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Posts Tagged ‘urge incontinence’

Incontinence Protection Lets You Continue to Live Confidently

Sunday, February 28th, 2010

If you are suffering from any type of incontinence, either urinary incontinence or bowel incontinence, then it is important to have the right products for incontinence protection. By being familiar with the products that are available in today’s market and knowing which ones work best to help you manage your situation, you can keep incontinence from interfering with whatever lifestyle you choose.

Incontinence can range from light incontinence to heavy incontinence, and managing each level brings with it its own challenges. For example, stress incontinence happens when stress is exerted on the bladder causing urine leakage. So if you do not cough, laugh, exercise or lift something heavy, you will not have a problem. However, you cannot predict when a sneeze is going to sneak up on you, so it is better to be prepared with the proper incontinence protection, than it is to be caught off guard.

Sometimes you may be taking a medication that has a heavy diuretic side effect that can lead to urge incontinence. Other factors like caffeine, a bladder infection, pregnancy, an enlarged prostate or even alcohol consumption can cause this type of incontinence as well. So if you are prone to having an incontinence issue, it is a good idea to have the proper protection available when you need it.

Heavier types of incontinence occur with overflow incontinence, where the bladder overfills then literally overflows, and reflex urinary incontinence where voluntary bladder control is gone. In this case, you do not know when your bladder is full, so nothing triggers to to head for the rest room.

Each type of incontinence has a cure or at least a management technique that you can use to deal with it on a daily basis. Newer incontinence products and incontinence pads are more absorbent and have improved barriers to help prevent leakage. New materials help to wick moisture away from the body and keep skin dry even if you are sitting down. These pads also help you stay fresh for at least several hours.

So if you are dealing with any type of incontinence problem, make sure to look into proper incontinence protection to make dealing with your situation just that much easier. From pads to pants to mattress protection, you can find whatever products you need to help you live confidently. DryForLife has been helping people deal with their incontinence issues for over forty years, and if you need some guidance or advice on which products may work best for you simply give us a call or drop us an email. You can order from the privacy of your own home and have your products delivered directly to you.

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Understanding Mixed Urinary Incontinence

Friday, February 12th, 2010

There are many factors that contribute to mixed urinary incontinence or just incontinence in general for that matter. While incontinence is generally associated with older people, they have not necessarily cornered the market on incontinence. While ageing and the general deterioration of muscle strength that goes along with it certainly can cause urinary incontinence, the condition is caused by a litany of other things as well. In general women suffer from adult incontinence more frequently than men, however side effects from surgeries, injuries, disease and ageing happen to both men and women. The big factor that uniquely affects women is pregnancy and childbirth taking its toll on the muscles of the pelvic floor.

There are several different kinds of incontinence, each having an unique cause. Stress incontinence happens when pressure is exerted on the bladder and causes urinary leakage. Something as benign as a laugh, cough or sneeze is enough to cause accidental leakage. This type of incontinence is caused by damage or a weakening of the pelvic floor muscles.

Another type of incontinence is urge incontinence, which happens when you must empty your bladder immediately even where there is no toilet in sight, and so you have an accident. Urge incontinence is sometimes also referred to as overactive bladder, because it is the uncontrollable bladder contraction that causes the urinary incontinence. This is the type of incontinence that is most commonly found among older people.

Stress incontinence coupled with urge incontinence is known as mixed urinary incontinence, but generally when people suffer from mixed incontinence, even though both types of incontinence are present, one or the other is definitely more pronounced, and that is the set of symptoms that you will usually want to treat first.

There are many different treatments for mixed urinary incontinence depending on what the underlying causes of the problems are. In some cases behavioral therapy or a simple lifestyle change is all that is needed to handle the problem. Pelvic floor exercises, vaginal cones, and biofeedback can help to strengthen lax pelvic floor muscles. Then medication and surgery are available for more serious cases of incontinence. So depending on the type of incontinence that you have, treatment options are numerous and varied.

While you are determining what the cause and proper treatments are for your mixed urinary incontinence problems, you can still live your life happily and confidently by managing your incontinence problems. Finding the right incontinence products helps you stay active and engaged in social activities. DryForLife has a full range of incontinence products that can help any level of incontinence problem, and they can be ordered online, by phone or through the mail for speedy, discreet delivery.

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Mental Health Related to Bladder Problems in Women

Tuesday, December 15th, 2009

A study was done on 121 female veterans in the United States who suffered from lower urinary tract symptoms. The researchers evaluated the women’s age, race, obstetric history, mental health history and sexual trauma history. This group of women was compared to a control group of 1298 women.

The results of the study showed that women who suffered from psychiatric disorders and women who suffered from sexual trauma have an increased risk of suffering from incontinence, specifically an overactive bladder or urge incontinence.

When the control group was compared with the women who suffered from incontinence, the women suffering from incontinence had much higher incidences of psychiatric disorders. In the group suffering from incontinence 64.5 percent of the women suffered from some type of psychiatric disorder; whereas in the control group only 25.9 percent of the women suffered from any sort of psychiatric disorder.

Again when the control group was compared to the women who had incontinence symptoms, the women with incontinence also reported a much higher incidence of sexual trauma. The group of women dealing with incontinence had 49.6 percent of the women reporting some sort of sexual trauma, while the control group only had 20.1 percent of the women reporting some kind of sexual trauma.

This is the first study, which looks at the association of psychiatric health or sexual trauma and urinary incontinence. The study was conducted by doctors at the Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center, and the results were released online on October 22 well ahead of the study’s publication in the December issue of the Journal of Urology.

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Understanding the Cause of a Leaking Bladder

Sunday, November 15th, 2009

People of all ages can have problems with a leaking bladder. It doesn’t matter whether you are 22 or 82 years old it can happen to you. The causes may be somewhat different, but the emotional discomfort as well as physical is the same for all ages. Both men and women can have this problem. A leaking bladder is also known as urinary incontinence.

The number of women with leaking bladders in the UK is astounding. One study of 3,273 women reported that no less than 54% had problems with urinary incontinence or leaking bladder. The leaking of urine was from stress incontinence, urge incontinence or a combination of both. Stress incontinence occurs when you sneeze, cough, or lift something heavy causing uncontrolled leaking of urine. Urge incontinence occurs when the urge to urinate is frequent and urine leaks due to the inability to get to the bathroom quickly enough. The last type is mixed incontinence. This is a mixture of both the stress and the urge incontinence causing urine to leak.

The causes of a leaking bladder can be one or many different of things. One cause is simply the natural aging process. The muscle that is used to control the flow of urine from the bladder to the outside becomes weaker. As this muscle weakens a leaking bladder occurs for a lot of women.

Among the most frequent causes for a leaking bladder in women is pregnancy and childbirth. Women who may not have had problems with their bladder before pregnancy may have problems early into the pregnancy that continue throughout the pregnancy. The problem can last long after childbirth. Women who have large babies as well as those who may have had forceps used during delivery are at a higher risk for developing a leaking bladder.

Some other general causes for a leaking bladder are women who are overweight. Changes that are related to menopause can also cause problems with the bladder. Back injuries or injuries to the pelvis have been shown to be another cause for incontinence.

No matter what the cause of a leaking bladder may be, the anxiety and altered lifestyle can be difficult for anyone, young or old. The problem that is seen in the UK is that most women do not talk with their healthcare professional about the problems that they are having with their bladder. This may be due in part to embarrassment and anxiety.

Anyone can have problems with a leaking bladder. The causes are those that every woman can experience in their lives. Talking with a healthcare professional should be one of the first steps that women take in learning the possible cause of their incontinence. Your doctor can advise and help plan methods that can make your problem more manageable.

With the number of women with this problem there are many great products available to make life easier. DryForLife offers a discreet and completely confidential solution to all of your incontinence needs. Your concerns are very much our concerns; we have been providing incontinence products for over forty years, and we are here to help.

Additional Articles on Urinary Incontinence

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Surgical Treatments Used to Treat Urinary Incontinence in Women

Wednesday, September 16th, 2009

Women who suffer from stress or urge incontinence are often counseled to try non-surgical means to control their incontinence. These measures may include dietary changes, such as limiting the amount of caffeine, alcohol and carbonated beverages, as well as acidic or spicy foods. Bladder retraining may improve incontinence for some women. Bladder retraining is a method in which you first study voiding habits, then try to gradually lengthen the time between voids until you can comfortably hold your urine for several hours. Targeted exercises, known as Kegel exercises, help to strengthen weak pelvic floor muscles.

When these measures are unsuccessful in alleviating incontinence, your physician may suggest that you take a medication targeted towards treating your specific problem. Before prescribing a medication, your physician will want to gather information about your problem, what measures you have tried, and whether or not these measures were successful. Keeping a diary of fluid intake and episodes of incontinence will help your physician diagnose your problem accurately. A full history and physical, as well as urine and blood tests, may be required.

If medication therapy fails, surgical intervention may be warranted. Surgery is usually a last resort in treating incontinence, but there are several procedures that can alleviate both stress and urge incontinence. They range from simple outpatient procedures requiring only a local anaesthetic to more complex surgeries requiring a hospital stay. If you are considering surgery, it is important to know the pros and cons of the surgical procedure before you consent to having it done. To learn more about surgical treatments for the treatment of urinary incontinence in women, click here.

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Birth Control Pill May Decrease Risk of Bladder Weakness

Monday, September 14th, 2009

As reported by Reuter’s Health, researchers from Sweden studied twins of childbearing age between the ages of 20 and 46 years to determine whether the birth control pill or an IUD (intrauterine device) which released hormones had any impact on bladder weakness, compared to women who did not use birth control.

It was found that, after controlling for possible confounding factors such as weight, age and pregnancy, women who took birth control pills had a 43% less chance of suffering from stress incontinence and a 64% less risk of suffering from urge incontinence. Stress incontinence occurs when stress is placed on the bladder, such as when a woman coughs, sneezes, or laughs. Urge incontinence occurs when women experience leakage of urine from the inability to hold their urine once the urge is felt to urinate.

No difference in bladder weakness symptoms was found in women who had an IUD in place. Researchers state that further research is needed to determine the relationship between taking the pill and bladder weakness.

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Study Shows Incontinence Improves With Weight Loss

Monday, August 31st, 2009

Being overweight is known to be a risk factor for the development of incontinence. A study in the New England Journal of Medicine, published in January 2009, supports this idea. Research has shown that there is a relationship between excess weight and incontinence, and that losing weight can lessen episodes of incontinence.

The study included 338  American women who were over the age of 30, had a BMI (body mass index) between 25 and 50, and suffered from incontinence episodes at least 10 times per week. At the end of the study, women in the intervention group who were attempting to lose weight through diet and exercise lost approximately 17 pounds each, or an average of 8% of their body weight.

As a result of the weight loss, women in the intervention group decreased their episodes of incontinence by 47%. They experienced fewer episodes of stress incontinence, which was a direct result of extra weight applying pressure on the bladder. The women, however, did not experience a decrease in urge incontinence symptoms. To see the NEJM article, click here.

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Botox for Urge Incontinence - Not Just For Wrinkles

Friday, August 21st, 2009

Botox has been used for years as a wrinkle reducer, and has also recently been hailed as a breakthrough for treating migraine headaches. More importantly, and of interest to those who may be suffering from urge incontinence, Botox has been shown to be effectve in reducing or eliminating symptoms in urge incontinence.

How does it work? Urge incontinence is the product of an overactive bladder, and people who suffer from urge incontinence feel an urgent need to urinate as the result of bladder spasms. They also feel the need to urinate frequently due to these unpleasant bladder spasms. Conventional treatment consists of bladder retraining, medications and sometimes surgery.

Botox has been found to be effective in treating urge incontinence when it is injected into the bladder muscle that is responsible for the bladder spasms, thus reducing urgency and frequency. The downside of Botox is that it is not a permanent cure- Botox wears off in a matter of months, necessitating further treatment. However, in studies people who have been treated with Botox report a reduction in symptoms and, in some cases, a complete absence of symptoms following Botox injections. Botox has not been approved for this purpose, but trials are taking place. If this treatment interests you, you may want to consider if there are any trials taking place near you. To read more about this exciting new breakthrough, click here.

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What is Bladder Retraining?

Monday, August 10th, 2009

Urgency is characterized by an intense need to urinate, sometimes very frequently. This strong urge to urinate occurs because the bladder muscles contract inappropriately. These abnormal contractions of the bladder can be due to infection, neurological conditions, bladder stones, or obstruction at the bladder outlet. Caffeine, alcohol and stress may make symptoms worse. The result of these strong contractions may be incontinence.

Bladder retraining is a process by which the bladder is “trained” to hold larger and larger amounts of urine. To do this, try holding your urine for an hour, then gradually increase the amount of time between trips to the bathroom. If you find it difficult to hold your urine, try breathing exercises, Kegel exercises, counting slowly to 100, or any other form of distraction that works for you. Bladder retraining takes time and patience, but is successful approximately 50% of the time in cases of urge incontinence, or overactive bladder. A reasonable  goal for  bladder retraining is to be able to hold your urine for 3 to 4 hours before voiding, so that you are voiding no more than 6 times per day.

If you suffer from urge incontinence, you will want to use incontinence products that help you to feel secure and dry whilst you are undergoing the process of bladder retraining. You may experience some leakage until you are able to train your bladder and regain control.

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Overactive Bladder Syndrome

Saturday, June 6th, 2009

It is estimated that 1 in 6 adults suffer from some degree of overactive bladder syndrome;  1 in 3 of these people also experience urge incontinence. That’s a huge number of people, and probably more than you ever imagined if you are one of these people. This is likely because the nature of incontinence is such that many remain silent about a condition that is often embarrassing in nature.

Remaining silent about an overactive bladder may be exactly the wrong thing to do. There are many conditions that may contribute to overactive bladder; therefore, seeing your doctor can help identify any of these factors and point to the correct treatment for you. Overactive bladder is often very amnable to treatment, so don’t allow your embarrassment to stand in the way of a cure or, if you are older, don’t assume that you have to “put up with it” as part of the aging process.

In the meantime, if you find that you are experiencing urge incontinence as the  result of an overactive bladder, you may have a need for incontinence products that will allow you to go about your daily life without being fearful that you will experience the sudden urge to urinate and be unable to find a bathroom on time. For a full range of incontinence pads, pants and other incontinence products, you can search the DryForLife site for the best options to suit your needs. You may also want to download our free DryForLife Guide to Living With Incontinence.

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