Many women think some urinary leakage is just a normal part of the aging process and something they can’t do much about, but there are several options to treat the various types of urinary leakage.
Clinically speaking, there are two different kinds of urinary leakage, although most women have a mix of both, said Peter Finamore, MD, chief of urogynecology at Southside Hospital. There’s stress incontinence -- which involves leakage during an activity such as sneezing or exercise – and urge incontinence, which means women get a strong urge to use the bathroom, Dr. Finamore said. He added that stress incontinence is common in women between 30 and 40.
There are several options to treat these incontinence issues. For stress incontinence, there is specialized physical therapy for a woman’s pelvic floor, injections or surgery, Dr. Finamore said; for urge incontinence, there are medications, nerve stimulators and injections.
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“Some women are too embarrassed to bring up that they have urinary leakage with their doctor,” Dr. Finamore said. “But I think as this issue has become more publicized, people are feeling more comfortable talking about the issues. Women should feel comfortable talking to their doctor about this; there may be options to treat this issue that don’t require surgery or another kind of major intervention.”
For more information about pelvic floor treatments, click here.
