Your Bladder and Incontinence

You don't have to live with incontinence or other bladder problems. Our urologists can help.

Incontinence

Urinary incontinence affects millions of men and women each year. Many suffer in silence from symptoms—and often, a more serious underlying problem—that can and should be treated. Our urologists can help. Often we can treat the cause and not just the symptom, preventing more serious damage to the bladder. Incontinence does not have to be part of aging.

Among the many types of incontinence are:

• Stress urinary incontinence.—Leakage that occurs when there is an increase in abdominal pressure caused by coughing, laughing, lifting, straining and other physical activities. This is common in women after childbirth or during pregnancy.
• Urge urinary incontinence—Also called overactive bladder, it is usually accompanied by a sudden, strong urge to urinate and an inability to get to the toilet fast enough.
• Mixed urinary incontinence—A combination of stress and urge incontinence.
• Overflow urinary incontinence—Occurs when the bladder does not empty properly.

In men, the cause may be a urinary tract infection, prostate condition or bladder obstructions and irritation. Stroke and neurological disorders are other common causes. When the underlying cause cannot be treated, incontinence often can be controlled with medication or with an implant.

When there is weakness or deficiency in muscles supporting the urethra (stress incontinence), often our urologists can correct the problem with one of these surgical procedures:

• Bladder (retropubic) suspension surgery—Involves attaching the tube through which urine leaves the body (urethra) and/or the bladder to a sturdy structure in the pelvis, such as the back or the pubic bone.
• Urethral bulking—Involves injecting collagen into the urethra to close up a hole or build up its walls.

Urine Retention and Obstruction

Procedures are performed to treat urine retention and obstruction, an emergency condition, and some genitourinary infections. These include catheterization – inserting a small tube (catheter) into the bladder through the urethra to drain the urine. This relieves pain and distention.

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