GYNAECOLOGY
Urinary Incontinence / Leaking of Urine
Urinary incontinence is a medical term that describes wetting yourself from poor control of your bladder. It is often embarrassing and makes a real impact on the daily life of many. There are multiple causes and the 2 main groups is stress urinary incontinence and urge incontinence.
Some of the symptoms of wetting yourself may be corrected with simple exercises and change in habits. In more difficult case it may be treated with medication and in some cases surgery.
It is first important to make an accurate diagnosis by a detailed assessment of the problem and performing relevant tests and excluding other less common gynaecological causes for the symptoms. A thorough assessment of the symptoms and possible related other gynaecological problems is the most important part of treating urinary incontinence as they often go hand in hand.
Often other problems such as pelvic floor issues such as prolapse or a lump in the vagina may be associated. These lumps may cause discomfort or pain in some cases. A vaginal examination will be able to assess these problems. Sometimes a large mass in the abdomen may be causing the symptoms such as a fibroid uterus or a large ovarian cyst. These need to be excluded.
Incontinence of urine is a complicated problem with many forms of available treatments. The treatment ultimately depends on the assessment and diagnosis as different types of incontinence requires different medical attention. This may involve simple interventions such as Pelvic Floor exercises and a change in fluid intake practices.
It is fair to say that every bladder control problem no matter how small deserves expert attention and care.