Embarrassed By Lack Of Urinary Control? Non-Surgical Treatment Is an Excellent Option

By Allen A. Farsaii, MD

Germantown Urology Center

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Embarrassed By Lack Of Urinary Control? Non-Surgical Treatment Is an Excellent Option

Urinary incontinence (loss of urine control and overactive bladder) is any condition of the bladder that is described as dysfunctional bladder in which the bladder has the problem of storage or voiding. It could be temporary or permanent, mild to moderate.
Some medication or illnesses can cause temporary urine loss; however, in chronic types, victims have no underlying disease and a mechanical cause such as bladder prolapse due to pelvic surgeries, i.e., multiple deliveries, hysterectomy, even C-section, and any kind of surgery on the ovaries or surgical procedure in the pelvic area which can cause overactive and urinary incontinence is responsible.
Overactive bladder may coexist via incontinence of the urine urgency and urgency-frequency condition. The estimated number of prevalence of this disease varies between 10,000,000-12,000,000 cases, with the vast majority being woman ages 35-75 years. However, younger woman may be victims of the disease. This disease is usually under-diagnosed due to the patients embarrassment and lack of knowledge upon onset of the disease. Consequently, more than 50% of the cases are under-reported. Whether it is reported or not by a medical provider, overactive bladder/incontinence has a profound negative effect on the patients daily life and socioeconomic value to society including psychological suffering through loss of social activity, loss of independency, lower quality of life and isolation.
Control of these conditions of overactive/urinary incontinence cost more than $10,000,000,000 annually in United States. And, while advances in treatment of overactive bladder and incontinence is encouraging, (medication, behavioral treatment and surgery) advances in non-surgical treatment, i.e. medications are so promising that the number of surgical treatments is declining.
In our daily practice, we see a wide range of bladder dysfunction ranging from sudden onset of urine leak with or without frequency and urgency and/or total urinary incontinence. We often see lack of urinary tract infection; however, if we do observe the urinary infection, we treat that first and hopefully, that will take care of the urgency incontinence or frequency by itself. If it does not and the condition becomes worse, it is associated with the condition of incontinence.
In our clinic, there is a significant improvement in the number of patients who are gaining dryness to pre-incontinence condition, meaning that the number of patients traveling to the bathroom or using diapers is being reduced from 8-10 to 0. We have been able to control the patients urinary symptoms up to 90% of the time without surgery using oral medication combined with behavioral modification such as bladder training or timed voiding. Providing no anatomical changes such as bladder prolapse exist in the remaining 10% of the cases, non-surgical methods such as collagen injections can be used to avoid surgery. Should non-surgical methods fail to resolve this issue, new outpatient procedures (including the Gynecare TVT, a 30-minute procedure) are available.
Please do not let yourself suffer from unnecessary urinary urge or incontinence or embarrassment of diaper change and social isolation. If you have any questions, please call a urologist.