Urinary incontinence can be embarrassing and a troublesome condition to treat. You can experience many varieties of incontinence and at many severities. Some people are only incontinent when they Feel the urge to go, but some people are incontinent and have no prior warning of the Impending accident. Similarly, your incontinence may range from slight dribbling to losing control of your bladder entirely. In the world of medicine, many different treatments have been discovered to help with urinary incontinence. It is best to start with the least invasive methods first, and only progress as far as surgery if the problem does not respond well to other measures. Bladder training is an effective behavioral ‘modification. It involves feeling the urge to urinate and holding off on relieving yourself for progressively, longer periods of time. You may also be asked to void, wait a Few minutes, and try to void again to encourage emptying of the bladder. You can use relaxation and breathing techniques when you feel the urge to prevent having an accident. Other behavior modifications include going to the bathroom at regular intervals whether you feel the urge or not. In addition, you can manage the amount of fluids you take in, including scheduling fluid for times that you will be near a bathroom. Kegel exercises are the most common prescription for urinary incontinence. They involve squeezing the muscles of the pelvic floor to stop the flow of urine. It is helpful to sit on a toilet, allow yourself to void a bit, and then pull up on the muscles in your pelvis to stop the flow of urine. You can do this 10 to 15 times in one voiding session. Doing Kegels is often about ‘making sure you are controlling the correct muscles. You should feel a gentle upward pull in your pelvis, when you do them, but you should not be contracting the muscles of your abdomen, buttocks, or legs. Besides Kegels, an electrical stimulator can Prince Court Medial Centre 39 flan Kia Pena 50450 Kuala Lumpur Malaysia Dr. Seri Suniza Binti Sufiah ‘= SPECIALITY: Obstetrics & Gynecology HOSPITAL: Prince Court Medical Centre LOCATION: Kusls Lumpur Malaysia | 24 Hour Hotline: +603 2160 0000 Emergency Hotline: +603 2160 0999 Toll Free: 1-800-88-7262 be inserted into the vagina or buttocks to gently stimulate the pelvic floor muscles and strengthen them. Arrecent entrant into the hunt for a urinary incontinence treatment is the use of medications. Anticholinergic medications are often prescribed to help relieve active bladders. These drugs include Ditropan and Detrol, and they can help with urge incontinence and bladder frequency. Some antidepressants are also used to help with incontinence. For instance, Cymbalta and Tofranil are often used to help control the contraction of the bladder and relieve incontinence. Finally, topical estrogen can help tighten vaginal and urethral muscles when applied to the genitals. Obviously, this is not a treatment for males, but it has shown some promise for females with urinary incontinence. ‘Many devices have been created to help with urinary incontinence. A urethral insert is a special, tampon-like device that is inserted into the urethra and acts like a plug. It is helpful in cases of dribbling or leakage, but they are not meant for 24 hour per day use. They are better used before times that are known to cause leakage, and then taken out for proper urination. A pessary is a ring-like device that is inserted into the vagina, and it creates pressure on the neck of the urethra. This pressure helps keep the urethra closed and aids in preventing accidents. You can also undergo certain interventions almed at increasing your ability to control your urethra. Bulking medications can be injected into the tissue surrounding the urethra to help strengthen it and www princecourt.com 24 Hour Hotine: +603 2160 0000 Tol ree: 1-800-89-7262 malt corporate affars@princecourt.comUrinary Incontinence Treatment DTS id Colpo keeled aay) UCet- 1a M- Te ad ceded ete) prevent dribbling. In addition, botulism type A can, be injected into the bladder to prevent overactive bladder syndrome. Finally, nerve stimulators can help to increase the efficacy of the nerves of the pelvis to control the outflow of urine. 24 Hour Hotline: +603 2160 0000 Emergency Hotline: +603 2160 0999 ‘Toll Free: 1-800-88-7262 Surgery Sling procedures are often used on females who have urinary incontinence. This uses a strip of tissue or a synthetic material to create a hammock for the bladder and urethra to rest in. By changing the angle of the organs, it helps to keep the urethra closed, especially during stress incontinence episodes. Similarly, a procedure called a bladder neck suspension seeks to increase the tension of a muscle that spans from the bladder to the urethra outlet. This helps you to control your urine by increasing the efficacy of the muscle used to hold it. Finally, artificial urethral sphincters can be used in men who are experiencing incontinence. It is a round donut filled with saline that is placed in the urethra. When urination is desired, a button under the skin is pressed to deflate the ring, and you can void normally.