Urinary Incontinence

Urinary incontinence is the loss of bladder control or leakage of urine.

Urine is made by the kidneys and stored in the bladder. There are muscles that contract when the bladder needs to urinate. When the bladder muscles are stretched, urine leaks into the urethraIt is expelled from the bladder through a tube called  . It also sphincter muscles also relax to allow urine to be removed from the body.

Urinary incontinence may occur when the bladder muscles suddenly tighten and the sphincter muscles are not strong enough to compress the urethra. This causes a sudden and strong urge to urinate that cannot be controlled. Stress caused by laughing, sneezing, or exercising can cause urinary incontinence. Urinary incontinence may also occur if there is a problem with the nerves that control the bladder muscles and urethra. Leakage of urine, small amounts or  It may occur in the form of excessive urinary incontinence.

Who Gets Urinary Incontinence?

Urinary incontinence, twice as many women as men affects. This is because of pregnancy , birth and menopauseReproductive health events specific to women, such as  , affect the bladder, urethra, and other muscles that support these organs.

Urinary incontinence can happen to women of all ages, but it is more common in older women. This is due to hormonal changes during menopause. More than 4 in 10 women aged 65 and over experience urinary incontinence.

Women have unique health events such as pregnancy, childbirth, and menopause that can affect the urinary tract and surrounding muscles. The pelvic floor muscles that support the bladder, urethra, uterus (womb) and intestines may become weak or damaged. When the muscles that support the urinary tract are weak, the muscles in the urethra have to work harder to hold in urine until they are ready to urinate. This extra stress or pressure on the bladder and urethra can cause urinary incontinence or leakage.

The female urethra is shorter than the male urethra. Therefore, any weakness or damage to the urethra in women is more likely to cause urinary incontinence. 

What are the Types of Urinary Incontinence Affecting Women?

The two most common types of urinary incontinence in women are:

• Stress Incontinence: This is the most common inkonIt is a type of tinans. It is also the most common type of urinary incontinence affecting young women. Stress incontinence occurs when there is stress or pressure on the bladder. Stress incontinence can occur when weak pelvic floor muscles put pressure on the bladder and urethra, making them work harder. In stress incontinence, daily actions that use the pelvic floor muscles, such as coughing, sneezing or laughing, can cause urinary incontinence, while sudden movements and physical activity can also cause urinary incontinence.

• Urgency Type Urinary Incontinence: In urge incontinence, urine leakage usually occurs after a strong, sudden urge to urinate and before going to the toilet. Some women with urge incontinence are able to go to the toilet on time, but they feel the urge to urinate more than eight times a day. They also do not urinate much when they go to the toilet. Urge incontinence is sometimes called "overactive bladder." Urge incontinence is more common in older women. It may occur unexpectedly, such as during sleep, after drinking water, when the sound of running water is heard or when water is touched.

Many women with urinary incontinence have both stress and urge incontinence. This is called mixed incontinence.

What are the symptoms of urinary incontinence?

Urinary incontinence is not a disease on its own. Urinary incontinence is a symptom of another health problem, usually weak pelvic floor muscles. Some women experience other urinary symptoms in addition to urinary incontinence: 

• Pressure or spasms in the pelvic area causing a strong urge to urinate

• Going to the toilet more than usual (more than eight times a day or more than twice at night)

• Urinating while sleeping (bedwetting)

What Causes Urinary Incontinence?

Urinary incontinence is usually caused by problems with the muscles and nerves that help the bladder hold or pass urine. Some health events specific to women, such as pregnancy, birth and menopause, can cause problems in these muscles and nerves.

Other causes of urinary incontinence include:

• Kilo:  Being overweight puts pressure on the bladder, which can weaken the muscles over time. A weak bladder cannot hold that much urine.

• Constipation: Problems with bladder control may occur in people with long-term (chronic) constipation. Constipation or straining while having a bowel movement can put stress or pressure on the bladder and pelvic floor muscles. This weakens the muscles and can cause urinary incontinence or leakage.

• Nerve Damage:Damaged nerves may send signals to the bladder at the wrong time or not at all. Birth and health problems such as diabetes and multiple sclerosis can cause nerve damage to the bladder, urethra, or pelvic floor muscles.

• Surgery: Any surgery involving a woman's reproductive organs, such as a hysterectomy, can damage the supporting pelvic floor muscles, especially if the uterus is removed. If the pelvic floor muscles are damaged, a woman's bladder muscles may not work as they should. This may cause urinary incontinence.

Sometimes urinary incontinence lasts only a short time and occurs for other reasons, including:

• Some Medicines: Urinary incontinence can be a side effect of medications such as diuretics (“diuretics” used to treat heart failure, liver cirrhosis, hypertension, and some kidney diseases). Urinary incontinence often disappears when medication use is stopped.

• Caffeine: Caffeinated drinks can cause the bladder to fill quickly, which can lead to urinary incontinence. Research shows that women who drink more than two cups of caffeinated beverages per day may be more likely to experience urinary incontinence. Limiting caffeine may help with urinary incontinence.

• Infection: Urinary tract and bladder infections can cause short-term urinary incontinence. Bladder control often returns once the infection clears.

How to Treat Pregnancy Urinary IncontinenceWhat happens?

4 out of every 10 women experience urinary incontinence during pregnancy.  During pregnancy, as the baby grows in the abdomen, it pushes the bladder, urethra, and pelvic floor muscles downward. Over time, this pressure can weaken the pelvic floor muscles and lead to leaks or problems with urine output.

Most problems with bladder control during pregnancy end after birth  disappears. 

Birth IHow Does Urinary Leakage Cause?

Problems during labor and delivery, especially vaginal birth, can weaken the pelvic floor muscles and damage the nerves that control the bladder. Most problems with bladder control that occur as a result of labor and birth disappear after some time. 

How to Treat Menopause Urinary IncontinenceWhat happens?

Some women have bladder control problems after they stop menstruating. Researchers have shown that low levels of the hormone estrogen after menopause can weaken the urethra.

Additionally, like all muscles, the bladder and urethra muscles lose some of their strength as we age. This means there is a greater likelihood of urinary incontinence as we get older.

How is Urinary Incontinence Diagnosed?

The doctor will ask the person questions about your symptoms and medical history, including:

• How often is the bladder emptied?

• How and when is urine leaked?

• How much urine is leaked?

• Which drugs are used?

• If you have been pregnant before, what was your birth experience like?

The doctor will perform a physical examination to look for signs of health problems that may cause urinary incontinence.

The doctor may also perform other tests, such as:

• Urine test: After urinating into a glass, the doctor will send the urine to the laboratory. In the laboratory, the urine will be checked for infection or other causes of urinary incontinence.

• Ultrasound: The doctor will look for anything unusual in the area of the kidneys, bladder, and urethra that could be causing urinary incontinence.

• Bladder Stress Test: During this test, the doctor will ask you to cough or strain as if you were straining during childbirth while monitoring urine loss.

• Cystoscopy: The doctor inserts a thin tube containing a small camera into the urethra and bladder to look for damaged tissue. 

• Urodynamics: The doctor inserts a thin tube into the bladder and fills the bladder with water. This allows the doctor to measure the pressure in the bladder to see how much fluid the bladder can hold.

Urine KHow Is It Treated?

• The doctor recommends that treatment can be started with some steps. If these steps do not improve your symptoms, he or she may recommend other treatments, depending on whether you have stress incontinence, urge incontinence, or both.

•  Laser Treatment It is administered through the vagina and emits microsecond long laser pulses that create a controlled temperature increase in the connective tissue of the vagina. Increased heating shrinks collagen and mucosal tissue and the vaginal wall tightens. This process encourages the body to continue natural tissue regeneration, reducing sagging of the vaginal walls, as well as thickening and strengthening the vaginal mucosa, resulting in stronger support for the bladder.provides.

What Steps Can I Take at Home to Treat Urinary Incontinence?

Your doctor may recommend some things you can do at home to help treat urinary incontinence. Some people do not think that such simple actions can treat urinary incontinence. But for many women, these steps eliminate incontinence altogether or help less urine leakage. These steps may include:

• Doing Kegel Exercises: If stress incontinence is present, Kegel exercises may be helpful to strengthen the pelvic floor muscles. Some women experience urinary symptoms because their pelvic floor muscles are constantly tense. In this case, Kegel exercises will not help the urinary symptoms and may cause more problems. 

• Training the Bladder: You can help control overactive bladder or urinary incontinence by going to the toilet at certain times.   

• Lose weight: Extra weight puts more pressure on the bladder and nearby muscles, which can lead to problems with bladder control. If you are overweight, a doctor can help create a plan to lose weight by choosing healthy foods and getting regular physical activity. 

• Changing Your Eating Habits: Caffeinated beverages, carbonated drinks (such as soda), or alcohol can make bladder leakage or urinary incontinence worse. 

• Quitting Smoking: Smoking can worsen many health problems, including urinary incontinence.

• Treatment of Constipation: Since constipation can make urinary incontinence worse, the doctor may recommend eating more fiber.

Kegel E.What are its weaknesses?

Kegel exercises, also called Kegel exercises or pelvic floor muscle training, are exercises for the pelvic floor muscles that help prevent or reduce stress urinary incontinence. Pelvic floor muscles support the uterus, bladder, small intestine and rectum.

Four in 10 women experienced improvement in their symptoms after trying Kegel exercise. Kegel exercise can be done every day and can be especially beneficial during pregnancy.  Pelvic floor muscles can also weaken with age and less physical activity.

Some women experience urinary symptoms because their pelvic floor muscles are constantly tense. In this case, Kegel exercises will not help the urinary symptoms and may cause more problems. 

Kegel E.How do I do exercises?

To do Kegel:

1. Lying down: It may be easier to learn how to do Kegel movements correctly while lying down. 

2. Tightening the Muscles in the Genital Area as if Trying to Stop the Flow of Urine or Passage of Gas: It is necessary to try to tighten only the pelvic muscles, trying not to tighten the muscles in the abdomen or legs at the same time.

3. Relax: The muscles should be tightened again and the muscles should be kept tense for 3 seconds and then relaxed for 3 seconds. Up to 3 sets of 10 should be practiced every day.

4. Do Kegel Exercises Anywhere: When the muscles become stronger, Kegel should be tried while sitting or standing. These exercises can be done whenever you want, for example, while sitting at the table or in the car, waiting in line or doing the dishes. Kegel exercises should not be done at the same time as urinating. Over time, the pelvic floor muscles may weaken. 

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How Long After Starting Kegel Exercises Does Urinary Incontinence Problem Get Better?

It may take 4 to 6 weeks to notice any improvement in symptoms. 

Kegel exercises work differently for each person. Symptoms may disappear completely, an improvement in symptoms may be noticed but there may still be some leakage, or no improvement may be observed. But even if symptoms don't improve, Kegel exercises can help prevent urinary incontinence from getting worse.

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Should Individuals with Urinary Incontinence Consume Less Liquid?

No. Many people with urinary incontinence find that they need to drink less to reduce urine leakage. However, for health, the human body needs fluids, especially water. (But alcohol and caffeine can irritate or stress the bladder and make incontinence worse.)

After age 60, people become less likely to get enough water, putting them at risk for dehydration and conditions that worsen urinary incontinence.

Stress IWhat are the medical treatments for incontinence?

If home steps do not work to improve stress incontinence, the doctor offers other options:

• Medicine: After menopause, applying vaginal creams, rings, or patches containing estrogen (called topical estrogen) can help strengthen the muscles and tissues in the urethra and vaginal areas. 

• Vaginal Pessary:A reusable pessary, It is a small plastic or silicone device (shaped like a donut or donut) that is inserted into the vagina. The pessary presses against the wall of the vagina and urethra to support the pelvic floor muscles and help reduce stress incontinence. 

• Fill  Agent Injection: The doctor may inject a bulking agent, such as collagen, to cause the tissues around the bladder and urethra to thicken. This helps keep the bladder opening closed and reduces the amount of urine that can leak out.

• Operation: Urinary incontinence surgery is not recommended if pregnancy is planned in the future. Pregnancy and childbirth can cause leakage to reoccur. The two most common types of surgery for urinary incontinence are: 

  • Sling Procedures: Midurethral sling is the most common type of surgery to treat stress incontinence. The sling is either a narrow piece of synthetic (man-made) mesh or a piece of tissue taken from the person's own body that the doctor places under the urethra. The sling acts as a hammock to support the urethra and keep the bladder in place. Serious complications of the sling procedure include pain, infection, pain during sexual intercourse, and damage to nearby organs such as the bladder. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) reports that in 1 in 50 patients with synthetic mesh for urinary incontinence, the mesh moves after surgery and sticks to the vagina, causing pain.  

  • Colposuspension: This surgery also helps hold the bladder in place with stitches on both sides of the urethra. This is often called the Burch procedure.

What Are Non-Surgical Treatments for Urge Incontinence?

If home steps don't work to improve urge incontinence, your doctor may recommend one or more of the following treatments:

• Medicines: Medicines used to treat urge incontinence help relax the bladder muscle and increase the amount of urine the bladder can hold. Common side effects of these medications include constipation and dry eyes and mouth.

• Electrical Stimulation: This treatment uses mild electrical pulses to stimulate the nerves in the bladder. Pulses can increase blood flow to the bladder and strengthen the muscles that help control the bladder. 

• Biofeedback: Biofeedback helps see how the bladder responds on screen. An electrical tape is placed on the skin over the bladder and urethral muscles. A wire attached to the patch connects to a shield. The person learns to control these muscles by watching the screen with his doctor to see when these muscles contract.

• Operation: If you have severe urge incontinence, the doctor may recommend surgery to help increase the amount of urine the bladder can hold or to remove the bladder. Removing the bladder is serious surgery and is only an option if other treatments have not worked and quality of life is severely affected.

Urine KHow can tripping be prevented?

urinary incontinence Although it cannot always be prevented, steps can be taken to reduce the risk:

It may be recommended to do Kegel exercises daily, especially during pregnancy and after talking to the doctor.

• Achieve or stay at a healthy weight.

• Consume fibrous foods to prevent constipation.