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Incontinence in Women

Tuesday, November 30th, 2010

Incontinence in women is a common condition, although it should never be considered as normal, nor should it be considered to be an expected part of the aging process. Women are affected by incontinence more often than men, a fact that can be blamed on pregnancy and childbirth in many cases.

Many women suffer from stress incontinence during pregnancy, generally in the last trimester. This is largely due to the weight of the growing baby placing excess stress on the bladder. In addition, hormones in pregnancy can cause muscles to relax, particularly the pelvic floor muscles. Pregnant women should practice Kegel exercises during pregnancy and continue after the baby is born in order to keep pelvic muscles strong and prevent incontinence. Stress incontinence of pregnancy often resolves when the baby is born.

Childbirth itself can damage pelvic floor muscles and other pelvic structures, resulting in incontinence in women later in life. A large baby, a prolonged labor, an episiotomy, the use of instruments such as forceps or vacuum extraction and other complications can increase the incidence of incontinence later on.

As women age, it is thought that changing hormone levels can also predispose them to the development of incontinence. These changing hormones can cause a relaxation of muscles involved in urination.

There are other known factors that may contribute to incontinence, such as obesity, smoking, alcohol use, caffeine use and certain foods that may irritate the bladder. Infection or stones anywhere in the urinary tract may also lead to incontinence.

Incontinence in women is a complicated issue. Women who experience incontinence should visit their physician so that the cause of incontinence can be determined and appropriate treatment can be started. In many cases, incontinence in women can be cured, or improved greatly. Quality incontinence products such as the ones found at DryForLife are also very helpful for managing incontinence and maintaining an active lifestyle.

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Sensible Incontinence Treatments

Sunday, October 17th, 2010

When symptoms of incontinence begin to surface, for the average person it makes sense to investigate to see if the condition is temporary and possibly even reversible. One of the first things to consider when trying to determine best incontinence treatments is whether an infection might be the root cause. Since incontinence is generally a symptom of some underlying problem, looking for a curable cause rather than assuming that the condition is chronic only makes sense.

Sometimes a person may not even be aware that they have a looming infection, because incontinence is their only symptom. So make sure to rule out causes like urethritis and vaginitis, which are both completely treatable conditions. Continuing along the same thought process, looking for other straightforward causes like constipation, drug side effects, and limited mobility may also lead towards finding incontinence treatments that are highly effective.

After ruling out all of the obvious contributors to incontinence, the next level of investigation should include the actual functioning of the organs in question, which may include problems storing or emptying urine in the bladder, an obstruction of the urethra and a detrusor muscle that is either overactive or underactive. Statistics show that once the obvious causes, like infection, have been ruled out, a good ninety percent of women suffering from incontinence have a problem rooted in the area of bladder storage, regardless of their age.

Both overflow incontinence and stress incontinence relate back to bladder storage problems. For people who are not suffering from either of these two types of incontinence, urge incontinence remains, and it is typically caused by an overactive detrusor muscle, which is the sphincter that keeps urine from escaping from the bladder until the muscle voluntary releases it.

Urge incontinence is typically treated by changing a person’s behavior, which often simply involves tracking food and drink intake along with voiding patterns. When a person suffers from an urgency problem, generally it occurs because the bladder is going into a spasm. This type of incontinence can often be managed by teaching a person to recognize the early sensation of the bladder spasm, and then simply have them tighten the pelvic floor muscles until the spasm ends. Typically a bladder spasm does not last much more than a minute, and once the spasm ceases, a person can make their way to the bathroom without it being urgent. When learning to detect and control the spasms, using incontinence products may help to alleviate any worries of embarrassing, accidental leakage.

While adjusting behavior solves about half of this type of incontinence problem, some people need to supplement the behavior changes with medication to relax the bladder. However, since all medication has side effects it is advisable to try to rectify the problem with behavioral changes first.

When dealing with stress incontinence, which largely affects women, taking a sensible approach seems to work best. For example, if a woman is overweight, the first thing that she needs to do is lose up to ten percent of her weight to dramatically improver any problem with urinary leakage. For a women, using a pessary or a tampon can also help, especially for exercise induced incontinence. Consciously tightening the pelvic floor muscles before coughing, sneezing or laughing is also a very simple and effective method that can be used to manage stress incontinence. Performing Kegel exercises is a wonderful addition to sensible incontinence treatments, because strong pelvic floor muscles help to stave off any symptoms of incontinence.

While some people will need to undergo more extreme incontinence treatments like medication or surgery, it is always a good idea to start with the simplest approach and then move to more complex incontinence treatments only if the simpler solutions fail to produce satisfactory solutions.

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Definitions of Incontinence

Tuesday, August 17th, 2010

There are so many terms used in conjunction with the word incontinence that it can be hard to keep them all straight. First of all, it is helpful to have a working definition of the word incontinence. Incontinence refers to the sudden, involuntary release of urine or stool. Incontinence can have many different underlying causes, and it is always a good idea to discuss the problem with your doctor when searching for a solution for this problem.

Urinary Incontinence – the sudden involuntary release of urine

Faecal (or Fecal) Incontinence – the sudden involuntary loss of gas (flatulence) or stool; bowel incontinence is often used in place of faecal incontinence.

Stress Incontinence – urinary incontinence that results from some form of physical activity or stress on the bladder, such as coughing, sneezing, laughing or lifting a heavy object

Urge Incontinence – leakage of urine following involuntary spasms of bladder muscles or inappropriate contraction of bladder muscles; sometimes called overactive bladder

Overflow Incontinence – in overflow incontinence, the bladder does not empty completely and may become overly full, resulting in leakage of urine; often attributable to nerve damage or bladder muscle dysfunction

Mixed Incontinence – occurs when symptoms of both urge and stress incontinence are present at the same time in the same individual

Functional Incontinence – occurs as a result of a person’s inability to get to a washroom in time to void; incontinence as a result of a physical or mental condition (e.g. arthritis impeding someone’s ability to walk to the washroom quickly enough; dementia causing a person to forget where the washroom is)

Male Incontinence – any incontinence in men, often attributed to prostate disease

Female Incontinence – any incontinence in women, often a result of pregnancy and childbirth Incontinence Pads – absorbent pads that are worn alone or with incontinence pants to absorb urine or stool in incontinence

Incontinence Pants – may be worn alone or with incontinence pads; may be washable or disposable

This list is not exhaustive by any means, but it will hopefully provide you with a working vocabulary when discussing incontinence.

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Childbirth and Incontinence in Women

Monday, August 2nd, 2010

Women are more likely to suffer from incontinence than men. This predisposition is largely due to the fact that women give birth, which is an act that can bring great joy and can also wreak havoc on women’s bodies. Sometimes pregnancy itself can cause incontinence in women.

During pregnancy, the uterus grows to a point where it applies a lot of pressure to the bladder. This may result in stress incontinence. A woman with a large, gravid uterus may find that she leaks urine when she coughs, sneezes or laughs. Lifting heavy objects may also cause incontinence in women who are pregnant. Stress incontinence during pregnancy is usually transient and ends when the pregnancy does, because the uterus returns to its pre-pregnant size.

Childbirth itself can cause trauma to many structures, including the muscles of the pelvic floor, which help to control urination, and nerves. Conditions that may predispose a women to damage to these structures during childbirth include the following:

Use of forceps or vacuum extraction

Large birth weight babies (>4000 grams)

Multiple births

Prolonged labour

Precipitous birth (baby comes too quickly)

Induced labour using drugs

Episiotomy (performed to enlarge the vaginal opening)

Sometimes damage caused by childbirth is not evident for years after a woman gives birth. When a women experiences new-onset urinary or faecal incontinence, her doctor will want to know about the circumstances surrounding her pregnancies and births. Multiple pregnancies and births may make a woman more likely to experience incontinence.

Incontinence in women need not be permanent. There are many treatments and therapies that may improve or cure incontinence. Many women who experience incontinence assume that there is nothing that can be done, and they do not seek medical advice. Seeing a doctor is the first step to curing incontinence, and incontinence in women should never be viewed as a normal event.

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How to Choose the Right Incontinent Products

Wednesday, July 14th, 2010

There is often a lot of trial and error that goes into choosing the right incontinent products. After all, you want to be sure that your incontinent products do what you need them to do, at a cost that won’t stress your wallet. The following are some factors you may want to consider when choosing incontinent products:
What level of protection do I need?
It is important to consider how much protection you require. For example, are you constantly wet, or do you suffer from mild incontinence only when you cough or sneeze? Here’s a breakdown of incontinence levels.
Level 1 (Light or Mild Incontinence) – This type of incontinence is often the result of stress on the bladder (stress incontinence). It often occurs with sneezing, coughing or lifting a heavy object. Level 1 incontinence involves only small losses of urine or drops of urine associated with the activities mentioned.
Level 2 (Moderate Incontinence) – This level of incontinence includes losing the partial contents of your bladder, but not the entire amount. Moderate incontinence often occurs with overflow incontinence or urge incontinence.
Level 3 (Heavy Incontinence) – Most people with heavy incontinence have little control over their bladders. They may experience urine loss at night and their bladder may empty completely without warning.
Level 4 (Severe Incontinence) – People with severe incontinence may have other medical conditions, suffer from heavy incontinence and may also suffer from bowel incontinence.
Washable or Disposable?
Another important factor to consider is whether to choose washable or disposable incontinent products. Disposable incontinent products are simply disposed of after use, which many people find more convenient. Washable incontinent products require rinsing and washing, and although they may be more cost effective, many people do not want the hassle involved in constant laundering.
Absorbency
Absorbency can be used as a guide to help you choose an incontinent product. If you discover that the incontinent product you are using is not absorbent enough, you can simply try a product with a higher absorbency.
These guidelines can help you choose the DryForLife incontinence product that is just right for you. If you are still unsure of which product to choose, you can call us for free advice over the telephone, or email us if you prefer.
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Making Sense of Mixed Urinary Incontinence

Wednesday, July 14th, 2010

There are many different variables to consider when you are considering the underlying causes of incontinence. Most common in elderly men and women, incontinence is by no means isolated to this age group. It can also be found in younger people, and might even be more common than you think. Women tend to suffer from the symptoms of incontinence more frequently than men, because of toll that pregnancy and childbirth take on the body. However, incontinence can also be caused by infection, disease, injuries and surgery in both women and men of all ages.

Sometimes the manifestation of incontinence is a little fuzzy in that it is not clearly one type or another. Rather it seems to be a combination of two different types. For example, there are three main types of urinary incontinence, which are stress, urge and overflow incontinence. Stress incontinence happens when a sudden pressure is inflicted on the area of the abdomen affecting the bladder. Something like a sneeze, laugh, cough, or straining when lifting a heavy object is enough to cause stress incontinence. Weak or damaged pelvic floor muscles are usually the culprit of stress incontinence. This type of incontinence is very common after pregnancy and childbirth or prostate surgery.

The problems associated with urge incontinence appear seemingly out of nowhere, and if you cannot find a restroom immediately, you are very likely to have an accident. Since this type of incontinence is marked with a sudden and uncontrollable bladder contraction, it is frequently managed with medication to quiet the spasm of the bladder. This type of incontinence most frequently occurs in older men and women.

When you have the symptoms of two types of incontinence intertwined and manifesting themselves in concert, the condition is known as mixed incontinence. While mixed incontinence can be a combination of any of the three types of incontinence, it is most often stress incontinence mixed with urge incontinence. When a doctor is treating a case of mixed incontinence he or she will first treat the dominant symptoms, and then address the less dominant symptoms.

Then treatments for mixed incontinence are the same as they are for each individual type of incontinence, and your medical professional can help you define whether behavior modification, physical therapy, medication or surgery is the appropriate course of action for your specific case of incontinence. The treatment recommendation will change depending on the underlying cause of your incontinence.

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Looking at Urinary Incontinence in General Terms

Monday, July 5th, 2010

There are three main types of urinary incontinence, and they focus on the actual cause of the urine leakage. In elderly folks urge incontinence is probably one of the most prevalent types of incontinence that can be found. It manifests itself as an immediate urge to urinate followed by a violent spasm of the bladder and incontinence. This episode of incontinence can vary from very light to heavy. In younger folks stress incontinence is the most common type of incontinence, which is caused when sudden pressure is placed on the bladder causing urine leakage. This sudden pressure is usually caused by something like a sneeze, laugh or cough, and it can even be caused when exerting the stomach muscles as in the case of lifting a heavy object. The third main type of incontinence is overflow incontinence, and it happens when the bladder does not empty all of the way, or when there is an obstruction in the urethra. This type of incontinence occurs when the bladder never fully empties, so it frequently overfills, leaks and causes incontinence. As you can imagine, it is important to have a doctor diagnose the type of incontinence that you have so the two of you can outline a course of treatment to cure or at least manage your incontinence condition.

There are four basic categories that all incontinence treatments fall into which are, behavior modification, physical therapy, medicine and surgery. Your doctor can ascertain which type of therapy best suits your individual incontinence problem. Generally you will begin with the least invasive treatment option for your incontinence problem and move through to the more invasive solutions as you are looking for relief from your incontinence problem. It is important to have an expert, medical opinion as you make these treatment decisions.

Very likely your doctor will decide to begin treatment with the most basic solution for treating your incontinence symptoms. He may very well have you keep a bladder diary to help determine any pattern of your incontinence. Oftentimes if you can see the pattern of your incontinence, you can make a few behavior adjustments and your incontinence symptoms will subside. At this point if your symptoms persist then physical therapy may also be warranted. Exercising the pelvic floor muscles is much like working out any muscle in your body, and by properly exercising you can make it stronger and help to regain its function, which can directly translate into minimizing your incidence of incontinence. Both of these solutions for incontinence have no bad side effects, so there is absolutely no harm in employing them as you are trying to resolve your incontinence problems.

However, if your incontinence symptoms persist, your doctor may prescribe medication for your problem. Depending on the underlying cause of your incontinence there are several different types of medication that you may benefit from. There are medications to quiet muscle spasms, which would help to correct urge incontinence. There are medications to reduce the volume of urine that your body makes, which would help to correct overflow incontinence. There are medications that rid the body of infection. While medication will help with some types of incontinence, like urge and overflow incontinence, there are other types of incontinence where medication is largely ineffective, like stress incontinence.

There are times when incontinence is caused by an injury where something is physically broken, and in this type of case surgery may very well be the best option for treatment. It is important to remember though, that both medication and surgery can have unexpected side effects, so consider treatment with your physician carefully. Whether it is urge, stress or overflow incontinence that you are dealing with, there is a treatment solution out there for you, so work closely with your physician to find what works best for your incontinence symptoms.

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More About Mens Incontinence

Wednesday, May 12th, 2010

Urinary incontinence happens in both men and women, and it becomes increasingly common with advancing age. Incontinence itself, which is the accidental release of urine, is not a disease. Rather it is a symptom, and the problems that cause mens incontinence can be very different than the causes for women.

Since the urinary tract is very different for a man than it is for a woman, it only makes sense that many of the causes for incontinence would be different as well. The form and function of the bladder is essentially the same for a woman and a man, however the urethra, which is the tube that leads from the bladder, down through the prostate gland, traveling through the penis and finally reaching the outside of the body, is where there are distinct anatomical differences.

Generally any problem with the bladder itself is largely the same between the sexes. For example, when the bladder contracts prematurely or too forcefully; if surrounding muscles are weak or injured; or if the bladder does not empty completely incontinence can occur, and these same problems may happen to women and men. However, as problems move to the the area of the urethra, these incontinence issues become more gender specific.

While urinary incontinence is certainly more commonly found in older men, it is not necessarily restricted to older men. Incontinence can be a chronic problem, or it can be a short lived problem, and there are several different types of incontinence. Stress incontinence generally happens when you put pressure on your bladder such as with a cough or sneeze. Urge incontinence happens when the bladder prematurely contracts not leaving time to reach the bathroom. Overflow incontinence happens when bladder muscles are weak so that the bladder does not fully empty. This problem can be exacerbated by an enlarged prostate that then partially blocks the urethra.

Most often the symptoms of urinary incontinence manifest themselves as urine leaking from the bladder, but they can differ slightly depending on the incontinence’s cause. With stress incontinence this leak can occur when you strain to lift a heavy object or simply sneeze. With urge incontinence, you experience the sudden urge to urinate, and you cannot reach a toilet in time. With overflow incontinence you always feel like you need to go to the bathroom, but when you go only a small amount of urine is released and continues to dribble.

Your health care professional can help determine the cause of mens incontinence, and as you are working through your treatments, it is important to use quality incontinence products. At DryForLife we are ready to assist with answers to your questions, and we can provide you with the best mix of incontinence management products to support your lifestyle.

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Postponing the Need for Incontinence Pads for Women

Tuesday, April 27th, 2010

Urinary incontinence affects one in three women over the age of sixty, and women are twice as likely as men to develop problems with incontinence. Women are commonly afflicted with stress incontinence, which occurs as a result of weakened pelvic floor muscles. These muscles are weakened as a result of pregnancy, childbirth or menopause. Urge incontinence and overflow incontinence can also occur as a result of nerve damage to the bladder, kidney stones, infection or spinal damage. There are any number of different causes for a woman’s involuntary urination prompting the need for incontinence pads for women.

However, a Swedish study that was published in an issue of Fertility and Sterility draws a strong connection between oral contraceptive use and a measurable decrease in incidents of urinary incontinence among women approaching menopause. The study was conducted as a web based survey. The surveyors questioned over 10,000 women from the Swedish Twin Registry who were older than twenty three and younger than fifty. The line of questioning was interested solely in the connection that oral contraception has with any increase or decrease of urinary incontinence. The study found that as women used birth control their risk of suffering from symptoms of stress incontinence, urge incontinence or a combination of the two was severely diminished. Overactive bladder sufferers also realized a reduction in their symptoms, but not enough to consider oral contraception helpful in controlling the symptoms for an overactive bladder.

What is interesting about this study is that up until this point most other studies concluded that administering hormones to patients generally worsened their condition instead of improving it. Therefore, what researchers have discovered is that hormones have a completely different effect on younger women than they do on older women, because when the hormones are administered to perimenopausal women the symptoms of urinary incontinence noticeably improved.

Oral contraceptives have long been known to combat bacterial vaginosis and offer protection against pelvic inflammatory disease, and now they are showing promise in the treatment of some types of urinary incontinence in older women. Since hormones affect virtually every part of your body, you want to always consult your physician before considering taking oral contraception. So, if you are an older woman suffering from urinary incontinence, rather than simply stock up on incontinence pads for women, you may want to talk to your doctor about taking birth control pills to manage your urinary incontinence situation. And as you are getting your problem under control, remember that DryForLife has been helping their customers find just the right products for over forty years, and we offer speedy and discreet shipping.

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Bladder Sling

Wednesday, April 7th, 2010

Incontinence Sling May be a Last Stitch Effort

An incontinence or bladder sling is a surgical procedure used to help manage stress incontinence, and as with any surgery this one should not be entered into lightly. Bladder slings are particularly effective in women, though recently it is also being performed in men, who have tried other surgical solutions to no avail; who have other risk factors such as obesity; or who have a sagging bladder neck or urethra.

This surgery is usually very successful at relieving stress incontinence, and it is performed by placing a sling around the urethra to support it in the proper position. The bladder sling also exerts pressure on the urethra, the urinary tube from the bladder, which helps it retain urine, and it is attached to the patient’s abdominal wall on either side to hold it in place. The bladder sling is made of any number of different materials. Some are natural materials like muscle taken from the woman’s own body. The muscle tissue can also be taken from an animal like a pig. There are also slings composed of man made materials like plastic or polymer

dryforlifeBladder sling surgery is invasive, and it requires very deep incisions to attach the sling to the patient. For this reason, the patient is hospitalized for several days. The patient is normally catheterized to allow the urethra to drain during the healing process. Allow up to a month for healing, and do your best to take it easy during this time. While pain is a very individual experience, you will most likely feel some pain at the area where the incisions took place, and you may experience some cramping. Your doctor will send you home with medication to relieve the pain, especially the first few days after surgery. Your doctor may also prescribe a stool softener, because constipation can accompany the healing process. Drinking plenty of non caffeinated beverages helps, and including a healthy dose of fiber including fruits and vegetables in your diet will work wonders. If you find that you are suffering from constipation, then let your doctor know so that they can help you to resolve the problem.

While this surgery is typically successful, it is not a simple surgery. By using tissue from your own body, the risk of erosion of the urethra or vagina is somewhat diminished. However, the tissue must be harvested from your body, so it increases the surgical activity that you must endure. Aside from the danger of wearing away tissue, there are some risks involved with this surgery. The sutures can pull out, and if the patient is obese, this risks are even greater. There is always the possibility of post surgical infection or rejection of the tissue used for the sling. The surgery can also affect sexual function, and then there is the ever present risk of complications with the anesthesia.

Before jumping right in and assuming that bladder sling surgery is perfect for you, make sure that you do your homework, and find a doctor who has performed many, many of these surgeries. This is a difficult procedure, so you want to make sure that you have a skilled surgeon performing the operation. To boost the likelihood of the operation being a success, you as a patient can stop smoking, lose weight if you are heavy, and doing Kegel exercises before undergoing the surgery.

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