Urinary incontinence can disrupt your day and be embarrassing to deal with. Dr. Srisawai Pattamakom is a highly-regarded, board-certified obstetrician/gynecologist in Ventura, California who understands the causes of incontinence. She can create an individualized treatment plan that relieves your symptoms and gets you back on schedule. For effective solutions to urinary incontinence, call today to schedule an appointment with Dr. Pattamakom, at Ideal Women’s Health Specialists, or use their online service to book your visit.
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Incontinence Q & A
What is urinary incontinence?
Urinary incontinence is a relatively common condition that causes involuntary leakage of urine. It can occur infrequently or may happen frequently enough to restrict your activities. There are several forms of incontinence, and you may have only one, or you might experience several types with varying degrees of frequency. This is known as mixed incontinence.
Otherwise, different types of urinary incontinence include:
- Stress incontinence that causes urine leakage during physical strain such as coughing, sneezing, laughing, exercising, or heavy lifting
- Urge incontinence that causes an intense and abrupt urge to urinate that’s followed by an involuntary loss of urine and the need to urinate often, even during the night.
- Overflow incontinence that causes frequent or constant dribbling of urine when your bladder doesn’t empty completely
What causes urinary incontinence?
Urinary incontinence isn’t a disease. It’s actually a symptom of an underlying issue and may be caused by several issues, including an underlying medical condition or other physical problem. Dr. Pattamakom thoroughly reviews your symptoms and evaluates your health to determine what might be causing your incontinence.
A vaginal delivery, for instance, can weaken the muscles used for bladder control and can also damage bladder nerves and supportive pelvic tissue. This can cause your bladder, uterus, rectum or small intestine to move or drop (prolapse) from their usual positions and protrude into the vagina, which often causes associated incontinence.
Other causes of urinary incontinence include:
- Surgery such as a hysterectomy that damages your supportive pelvic floor muscles
- Aging that weakens your bladder’s capacity to store urine
- Menopause and a drop in estrogen, which ordinarily helps keep your bladder and the tubes carrying your urine healthy
What are the treatments for urinary incontinence?
Effective treatment for incontinence depends on the severity and type of incontinence you’re experiencing and what underlying condition is causing the symptoms.
Dr. Pattamakom may recommend:
- Pelvic floor muscle exercises
- Medication to calm an overactive bladder
- Topical estrogen cream to tone and rejuvenate your vaginal and urethral muscles after menopause
- Minimally invasive surgery with the da Vinci robotic-assisted system to install a supportive sling that helps keep your urethral openings/sphincters closed when you cough or sneeze
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