Urinary Incontinence: What to Tell Your Doctor
A year after the birth of her second child, Kathleen (who asked that her last name not be published) developed stress incontinence -- a type of urinary incontinence that can make you leak urine when you cough, sneeze, laugh, or take part in physical activities.
“I was only in my 30s,” Kathleen says. "And I was leaking up to five tablespoons of urine during any activity. I had children in preschool and was dealing with this mess. I thought, ‘I can’t live like this.’"
Treatment Options for Overactive Bladder
Overactive bladder can have a major impact on just about every aspect of your life. It can force you to avoid vacations, dinners out, and other social situations. You can even miss out on valuable time with family and friends because you're afraid your overactive bladder -- also called OAB -- will trigger at the wrong time and embarrass you.Fortunately, there are ways to combat the problem. Overactive bladder treatment has many approaches, from medication, to behavioral changes, to a combination...
Read the Treatment Options for Overactive Bladder article > >
There's great news for the millions of people like Kathleen, who develop urinary incontinence: "They don’t have to live with it,” says Kevin Stepp, MD, director of urogynecology and minimally invasive gynecology surgery at the Carolinas Medical Center Women’s Institute in Charlotte, NC. “It’s very common and there are a lot of options that are well tolerated, low risk, and non-surgical or minimally invasive.”
Yet many people do live with urinary incontinence -- and as a result, may withdraw socially or become depressed -- because they never get diagnosed or treated for it. Why? Many are embarrassed to bring it up with their doctors, especially if it occurs during sex. Others believe that it's just a part of aging, and there's nothing to be done.
Knowing what kind of information your doctor needs from you and what you need from your doctor can make it easier to talk about urinary incontinence. Kathleen's experience, along with advice from doctors who treat the condition, may help you start talking -- and start getting relief.
Twice as many women as men develop urinary incontinence. Two common types are stress incontinence and urge incontinence from overactive bladder (OAB).
It's important to observe as much as possible about your urinary incontinence so you and your doctor can develop the right treatment for you. For example, when you get an intense urge to pee, are you unable to make it to the toilet without urinating -- a sign of urge incontinence? Or do you leak small amounts of urine -- a symptom of stress incontinence?
“I was only in my 30s,” Kathleen says. "And I was leaking up to five tablespoons of urine during any activity. I had children in preschool and was dealing with this mess. I thought, ‘I can’t live like this.’"
Recommended Related to Urinary Incontinence/OAB
Treatment Options for Overactive Bladder
Overactive bladder can have a major impact on just about every aspect of your life. It can force you to avoid vacations, dinners out, and other social situations. You can even miss out on valuable time with family and friends because you're afraid your overactive bladder -- also called OAB -- will trigger at the wrong time and embarrass you.Fortunately, there are ways to combat the problem. Overactive bladder treatment has many approaches, from medication, to behavioral changes, to a combination...
Read the Treatment Options for Overactive Bladder article > >
There's great news for the millions of people like Kathleen, who develop urinary incontinence: "They don’t have to live with it,” says Kevin Stepp, MD, director of urogynecology and minimally invasive gynecology surgery at the Carolinas Medical Center Women’s Institute in Charlotte, NC. “It’s very common and there are a lot of options that are well tolerated, low risk, and non-surgical or minimally invasive.”
Yet many people do live with urinary incontinence -- and as a result, may withdraw socially or become depressed -- because they never get diagnosed or treated for it. Why? Many are embarrassed to bring it up with their doctors, especially if it occurs during sex. Others believe that it's just a part of aging, and there's nothing to be done.
Knowing what kind of information your doctor needs from you and what you need from your doctor can make it easier to talk about urinary incontinence. Kathleen's experience, along with advice from doctors who treat the condition, may help you start talking -- and start getting relief.
Women and Urinary Incontinence
Twice as many women as men develop urinary incontinence. Two common types are stress incontinence and urge incontinence from overactive bladder (OAB).
It's important to observe as much as possible about your urinary incontinence so you and your doctor can develop the right treatment for you. For example, when you get an intense urge to pee, are you unable to make it to the toilet without urinating -- a sign of urge incontinence? Or do you leak small amounts of urine -- a symptom of stress incontinence?
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