Urinary Incontinence Types and Treatment Options

Urinary incontinence, commonly just referred to as incontinence, refers to the involuntary leakage of urine from the bladder. It can occur in both men and women and in both children and adults. At the Midwest Center for Pelvic Health, we specialize in the diagnosis and treatment of incontinence in adult women. The most common type of urinary incontinence in women is stress incontinence, which occurs when the urethra (the tube that carries urine out of the body) doesn’t stay closed during coughing, sneezing, laughing, or exercising allowing urine to leak out during these activities.

Stress Incontinence

When you sneeze, cough, laugh, run or jump (and any other activities involving increased abdominal pressure), pressure is placed on your bladder. For many women, that pressure can cause urine to leak. This type of incontinence is temporary and usually goes away as you heal from surgery or after childbirth—but it can also be permanent if nerve damage has occurred due to disease or injury. If stress incontinence is causing a problem for you, there are solutions—ranging from pelvic muscle exercises exercises to surgical treatments—that could help give your body more support so urine doesn’t leak out when it’s not supposed to.

Indianapolis urogynecologist, Dr. Ryan Stewart, at the Midwest Center for Pelvic Health see and treats women with stress urinary incontinence daily. After a conversation (and maybe a physical exam), he will work with you to determine your goals of treatment and build a treatment plan customized to achieve those goals. Stress incontinence treatment options offered by Dr. Stewart include:

If you’re experiencing symptoms of stress incontinence, call (317) 793-2819 to schedule an appointment with Dr. Stewart or schedule an appointment with him directly — no referral necessary. The fastest route to surgical treatment is an office visit with a physical exam. If you’d prefer to simply discuss your symptoms and treatment options (avoiding an exam) we’d be happy to do so in a secure video visit.

Urge Incontinence

A common type of urinary incontinence is urge incontinence, which occurs when a sudden urge to urinate strikes. Overactive bladder syndrome (OAB) can be associated with urge incontinence and is characterized by frequent urination and sudden urges to urinate that are difficult to control or suppress. Common treatments for urge incontinence include:

Treatment of urinary incontinence can be life-changing, but most women wait an average of eight years before seeking treatment. If you suffer from these symptoms, you should know that earlier treatment usually means a higher chance of success (and less invasive treatments). If this sounds like the type of urine leakage that you have and you’d like to talk more with us about which of the above treatment options we think might work best for you, schedule a secure virtual visit with us directly. By the end of that visit, you’ll have a built-for-you bladder care pathway that we can work through together until you get the results you desire.

Mixed Incontinence

This type of incontinence is very common, affecting about 40% of all women at some point in their lives. Women with mixed incontinence can leak urine both with a sense of urgency and when they laugh, cough, sneeze or exercise. A variety of factors can lead to urinary incontinence for women with mixed incontinence. Genetics may play a role, as can age-related changes in your body that make you more prone to developing various types of incontinence.

There are many approaches (also called “care pathways”) to the treatment of mixed urinary incontinence and they often utilize a combination of the treatments mentioned for stress and urge incontinence above. Typically, Dr. Stewart approaches mixed incontinence by asking a series of questions designed to determine which type of incontinence is most bothersome to you. What interrupts your life more, urine loss with a sense of urgency or urine loss with activities like laughing, coughing, or sneezing?

Most women with mixed incontinence are more bothered by urge incontinence than by stress incontinence. This is often because urge associated leakage can happen without warning and is typically associated with a higher volume urine loss. Leakage of urine in this manner is often quite embarrassing, even traumatic, for many women.

No matter which type of urinary incontinence bothers you more, we can help. Call to schedule an appointment or schedule directly online, any time day or night.

Overflow Incontinence

Overflow incontinence occurs when there is an inability to hold urine in due to an enlarged bladder. The common causes are pregnancy, obesity or being overweight. Overflow incontinence can also be caused by nervous system disorders that affect certain reflexes, such as multiple sclerosis, severe diabetes, or spinal cord injuries. It can also be brought on by side effects of certain medications, including antihistamines for allergies, blood pressure medications and diuretics for heart failure or fluid retention. This type of leakage is oftentimes associated with chronic urinary retention (an inability to empty the bladder completely). Timed voiding, self catheterization, medication changes, and other therapies can help reduce symptoms of overflow incontinence.

Functional Incontinence

Functional incontinence simply means that there is a loss of bodily function that prevents someone from physically getting to the bathroom (and getting undressed) in time to urinate. To envision the difference between this an urge incontinence, consider an elderly individual with a bad back or hip who uses a walker. For this person, the urge to urinate is not overwhelming, but the amount of time it takes to get to the bathroom means that urine leakage can sometimes occur before they can make it. This type of incontinence is caused by physical conditions such as stroke, memory loss, spinal cord conditions like ALS, and Parkinson’s disease.

Schedule Your Appointment Today

No matter your type of incontinence, early treatments don’t require examination to get started (and we don’t need an exam to listen
to your story). Additionally, the tools and we can teach you supplement more advanced therapies like medications and procedures, so learning them can provide considerable benefit regardless of the other therapies you use.

Start today with our 100% free interactive online course or join the waitlist to be notified when we’re up, running, and able to chat with
you virtually (early 2022).