Pregnancy and childbirth: two things that many women will experience in their lifetime. Menopause: something that every women will experience in their lifetime. Incontinence: the one thing you don’t have to experience – instead, handle it and move forward with all the other things you are ready to do and explore!
Incontinence is the leakage of urine from the bladder and primarily consists of two different forms: stress incontinence and urge incontinence. Stress incontinence is caused by stress being put on the bladder from simple, everyday actions such as laughing, coughing, and exercising. Urge incontinence is the sudden urge to urinate, which often arises without warning and can even occur when the bladder is not full. Sometimes the urge to urinate is so strong and comes with such little warning, that it doesn’t allow enough time to get to the nearest bathroom.
How do I know if I have Incontinence?
Do you find yourself running to the bathroom and barely having enough time to get to the toilet to urinate? Are there times when the need to urinate is so urgent and so strong that you don’t make it to a bathroom quickly enough? Do you find yourself wearing pads all the time due to urine leaks? Have you found yourself laughing with your girlfriends one minute only to be horrified the next to realize that that same laugh caused a urine leakage? If you are experiencing some or all of these symptoms then you have Incontinence and you should not wait a minute longer to come in and discuss it with our thoughtful doctors so that you can begin to take back your life as soon as possible.
How did I get Incontinence?
While giving birth is one of the most special and important events of many women’s lives, it can also have its downfalls. Incontinence is one of these downfalls. During childbirth, the muscles of the pelvic floor are stretched and can be damaged. This stretching and damage that led to a beautiful baby can later be the ugly culprit of Incontinence. Other causes of Incontinence are vaginal surgery, hysterectomy, obesity, and smoking. All of these causes are directly correlated to damage done to the pelvic floor muscles and nerves, which age right along with you.
What is the treatment for Incontinence?
If your personal life and sense of well-being are being affected because of Incontinence, then it’s time to come in to our office to discuss treatment options. Ask yourself, “Have I stopped doing some of the things I love to do like swimming, running, going out with friends?” Is your mind filled with preoccupations like, “Did I bring enough pads with me?” and “What if someone notices that I sprint to the bathroom instead of walk normally?”
These are all normal worries, fears, and reactions of a woman with incontinence and the answer to these doubts is to come speak to one of our caring doctors about treatment. At the office of Dr. Padron and Dr. Alvarez, we offer a full spectrum of incontinence treatments, both surgical and non-surgical. These treatments include: pelvic floor therapy, bio feedback, pessaries, bladder sling surgery, botox, urethral bulking agent injections, InterStim sacral neural modulation, PTNS.