Urinary incontinence is a problem faced by many people. Due to the sensitive nature of this condition, many people are reluctant to seek medical attention straight away, much less tell their loved ones about it. This is when an individual is unable to control their bladder functions properly, resulting in urine leakage. There are many reasons for this condition, infections being one of them. For example, if you visit an STD testing center in Oregon City, you could find out if there is any likelihood of developing urinary incontinence due to microorganisms in your urinary system.
Urinary incontinence is very rare in children and young adults. However, its prevalence increases with age. A person is more likely to suffer from this condition towards middle age, usually after the age of 40. Cases of urinary incontinence are more in females than males, with the ratio being almost 4:1. It is thought that because women tend to have more unique health situations like menopause and childbirth, thereby increasing the chances of their pelvic muscles and urinary system developing this condition. Also, the elderly tend to suffer from it more than the young.
Types of Urinary Incontinence
i)Total incontinence: This is the most serious type of incontinence. It is characterized by a failure to hold urine, meaning the individual passes urine constantly or has frequent episodes of leakage.
ii) Stress incontinence: This is when urine leakage happens due to things like laughter or coughs. This is because such events put pressure on the bladder. It’s crucial to note that some normal individuals may have small amounts of urine leakage due to stress incontinence even though they’re normal.
iii) Urge incontinence: This is when urine begins leaking as soon as you feel that urge to pee. Sometimes, the leakage happens immediately after the urge comes.
iv) Chronic urinary retention: This is also known as overflow incontinence. This happens when you cannot empty your bladder completely. A common sign is when you’ve finished peeing, and small amounts continue to trickle out.
Causes of Urinary Incontinence
i)Stress: Physical stress in this instance means the weakening of the pelvic muscles for whatever reason. In women, pregnancy, childbirth, and other surrounding events lead to stress incontinence. Vaginal birth is a key contributor to this problem. The detrusor muscles are responsible for controlling the bladder. Events like natural delivery can put too much stress on these muscles, leading to incontinence.
ii)Injury: Sometimes, injuries can lead to urinary incontinence. For instance, a spinal injury could mean the nerves controlling bladder function are damaged, leading to leakage of urine.
iii) Infections: Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and urinary tract infections (UTIs) can also lead to inflammation of pelvic muscles, leading to urine leakage. To deal with bacterial vaginosis, one should use the best probiotics for BV.
v) Drugs: Some medications like diuretics can also lead to urinary incontinence. These drugs are used to encourage more urination. However, their prolonged use may lead to difficulty controlling bladder movements hence leakage.
vi) Birth defects and family history: Some birth defects make it difficult to control urination, making it likely that a person will have urinary incontinence. Also, a family history of urinary incontinence and conditions like obesity predispose one to urine leakage.
Management of Urinary Incontinence
1)Exercises
These work well for people with stress incontinence. For instance, women who have given birth are encouraged to engage in Kegel exercises. These help to strengthen the pelvic muscles, thereby enabling better bladder control. Bladder training is also beneficial. This involves holding urine for a few minutes after getting the urge to pee. This helps to strengthen bladder muscles.
2) Lifestyle Changes
Obesity is a major contributor to urinary incontinence. This means that proper body weight management will help to combat urinary incontinence. Also, consuming too many caffeinated drinks contributes to this problem. Cutting down on its consumption goes a long way toward managing urine leakage.
3) Surgery
This should be a last resort if all the non-surgical techniques fail. Depending on the type of urinary incontinence present, the surgery could enable more bladder strength or reduce the pressure on it when it’s full. These all help to control urine leakage.
Sometimes, such surgeries may include enlargement of the bladder for the implantation of a special device used to control the detrusor muscles responsible for urination.
Ultimately, urinary incontinence management has a lot to do with the specific type. Sometimes, incontinence is a mix of both stress incontinence and other factors like infections. Managing it will mean both medical interventions and lifestyle adjustment.