• bladder health
  • importance of nutrition
  • importance of pelvic exercise
  • Finding The Right Pad
• bladder facts
• Urge UI
  • key influences
  • what you can do
  • finding more help
• stress ui
  • key influences
  • what you can do
  • finding more help

Stress UI

Finding More Help

Stress incontinence is a treatable condition! But remaining quiet is not on the list of effective remedies. Ask your healthcare provider about managing your incontinence with one, or a combination of, the following methods.

Behavioral
Pelvic floor muscle training including:

• biofeedback
• muscle training
• neuromuscular re-education

Surgical
When diet and exercise alone don’t provide relief, there are a number of surgical options, including:

• Sling surgery, click for more information on this procedure.
• Tension-free vaginal tape (TVT) surgery
• Retropubic suspension surgery
• Transobturator tape (TOT) surgery (similar to TVT surgery)

A less invasive option for women with Stress UI, there is a procedure called urethral bulking in which a Urogynecologist injects collagen, or other bulking materials, around the urethra to build up the section where it leaves the bladder.

Ultrasound
One of the best ways to determine the location, explanation, and possible treatment for pelvic floor disorders is ultrasound.  Healthcare providers that use ultrasound systems can more easily diagnose and effectively treat pelvic floor dysfunction.

Medical Device
A pessary is a rubber device that is inserted into the vagina until it touches the cervix and presses through the vaginal wall to support the urethra. It also works by pinching the urethra closed, helping to retain urine in the bladder and helping to decrease Stress UI. For some women with Stress UI, a pessary can only be used during activities that are likely to cause leakage of urine (exercise), however it is safe and can be worn all the time.

Medication
If diet and exercise, behavioral therapies or surgery are not successful, your doctor may combine these treatments with medications shown to be helpful in reducing symptoms.

Non-Western Medicine
Acupunture is a growing trend practiced by both Urogynecologists and holistic therapists to treat incontinence. In a study published in 2002, incontinence disappeared in 18% of the patients and incontinence symptoms decreased by 50% in 48% of the patients.

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