and empties. This helps physicians find the best way to treat bladder problems.

Urodynamic testing is an outpatient test that consists of three parts. In the first part, you will sit in a special chair to urinate. The chair is attached to a computer that records the speed and amount of your urine as it passes. The second part is done on an examination table. A catheter (tube) is inserted into your vagina and bladder. Your bladder will then be filled with water. It is not painful, but it does cause a feeling of pressure. You will be asked questions while your bladder is filling, and determine if there is any leaking. In the final part of the test, you sit on the special chair again and urinate once more. Then the tubes are removed, and the test is done.

Overall, this test is not invasive. It is an important test to determine bladder function and problems. You will be able to drive yourself home afterward. Prior to the test, you should drink 32 oz. or more of water so your bladder is full for the test itself.

After the test, you may experience burning or blood in urine, but this should go away in 24-48 hours. You will be given antibiotics to take for 3 days. Please drink 6-8 cups of fluids, preferably water after the test. Do not have coffee, tea, soda or alcohol for 1 day after the test because they can irritate the bladder.

After the test, your physician will work with you to determine the best course of treatment. This could mean conservative treatments such as physical therapy or medication, or surgery.

Botulinum toxin injections are now available to treat urinary incontinence. Botulinum toxin injections treat symptoms of urge incontinence, also known as overactive bladder. These symptoms include a strong need to urinate with leaking accidents, frequent urination and an urge right away.

Botulinum toxin injections for urinary incontinence are Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved. They have been proven to reduce leakage episodes, increase bladder capacity and decrease pressure on the bladder as high bladder pressure can increase the urge to go. It is injected into bladder muscles in a series of treatments.

If you suffer from urinary incontinence, a constant need to know where the closest bathroom is, avoiding traveling or potentially embarrassing social activities, stopping exercise routines for fear of leaks, you know how difficult it can be. You know you can’t control it. You would do anything to prevent incontinence. Drastically reducing the amount of liquids you drink may seem like a logical step in getting control of your incontinence. However, this is a potentially dangerous tactic.

The recommended amount of water is about half your body weight in ounces. Either way, that is enough water to keep you hydrated. Water makes up about 60% of your body weight, and is vital to all systems in the body to flush out toxins from organs, carry nutrients and more. But if you are drinking less fluid to reduce incontinence, you can become dehydrated. Being dehydrated can make you feel more tired and give you a headache. Dehydration can also cause constipation. It is unhealthy overall to be dehydrated.

Most importantly for incontinence, cutting back on liquids can concentrate your urine. This can be easily seen because the urine will be darker. Concentrated urine caused by dehydration can irritate the lining of the bladder and urethra and actually worsen your incontinence. Thus, it is important to still drink enough water.

Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) is an infection that happens anywhere in the urinary tract. UTIs are the second most common body infection that people experience. Urinary tract infections can cause bladder irritation, and most urinary tract infections are bladder infections. They can also be caused by kidney infections, prostatitis and more.

UTIs are more frequent in women than men because the female urethra is shorter and comes into contact with more bacteria. If you have diabetes or a spinal cord injury, you are also at a higher risk of getting a UTI.

UTIs can irritate the bladder, giving sufferers strong urges to urinate. These urges can result in urinary incontinence. Incontinence and urinary tract infection are linked, but this type of incontinence is often short-term. Other symptoms of UTI are a burning sensation when urinating or foul-smelling urine. Bladder inflammation caused by urinary tract infection can cause pain. The good news is that with medication, this can be alleviated. A UTI can be diagnosed by a physician with a urinary test, and antibiotics can treat it.

If you experience severe urinary incontinence, or incontinence that is not related to a UTI, contact us. Feel free to call our discreet, professional Medical Concierge at 800-771-1953 if you have questions or to set up an appointment.

The Incontinence Institute is an outpatient treatment center, or ambulatory surgery center (ASC). You may be wondering what that means, or why it is beneficial.

As an ASC, the Incontinence Institute is highly regulated to ensure quality care and patient safety. Our facility is regulated by processes that include state licensure, voluntary accreditation and Medicare certification. Studies show that this attention to quality enables ASCs to outperform hospitals when it comes to clinical outcomes and patient satisfaction.

There are over 5,000 ASCs across the country, and with each one comes more patient choice. As the industry grows, so does the list of both outpatient surgeries and non-surgical procedures and treatments available in a local, personalized setting. Another advantage of ambulatory surgery is scheduling, and resources are more efficient, which means fewer surgery delays for patients.

We offer non-surgical procedures and minimally invasive surgical procedures where patients can go home the same day. Outpatient surgery for incontinence has a quick recovery time overall and a fast return to normal life and activities. ASCs can also be more cost-efficient with patients paying less out-of-pocket for the same surgical procedure that they would have at a local hospital. Being smaller in size and scope than a hospital, the Incontinence Institute can focus solely on our patients and their comfort another benefit of using same-day surgery centers. You can request pricing information about your procedure from our Medical Concierge at 800-771-1953 before scheduling surgery. And if incontinence is affecting you or if you want to learn more, contact us.

One myth that we try to dispel at the Incontinence Institute is that incontinence is something that just happens with age. On the contrary, urinary incontinence is not a normal part of aging.

Many people wonder, does aging affect incontinence? Yes. Does aging cause incontinence? No.

Although incontinence is more likely to occur with aging, it is certainly not a normal aspect of the aging process that we all go through. The correlation between aging and incontinence is there, but aging does not automatically mean you will suffer from incontinence. It just increases your risk.

Incontinence affects millions of people, and unfortunately many of them do not seek treatment because they rationalize that it is normal, it’s not. Incontinence is isolating. It can be embarrassing, and negatively impact your quality of life.

Incontinence can happen due to a variety of factors childbirth, prostate cancer, hysterectomy, obstructions, aging and more. Aging of the bladder muscle can lead to a decrease in the capacity of the bladder. This in turn means it can store less urine, and leads to overactive bladder symptoms.

It is not normal to be constantly mapping the closest route to a bathroom, canceling plans, avoiding social situations, wearing only dark clothing, or avoiding exercise due to urinary leaks. Incontinence is a medical condition, and can be treated. You do not need to learn to deal with it, and you cannot control it on your own, especially when it starts to take over your life. Incontinence is not a normal part of aging, childbirth or menopause. Though menopause and bladder control problems can be linked, menopause does not necessarily cause incontinence.