Surprising Causes of Stress Urinary Incontinence

by Stress Urinary IncontinenceUrinary Incontinence

Stress urinary incontinence, also called SUI, is the most common form of urinary incontinence. What is SUI? SUI is the leakage of urine anytime you put stress on your body, such as when you cough, sneeze, laugh, or exercise. Even standing up can cause leakage.

Specifically, this type of leakage occurs whenever your intra-abdominal pressure suddenly increases. SUI happens when the pelvic floor muscles that support the bladder and urethra are weak or because the urethral sphincter, which normally keeps urine from leaking, isn’t as strong as it should be.

Common Causes of SUI
If you have done any research into SUI, then you know that common causes of this form of women’s urinary incontinence include:

– weight gain
– childbirth
– smoking
– constipation
– aging

But what you may not know are the uncommon causes of SUI.

Uncommon Causes of SUI
Sometimes women are surprised by the appearance of SUI symptoms, especially if none of the above-mentioned risk factors apply. However, SUI symptoms can appear under certain unusual circumstances, including:

Timing
Because of hormonal changes, SUI symptoms may appear or worsen the week before your period. During this week, your estrogen levels are lowered, which can lead to decreased pressure around the urethra… possibly leading to leakage.

Pelvic Surgery
Many women are surprised when they develop SUI after a pelvic surgery such as a hysterectomy. Like childbirth, this type of pelvic surgery can weaken the pelvic muscles that support the bladder. The result is sometimes the occurrence of SUI.

Perimenopause or After Stopping HRT
While many women are aware that the onset of menopause can lead to SUI symptoms, what may be surprising is that these same symptoms can occur when a woman is perimenopausal, the transition period before menopause (when the  ovaries stop releasing eggs). During perimenopause, the body experiences a decline in estrogen, which can lead to decreased muscle support for the bladder and urethra. SUI symptoms may result.

The same thing can occur when women wean themselves off hormone replacement therapy because of a similar reduction of estrogen.

Don’t Be Surprised
Hopefully the above-listed uncommon causes of SUI will help you if you are surprised by the appearance of SUI symptoms. There are also other uncommon causes that are too many to list in the scope of this article.

Even though we can’t possibly list every possible cause of urinary incontinence, the good news is that you can (and should) always seek the advice of your favorite healthcare provider when you experience urine leakage. Urinary leakage is NOT normal, at any age, at any point in your life. If you experience urine leakage more than once, it’s time to call your doctor!

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The Importance of Pelvic Floor Health

by KegelsPelvic Floor MusclesPelvic Floor WeaknessPelvic Organ ProlapsePessaryPOPStress Urinary Incontinence

Guest Post by Linda Grayling

A healthy pelvic floor serves as the supporting structure for the pelvic organs, which include the uterus, bladder and rectum. It supports the weight of the baby during pregnancy, and plays a role in core strength and posture. A strong pelvic floor can make childbirth and recovery easier, enhance sexual sensation, and help prevent pelvic floor disorders.

The extra pressure placed on the pelvic floor from supporting the baby throughout pregnancy and the strain of delivery can weaken this support system. This can lead to pain during or the inability to have sex, urinary incontinence, trouble with bowel movements, and prolapsed or displaced pelvic organs.

High-impact activities, heavy lifting, chronic coughing, frequently straining to produce a bowel movement, obesity, and smoking can also contribute to a weakened pelvic floor and increase the chance of developing a pelvic floor disorder.

Stress Urinary Incontinence
Stress urinary incontinence (SUI) is a common pelvic floor disorder that affects at least a third of all women at some point in their lives. It occurs when the stress from normal activities–like exercise, coughing or sneezing, laughing and even sex–triggers accidental urine leakage.

Many women experience minor issues with bladder control every now and then, but when incontinence becomes more frequent or interferes with daily life, they should talk to a doctor. Incontinence is directly related to the strength of the pelvic floor. Weakened pelvic floor muscles increase the odds of developing SUI.

Performing Kegel exercises daily can resolve symptoms of incontinence in just a few weeks. Not only will women stop experiencing embarrassing leakage during sex, but Kegels also heighten sexual sensation and help achieve orgasm.

Pelvic Organ Prolapse
Pelvic organ prolapse occurs when the pelvic floor is no longer strong enough to hold the pelvic organs in their proper place, allowing them to sag against the vaginal walls–and in severe cases, protrude from the vaginal canal. Prolapse occurs in half of all childbearing women, but is frequently without symptoms, making it a non-issue.

For women who do experience symptoms, they can include a pulling feeling or pelvic pressure, low back pain, problems with bowel movements and urinary problems, pain during sex, and unusual spotting or bleeding. Symptoms can worsen over time.

Women should always try conservative treatments before considering surgery. Strengthening the pelvic floor throughout pregnancy and after childbirth is especially important in avoiding pelvic organ prolapse later in life.

Physical therapists can offer personal instruction on locating, isolating and strengthening the pelvic floor, and may employ biofeedback therapy, pelvic massage or the use of vaginal weights. Doctors may also recommend the use of a vaginal pessary to keep pelvic organs in place.

In recent years, many women have had corrective surgical procedures using transvaginal mesh to strengthen the pelvic floor. The complications associated with transvaginal mesh are not always reversible, and include organ perforation, mesh erosion and the need for revision surgery.

These complications have prompted the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to issue a warning stating that most cases of prolapse can be corrected without mesh and that mesh can expose patients to greater risk.

Women should ask their doctors about all of their surgical repair options, which can include using the patient’s own tissues or biologic products.

Linda Grayling writes for Drugwatch.com. Linda has a number of professional interests, including keeping up with the latest developments in the medical field. Join the Drugwatch community on our Facebook page to find out more.

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Women’s Urinary Incontinence: Estrogen Helps with SUI Symptoms

by Urinary Incontinence

If you suffer from stress urinary incontinence (SUI), the most common form of women’s urinary incontinence, and you are interested in conservative approaches to treating your symptoms, you may want to consider using estrogen. This form of conservative therapy is especially useful for post-menopausal women since estrogen production decreases after menopause.

How Estrogen Works for SUI Symptoms
Estrogen works to relieve symptoms of SUI primarily by thickening the urethral lining, which often helps supports the bladder and decreases symptoms of stress incontinence. The use of this hormone, especially when used long-term, has been shown to improve nerve function, rejuvenate urethral and vaginal tissues, and increase blood flow in the pelvic region. Estrogen has also been shown to decrease the chances of urinary tract infections in postmenopausal women.

While research does not necessarily back up the effectiveness of estrogen for treating symptoms of stress incontinence, the Mayo Clinic indicates that a large percentage of women find estrogen useful for decreasing urinary leakage.One of the benefits of estrogen therapy for stress incontinence is that it is available in multiple forms: cream, tablets, or a time release intravaginal ring. Studies show that the cream is the most effective form, followed by tablets and the ring.

Note that estrogen as used to treat stress incontinence is different from oral hormone replacement, which actually may worsen urinary leakage symptoms for some women. Most women work no side effects from estrogen when used specifically to treat stress incontinence.

If you are interested in using estrogen to reduce your symptoms of stress urinary incontinence, ask your urologist or specialist to find out if this conservative therapy is right for you.

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