Urge Incontinence | DryForLife Incontinence Advice

Posts Tagged ‘urge incontinence’

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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Tags: incontinence products, overflow incontinence, prostate, Stress Incontinence, urge incontinence, Urinary Incontinence
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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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Tags: birth control, overactive bladder, pelvic floor muscles, Stress Incontinence, urge incontinence, Urinary Incontinence
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Stress, Urge and Overflow Incontinence Treatment is Available

Wednesday, March 17th, 2010

Urinary incontinence can be described in thee basic categories depending on what is causing the actual urine leak. For example, stress incontinence is caused by pressure being exerted on the bladder and forcing urine out unintentionally. Urge incontinence exhibits itself as a sudden need to urinate followed by a urine leak, and it is frequently caused by misfiring nerve endings signaling a full bladder. The third type of incontinence is overflow incontinence, and it occurs when the bladder never fully empties so there is always urine leaking. All three types of incontinence can be treated, often with great success. So if you find that you are suffering from any type of incontinence it is a good idea to have your physician diagnose the cause. Then your doctor can help you through the followup care, because whether you are suffering from stress, urge or overflow incontinence treatment is available.

All three types of incontinence can be treated in four basic ways, with behavioral changes, physical therapy, medicine or surgery, and your health care professional is the best person the steer you in the right direction as to which treatment or combination of treatments is appropriate for you.

It is possible to have mixed incontinence as well, where you suffer from two types of incontinence at the same time. For example, you may have the symptoms for stress incontinence along with the symptoms for urge incontinence. In this case your physician will probably choose to begin treatment addressing whichever type of incontinence is the more dominant of the two, and then follow up on the second one.

Unless there is a clear injury or infection, treatment will usually begin with the least invasive solution and become more aggressive as needed. For example, you may start keeping a bladder diary to note when you drink; how much liquid you consume, and when you have accidents. Simply by mapping your behavior, you can frequently make a few small adjustments in your activity to correct your incontinence problem. If behavior changes are not enough, your may move on to doing exercises to strengthen your pelvic floor muscles, and again this regimen may be all that is needed to improve your symptoms. Both of these approaches for dealing with urinary incontinence have absolutely no side effects, so you often have nothing to lose and everything to gain by trying them first.

When neither of these two approaches solves your problem, there are medicines available to help with your incontinence problem. Depending on your doctor’s suggestion, your medication may do one of several different things. For example, some medication reduces the amount of urine that your body makes. Some medication quiets muscle spasms or calms misfiring nerve endings. Some medication clears up infection, so depending on the likely cause of your incontinence your doctor can prescribe the appropriate medication.

When there is a clear injury where a repair needs to be made, surgery may be the answer to your incontinence problem. Surgery may also be a last stitch effort to solve a stubborn case of incontinence, and again this is a decision that you will want to carefully consider with your medical professional. Both medication and surgery can have side effects, which must be considered before choosing that course of treatment.

So whether you are dealing with stress, urge or overflow incontinence treatment is available for your condition. Get your doctor’s recommendation as to the right course of action to take. To make dealing with your incontinence challenges more manageable, it is important that you use the right incontinence products for your situation. At DryForLife we have been helping people discover the perfect products to help them manage their incontinence conditions for over forty years. With service available by phone or online and quick, discreet delivery DryForLife can help make your situation just a little easier, and we are always happy to help.

Further Articles on Incontinence Treatments

Tags: incontinence products, overflow incontinence, pelvic floor muscles, Stress Incontinence, urge incontinence, Urinary Incontinence
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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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Tags: bowel incontinence, Incontinence Pads, incontinence products, overflow incontinence, reflex urinary incontinence, Stress Incontinence, urge incontinence, Urinary Incontinence
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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.

Further Mixed Incontinence Articles

Tags: Adult Incontinence, incontinence products, Stress Incontinence, Types of Incontinence, urge incontinence, Urinary Incontinence
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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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Tags: overactive bladder, urge incontinence, Urinary Incontinence
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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

Tags: leaking bladder, Stress Incontinence, urge incontinence, 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.

Tags: Stress Incontinence, surgical procedures, treatments, urge incontinence
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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.

Tags: birth control, Stress Incontinence, urge incontinence
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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.

Tags: Stress Incontinence, urge incontinence, weight loss
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