Got Urinary Urgency or Leakage? The Value of a Second Opinion

by Find the Right DoctorGeneral Urinary IncontinenceUrinary Incontinence

If you are a woman suffering from urinary urgency, leakage, or frequency–in other words, urinary incontinence of some form–then you know that it can be embarrassing to discuss your condition with your doctor.

Whether you have actually been to see a doctor about your condition or not, you know about the embarrassment factor, either actual or anticipated. You know about it as a patient. We know about the embarrassment factor from the other side of the exam table, as it were. In our practices, we see women all the time who have mustered up the courage to come see us, to tell us about their urinary incontinence, and to ask for help. We have seen the embarrassment first hand… and we do everything in our power to help these women overcome that feeling.

We are gentle when asking the woman about her symptoms, and we try to allow the woman to talk about her situation at her own pace, and in her own way. We try to be as sympathetic and empathetic as possible, especially since we have suffered from urinary urgency, leakage, and frequency ourselves!

Does that mean that we are the ideal and perfect healthcare practitioner for every woman who comes to see us? No. As much as we attempt to be patient-centered in our approach, sometimes we just do not achieve the perfect fit. Either our patient does not feel she is getting what she needs from us, or we do not feel we can help the woman with the tools we have in our repertoire.

What then?

The Value of a Second Opinion (or Third)
At the point that we realize that we have not achieved a good fit with our patient, we suggest the patient seek a second opinion, or even a third opinion.

Since talking about symptoms like urinary urgency and leakage is embarrassing enough the first time around, we realize that asking the patient to seek a second opinion is asking them to risk embarrassment yet again. At the same time, we know that women’s urinary incontinence is a health condition that often requires the affected woman to be persistent in her journey to find the right solutions for her condition.

Every woman affected by urinary incontinence is different in terms of which solutions will be effective. For some, the immediate solution offered by surgery (should surgery be recommended) is appealing. For others, the use of medication combined with dietary changes seems right. Still others find the side effects of medication to be intolerable, and prefer to try a pelvic floor muscle exercise program combined with other forms of exercise for weight loss.

The point is this: if you are affected by women’s urinary incontinence, your fastest route to cure is to find a healthcare practitioner with whom you can explore and find your perfect solutions. Your healthcare practitioner needs to be a good match for your preferences (conservative therapies versus surgery, for instance) and your willingness to explore options until you find the ones that work for your symptoms.

If finding the “right” practitioner for you means risking the embarrassment of telling your story to more than one doctor, then so be it. Believe us when we say that having a healthcare practitioner who is truly your ally is worth the potential embarrassment of seeking a second–or even third–opinion.

Remember, too, that you don’t have to limit your search for solutions to medical doctors. While we definitely suggest that you get a correct medical diagnosis from a medical doctor first, from there do not be afraid to expand your search for a healthcare provider to physical therapists, urologists, gynecologists, Pilates instructors specializing in women’s pelvic health, and more. Go where your need and your symptoms take you.

If you don’t yet feel comfortable reaching out for that second or third opinion, but prefer to educate yourself on your condition, consider reading our guide to women’s pelvic health, “A Woman’s Guide to Pelvic Health”.

This guide includes not only a pelvic health self-assessment, but also a complete at-home pelvic floor rehabilitation program. Best of all, you can educate yourself with this book in the privacy of your own home, avoiding the embarrassment factor altogether!

If you enjoyed this post, we invite you to check out our book, leave a comment, contact us, download our free ebook, or interact with us on Twitter and Facebook.

 

Women’s Urinary Incontinence: How to Cope with Medication Side Effects

by GeneralGeneral Urinary IncontinenceUrinary IncontinenceWomen's Healthcare

Medication is one of the foremost conservative therapies for treating women’s urinary incontinence, and yet the number of women who will actually take–and keep taking–medication for their urinary incontinence is shockingly low. Many women will start on medication but fail to continue taking it.

This is surprising since medication has been shown to be an effective form of therapy for women’s urinary incontinence. For instance, in cases of urinary urgency, antimuscarinic medication is effective in reducing wetting accidents by about two-thirds. That is quite a high rate of success for a conservative therapy!

So why don’t more women keep taking medication for their urinary incontinence? Two reasons: lack of initial effectiveness and side effects.

Why Medication Doesn’t Always “Work” for Women’s Urinary  Incontinence
The first and most immediate reason women fail to keep taking medication for their urinary incontinence is because they feel that the medication “doesn’t work.” It turns out that these women are somewhat justified in their feelings. For most women with urinary incontinence, medication can often significantly improve symptoms, but most often will not completely “cure” urinary leakage. Most women will experience a significant reduction of urinary leakage accidents, but only when the appropriate medication is taken.

If you have decided to work with your doctor to find a medication to alleviate your urinary incontinence symptoms, know that the first–or even second–type of medication you try may not prove immediately effective. You and your doctor may need to experiment with a number of different medications before you find one that produces noticeable reductions in your urinary leakage and urinary urgency symptoms. Knowing this ahead of time will allow you to be patient during the “trial and error” process.

In addition, since medication alone does not usually produce a strong enough effect, you may work with your doctor to create a customized conservative therapy plan that combines a number of types of therapy. For instance, many women find success in combining medication with weight loss, pelvic floor retraining, bladder retraining, and/or diet modification. Be patient … and persevere!

Coping with the Side Effects of Medication for Women’s Urinary Incontinence
The second reason that women stop taking medications for urinary incontinence, even if the medications prove effective, is because the side effects outweigh the benefits. The most common side effects from medications prescribed for women’s urinary incontinence include:

  • dry mouth
  • drowsiness
  • skin irritation from gels or patches

Dry mouth is the most common side effect from these medications. Fortunately, with a little planning you can alleviate this side effect. Try sucking on sugar free candies, rinsing your mouth, chewing sugar-free gum, or taking small sips of water to lessen the feeling of dryness. You can also try spraying your mouth with over-the-counter forms of “artificial saliva.” Do not drink a large amount of water, as this may worsen your urinary incontinence symptoms.

With medications that cause drowsiness, try taking your medication dose at night. The medication will help you sleep, and may actually decrease nighttime urinary urgency (nocturia). If you experience skin irritation with patches and gels, try changing the location where the patch or gel is applied. If all else fails, change to the oral form of the medication.

By knowing and planning for the side effects of medication, you can actually prevent most side effects–or at least alleviate them enough so that the medication can be effective without becoming an irritant. As always, work with your doctor. Don’t be afraid to raise the issue of side effects, ask questions about prescribed medications, or ask for a different medication if your current medication isn’t working as well as you would like. Your doctor can’t help you unless he or she knows what is working for you and what isn’t. Be your own best health advocate and keep working with conservative therapies until you find a “recipe” that is right for you and your urinary incontinence symptoms!

If you enjoyed this post, we invite you to check out our book, leave a comment, contact us, download our free ebook, or interact with us on Twitter and Facebook.

 

Women’s Urinary Incontinence: The Power of Educating Yourself

by GeneralGeneral Urinary IncontinencePelvic Organ ProlapsePOPUrinary Incontinence

The old adage tells us that “knowledge is power.” When it comes to women’s urinary incontinence, knowledge is more than power … knowledge can be the difference between feeling insecure and isolated, and being your own best healthcare advocate.

Whether or not you have sought help from your doctor for your women’s urinary incontinence, the more you educate yourself about your condition, the more confident you will feel about your body, your life, and your ability to successfully cope with your symptoms. If the embarrassment of discussing your urinary incontinence is just too much for you to deal with at the moment, don’t worry. There are plenty of ways you can educate yourself about women’s urinary incontinence without ever leaving your home. Consider these easily-available resources you can use to learn as much as possible about urinary urgency, frequency, leakage, and other symptoms of urinary incontinence.

A Woman’s Guide to Pelvic Health
We wrote this book for the exact purpose discussed above–so that women could educate themselves about pelvic health (including urinary incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse). This guide book not only outlines the major issues and symptoms related to various women’s pelvic health conditions, but also details a complete at-home pelvic floor rehabilitation program. In addition, the book outlines a wide variety of conservative therapies for these pelvic issues, as well as reviewing the various surgical options available. This complete guide is an educational gem for women who want to know more … but are kind of afraid to ask their doctors! Click HERE for more details.

Discreet Online Resources
If you are digitally-inclined, there are tons of online resources available that can educate you about women’s urinary incontinence, pelvic organ prolapse, and other pelvic health issues. A great place to get started is our Resources  page, which lists not only the informational resources we provide, but also the educational resources provided by a number of organizations dedicated to women’s health and women’s pelvic health.

Download the Ebook
For the do-it-yourself gal who wants to learn how to do a correct pelvic floor muscle contraction (of which the Kegel is one variety), we have a handy downloadable ebook that gives you the exact directions for doing just that! The ebook is available at no charge, and you can read it at your leisure. The information is easy to read and, at the same time, medically correct. Download the ebook HERE.

The Benefits of Educating Yourself
If you take the time to educate yourself about your pelvic health–and especially about women’s urinary incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse–you will be way ahead of other women on the knowledge curve. This knowledge can serve you well. For instance, being knowledgeable about your pelvic health gives you the ability to:

  • know what’s going on with your own body
  • become your own best health advocate
  • converse intelligently with your healthcare provider and make good decisions for yourself (when to use conservative approaches, when to consider surgery)
  • know when your treatment plans need to change because your physical condition has changed
  • help other women suffering in silence by sharing your knowledge and experience

Those are some pretty big benefits, not just for yourself but also for women who are not as courageous in educating themselves about pelvic health. Education empowers you to be a healthcare advocate for yourself as well as the other women in your life–be they sisters, mothers, daughters, grandmothers, aunts, or friends. So why not? Go for it! Educate yourself, help yourself, then reach out and help others!

If you enjoyed this post, we invite you to check out our book, leave a comment, contact us, download our free ebook, or interact with us on Twitter and Facebook.

Women’s Urinary Incontinence: What You Gain When You Seek Medical Help

by Find the Right DoctorGeneral Urinary IncontinenceOveractive BladderPelvic Organ ProlapsePessaryPOPStress Urinary IncontinenceUrge IncontinenceUrge Urinary IncontinenceUrinary Incontinence

In our last article, we discussed all the quality of life aspects that go out the window when women with urinary incontinence fail to seek medical help for their condition. In this follow-up article, we take a look at all the benefits you gain when you seek medical help for women’s urinary incontinence. Yes, we know, seeking medical help involves having that “red-faced” embarrassing conversation with your doctor about urinary urgency, frequency, and leakage. But after you read through all the benefits you will gain once you get through that conversation, our bet is that you will be willing to ask your doctor for help (if you haven’t already)!

Benefit #1: A Medical Diagnosis
A lot of women with urinary incontinence know that they have a problem, but they don’t know exactly what the problem is. They know they suffer from urinary urgency or frequency or leakage, but may not necessarily know the causes of these symptoms. This lack of knowing “what’s up down there” can create a sense of tension and stress for many women. Therefore, one of the biggest benefits of getting help from your doctor is that you get a true and medically-correct diagnosis about your condition. You will find out if you have stress, urge, or mixed urinary incontinence … or just a mild form of urge incontinence called overactive bladder (OAB). You will discover whether your pelvic organs have “fallen” out of place, causing some of your symptoms. Whatever the cause of your urinary incontinence symptoms, you will emerge from your conversation with your doctor with the knowledge of what is happening with your body. Since “knowledge is power,” you will emerge from your appointment with a new sense of self-empowerment. That is a pretty neat benefit.

Benefit #2: Knowledge of Treatment Options
Once your healthcare provider discovers the cause of your symptoms, such as urinary urgency or leakage, the next step is obviously to discuss treatment options. Depending on the type and severity of your symptoms, your doctor may recommend either conservative or surgical treatment options. Conservative options may include lifestyle changes, such as smoking cessation, weight loss, and dietary changes. Other conservative therapies include bladder retraining, pelvic floor muscle rehabilitation, acupuncture, pessaries, and percutaneous tibial nerve stimulation.

If your condition is more severe, especially if one or more of your pelvic organs has fallen out of place (a condition called pelvic organ prolapse, or POP), then your doctor may recommend some surgical options to treat your condition. The good news is that most of the surgical procedures for women’s urinary incontinence are minimally-invasive, plus have a high rate of success.  Most healthcare providers will recommend that you start with the most conservative therapy possible, and consider surgery only if your condition is not treatable with conservative approaches.

Benefit #3: Support on the Journey Back to Health
While talking to your doctor about your urinary symptoms may be embarrassing, you will find that most medical professionals are quite knowledgeable and compassionate about women’s urinary incontinence. By seeking help from your doctor, you will not only get the help you need to restore yourself to continence, but you will gain the knowledge that you are not alone. As the baby boomer generation ages, more and more doctors are helping women with urinary incontinence issues. Your doctor will not only provide you with solutions that will treat your condition, but can also reassure you that you are not alone. Your doctor may even be able to recommend resources, both online and offline, where you can find additional support from women dealing with the same kinds of symptoms.

Big Benefits from Seeking Help
As you can probably tell, seeking help from your doctor will yield some pretty major benefits for you. Not only will you be able to address your physical symptoms, but you will also be able to ease your mind as you gain knowledge about urinary incontinence. The more you know, the more control you will have over your condition. The more control you have, the less stress you will experience. All of these are major contributors to a good quality of life. Doesn’t that make a short conversation with your doctor worthwhile?

 

If you enjoyed this post, we invite you to check out our book, leave a comment, contact us, download our free ebook, or interact with us on Twitter and Facebook.

 

Women’s Urinary Incontinence: What You Give Up When You Don’t Seek Help

by Find the Right DoctorGeneral Urinary Incontinence

We hate to keep hammering on this statistic, but it continues to amaze and shock us: women with urinary incontinence typically wait almost seven years before seeking help from a medical professional … if they seek help at all! In fact, only 50% of women with urinary incontinence do seek help. The rest simply suffer in silence and cope with the symptoms as best they can.

The most ridiculous part of the above statistics is there are so many forms of help available for women’s urinary incontinence, from simple lifestyle changes to minimally-invasive surgeries with high rates of success. So why do so many women wait so long to seek help for their urinary incontinence, or refuse to seek help at all?

Embarrassment
Believe it or not, women’s urinary incontinence tops the list of health conditions that ladies feel most embarrassed about discussing with their doctors. As a result of wanting to avoid a red-faced discussion, 50% of these women suffer through almost seven years of urinary urgency, frequency, and leakage before gathering up the courage to ask for help. The other half would rather suffer through the symptoms than have “the talk” about urinary incontinence with their doctors.

Wow … what all of these women fail to realize is that they give up a tremendous amount in their lives simply to avoid having one embarrassing conversation about urinary incontinence with their doctors. In fact, let’s take a closer look at what women suffering from urinary incontinence give up because they want to avoid embarrassment.

#1 – Your Social Life
One of the first items a woman with urinary incontinence sacrifices is her social life. One study indicated that women worried about urinary leakage were most afraid to “sit on a friend’s couch.” If you are afraid to even sit on your friend’s couch for fear that you might have a leakage accident, then you can see how your social life would begin to shrink at a rapid rate! You will also begin to skip “Girls’ Night Out,” movies, and chats over coffee with your gal pals.

At that point, the isolation becomes apparent. The stage after isolation is often depression and unhappiness. In fact, even your immune system is affected when you stop connecting with your friends and social network. Consider this:

“Several studies support the idea that people who feel connected to friends – whether it’s a few close friends or a large group – have stronger immunity than those who feel alone. In one study, freshmen who were lonely had a weaker immune response to a flu vaccine than those who felt connected to others.” (http://on.webmd.com/W8CTPV)

#2 – Exercise and Fitness
For women with urinary incontinence, fitness and weight maintenance is a big part of reducing symptoms like urinary urgency, leakage, and frequency. Overweight women tend to suffer more severe symptoms since every extra pound above the pelvic area puts pressure on the bladder and pelvic organ, often resulting in leakage accidents. Therefore, the ability to exercise and stay fit is crucial to women who want to improve their symptoms. But there is a catch-22. Women with urinary incontinence tend to leak urine when they exercise. This leakage, in turn, tends to discourage exercise, since no woman enjoys the “wet pants” look. Lack of exercise tends to lead to weight gain, depression, and emotional eating … and more weight gain. You get the picture of the vicious cycle that can happen. Women with urinary incontinence who fail to seek help for their condition often toss their exercise regimen out the window, and fall prey to the vicious cycle described above.

#3 – The Stress of the Unexpected
Studies show that one of the worst aspects of women’s urinary incontinence is the stress of living with the unexpected. Women with this condition are always wondering when the next urinary leakage accident will occur. They stress about whether they will reach the bathroom in time. They prepare endlessly for that unexpected accident by carrying around changes of clothing, adult diapers, sanitary wipes, and scented baggies to avoid urine odor. They wear pants that can be quickly pulled down (but often lack a sense of fashion). In other words, women with urinary incontinence go “all out” to prevent leakage accidents, and live in a constant state of stress about such accidents. This kind of stress if highly detrimental to a woman’s health on multiple levels.

Do You See the Picture Now?
The above is just the “short list” of what you give up when you suffer from urinary incontinence and refuse to seek help from a medical professional. Of course, embarrassment isn’t the only reason that you might avoid seeking help, but our guess is that embarrassment is a big factor. But if you really stop and think about it, is embarrassment truly a fate worse than death? We think not! There are many women, very much alive, who can testify to that fact! So don’t be one of those statistics we mentioned at the beginning of the article. Don’t avoid asking for help and don’t wait seven years to ask for help. If you have women’s urinary incontinence, ask for help now before you sacrifice any more quality of life to this easily treatable condition!

If you enjoyed this post, we invite you to check out our book, leave a comment, contact us, download our free ebook, or interact with us on Twitter and Facebook.

 

Coping with the Complications of Women’s Urinary Incontinence

by Find the Right DoctorGeneralGeneral Urinary Incontinence

Coping with the complications associated with women’s urinary incontinence can be, well, complicated. Worrying about symptoms such as urinary urgency, frequency, and leakage can affect many areas of your life, from your exercise regimen to your work life to your personal relationships. At the same time, many savvy women have discovered simple yet effective ways to cope with their symptoms.

Before we begin discussing practical steps you can take to cope with your urinary incontinence symptoms, we want to point out that the best and most effective action step you can take for this health condition is to first seek help from your doctor. “Coping” with urinary incontinence is not the same as treating or even curing your condition. While you may be perfectly able to cope with your symptoms with careful planning, wouldn’t your quality of life be so much better if you didn’t have to cope? What would your life look like if your symptoms were drastically reduced, or even eliminated? We urge you to give some thought to seeking help from your doctor, even if you feel embarrassed about doing so. Below are some articles that can help you with seeking help from your doctor:

Urinary Incontinence: 3 Steps to Prepare for Your Doctor’s Appointment
Women’s Urinary Incontinence: 5 Things You Should Know When Seeking Help

Women’s Urinary Incontinence: Coping with the Complications
Because urinary urgency or leakage can strike at any time during your day (or night), you will probably find that every area of your life is affected by this condition. That’s why we offer below links to articles filled with practical tips on how to cope with the complications of women’s urinary incontinence so that you can get on with your life!
7 Tips for Coping with Urine Leakage During Exercise

Do You Need a Note from Your Doctor? (to give to your boss)

Women’s Urinary Incontinence: Protecting Your Skin

When Women’s Urinary Incontinence Messes with Your Intimacy

Female Urinary Incontinence: Are You Afraid to Sit on Your Friend’s Couch?

 

If you enjoyed this post, we invite you to check out our book, leave a comment, contact us, download our free ebook, or interact with us on Twitter and Facebook.

 

What Embarrasses You the Most About Urinary Urgency and Leakage?

by General Urinary IncontinenceUrge IncontinenceUrge Urinary IncontinenceUrinary Incontinence

If you suffer from urinary urgency and other symptoms of urinary incontinence, then you know all about the embarrassment of coping with your condition. Whether this means running for the bathroom all day long, worrying about a urinary leakage accident, or dealing with the odor of urine, you know the frustration of dealing with symptoms. In fact, women surveyed by WebMD listed the issues related to urinary incontinence from most to least embarrassing:

31% – odor concerns
30% – frequent bathroom trips
26% – traveling with incontinence
13% – intimacy or relationship problems

How does this line-up match up with your levels of embarrassment associated with urinary urgency, frequency, or leakage? Or is your most embarrassing issue–such as being afraid to sit on a friend’s couch–not even on this list? If so, we are not surprised. There are so many frustrating and embarrassing aspects associated with women’s urinary incontinence that the real list of issues that affected women must cope with is much longer. That’s the bad news. Now for the good news.

Simple Ways to Cope with Urinary Urgency, Frequency, and Leakage
The best overall way to relieve your symptoms of urinary incontinence is, of course, to seek help from a medical professional. We suggest you start with a visit to your family doctor or general practitioner, who can either help you directly or refer you to the proper medical professional. You are going to call your doctor immediately after you finish reading this article, right? Right! Good.

Next, while you are waiting for your appointment, there are simple practical steps you can take to cope with the above issues related to urinary urgency, frequency, and leakage.

Tip #1: Coping with Odors
There are many easy steps that you can take to prevent urine odor, everything from using scented pads and liners to avoiding certain foods and beverages. Read more about these tips HERE.

Tip #2: Reduce Bathroom Trips
People who are not affected by urinary incontinence don’t know about the frustration and embarrassment of always looking for bathrooms everywhere you go, not to mention the constant need to excuse yourself to visit the ladies room. To reduce the number of trips you make to the bathroom due to urinary urgency, try retraining your bladder. With this method, you teach your bladder to empty at regular intervals, rather than whenever you experience a random or unexpected bladder spasm. Read more about bladder retraining HERE.

Tip #3: Simplify Travel
Traveling while dealing with urinary incontinence symptoms can be a major hassle, no matter which mode of transportation you choose. To simplify your trip, try the practical tips listed in this article. You’ll discover that by taking a little time to prepare for your trip, your journey will be smooth and hassle-free.

Tip #4: Talk Through Relationship Problems
When a woman has urinary incontinence, she isn’t the only one who suffers. In a relationship, both parties are affected. However, clear and compassionate communication can resolve many relationship problems caused by women’s urinary incontinence. Want to know more? Check out ways to discuss your situation with your partner HERE.

As you can probably tell, urinary urgency and leakage do not need to ruin your life, nor do you need to suffer constant embarrassment. If you can take the time to educate yourself about your condition, as well as prepare yourself daily to cope with your most inconvenient symptoms, you will find that you will find embarrassment to be much less of a factor in your life.
If you enjoyed this post, we invite you to check out our book, leave a comment, contact us, download our free ebook, or interact with us on Twitter and Facebook.

 

Got Urinary Urgency, Leakage, or Frequency? Stick a Needle Above Your Ankle Bone!

by General Urinary IncontinenceOveractive BladderUrge IncontinenceUrge Urinary Incontinence

This blog is part 11 of an 11 article series of New Year’s resolutions that actually work and WILL improve your pelvic health. Get the full list of all 11 New Year’s resolutions HERE.

As strange as it may seem, your bladder and urinary system are linked to a nerve located just above your ankle bone–the nerve called the percutaneous tibial nerve. While this little piece of trivia may not interest the average woman, a woman suffering from urinary urgency and other symptoms of urinary incontinence may be interested in this bit of news. Why? Because there is a conservative therapy called percutaneous tibial nerve stimulation that has proven useful in helping women with overactive bladder and urge urinary incontinence.

What is Percutaneous Tibial Nerve Stimulation?
As the name suggests, percutaneous tibial nerve stimulation is a conservative therapy in which your medical provider inserts a fine needle in your percutanous tibial nerve, located just above your ankle (while your leg is elevated). Usually performed by your urologist, this conservative therapy then delivers a mild electrical current through the needle to the nerve, which contols bladder function along with other nerves. Other medical professionals who can perform this therapy include trained nurses and physician assistants.

Don’t worry if your toes or entire foot flexes gently during the treatment. Some women also report feeling a mild tingling sensation in the ankle or sole of the foot, which is perfectly normal. Treatments last for 30 to 60 minutes each, and women need to have treatments three to four times per week for 8 to 12 weeks for full effectiveness.

Does Percutaneous Tibial Nerve Stimulation Work?
Yes. Studies show that women with symptoms of overactive bladder or urge incontinence–such as, urinary urgency, frequency, and leakage–report a 20 percent reduction in frequency of urination (OrBIT trial). Women in another study, the SUMit trial, reported a 36 percent reduction in symptom severity and a 34 percent increase in quality of life.

That’s pretty good, right? The great news is that percutaneous tibial nerve stimulation is a conservative therapy, which means you get the dual benefits of symptom improvement along with a non-invasive procedure! Not sure? Ask your urologist to fill you in on the details.
If you enjoyed this post, we invite you to check out our book, leave a comment, contact us, download our free ebook, or interact with us on Twitter and Facebook.

 

Acupuncture for Urinary Urgency and Other Embarrassing Symptoms

by General Urinary IncontinencePelvic Organ ProlapsePOPUrge IncontinenceUrge Urinary Incontinence

This blog is part 10 of an 11 article series of 11 New Year’s resolutions that actually work and WILL improve your pelvic health. Get the full list of all 11 New Year’s resolutions HERE.

What’s worse? A few tiny needles the width of a human hair or experiencing that embarrassing “wet pants” look that comes with urinary urgency (and other symptoms of urinary incontinence)?

We don’t know about you, but for women with urinary incontinence, a few tiny acupuncture needles may seem like a very small price to pay for a reduction in symptoms. Acupuncture, a well-respected healing technique from the East, has long been considered an excellent “middle of the road” option for women with urinary incontinence symptoms like urinary urgency, frequency, and leakage. This conservative therapy has also proven effective for women with pelvic organ prolapse. More importantly, acupuncture is a wonderful solution for women who, for whatever reasons, choose not to take medication or cannot make lifestyle changes, such as weight loss and smoking cessation.
What is Acupuncture, Exactly?
If you are considering using acupuncture to solve symptoms such as urinary urgency and frequency, then you probably want to know exactly what this kind of therapy entails. We don’t blame you! When someone starts talking about using a bunch of needles to alleviate symptoms of urinary incontinence, you probably want to know more–specifically, the details!

According to the National Institutes of Health, acupuncture is defined as follows:

“The term ‘acupuncture’ describes a family of procedures involving the stimulation of points on the body using a variety of techniques. The acupuncture technique that has been most often studied scientifically involves penetrating the skin with thin, solid, metallic needles that are manipulated by the hands or by electrical stimulation. Practiced in China and other Asian countries for thousands of years, acupuncture is one of the key components of traditional Chinese medicine.”

The use of acupuncture is very widespread–more than you may think. According to the National Health Interview Survey, in 2007 an estimated 3.1 million U.S. adults and 150,000 children received acupuncture treatments within the past year. And that number has only been on the rise since the 2007 study.

As for actual treatments, practitioners use either very fine acupuncture needles or mild electrical stimulation (meant to mimic the stimulation provided by needle insertion) to increase the flow of energy in the body. Needles are inserted at specific points located along meridian lines that circulate energy throughout the body, and specific combinations of points can be used to create healing effects. While many people know about the use of acupuncture for pain relief, fewer people recognize the effectiveness of this conservative therapy for other conditions, such as urinary incontinence, constipation, and pelvic organ prolapse.

How Effective is Acupuncture for Urinary Urgency and Other Symptoms?
Acupuncture has been shown to be just as effective for relieving urinary urgency and other symptoms of urinary incontinence as dry or behavior therapy (Oregon Health and Science University). According to researchers Sandra Emmons, M.D. and Lesley Otto, M.D., “Acupuncture perhaps can offer a middle ground for the appropriate patient who prefers not to take daily medication but is unable to commit to the active involvement of behavioral therapy.”

If you have found the side effects of drug therapy intolerable and, for whatever reasons, cannot make lifestyle or behavioral changes to alleviate your symptoms of women’s urinary incontinence, you may want to look into acupuncture. In addition to board-certified acupuncturists, many physicians also now practice medical acupuncture. Check with your family doctor for a referral, and check with your insurance company to see if acupuncture services are covered. Some insurance companies will cover acupuncture services provided by an in-network physician, but not by an acupuncturist, so be sure to ask.

Most acupuncture “programs” for relieving urinary urgency, frequency, and leakage last from five to eight weeks, and you should see a noticeable reduction of your symptoms within that time period. Because each woman has differing symptom patterns and severity, your physician or acupuncturist will design a specialized program just for your needs.

If acupuncture sounds like a conservative therapy you would like to try, but maybe scares you a little bit, just remember that acupuncture needles are very fine–about the width of one of your hairs! That’s pretty tiny!
If you enjoyed this post, we invite you to check out our book, leave a comment, contact us, download our free ebook, or interact with us on Twitter and Facebook.

 

Weight Loss: A Conservative Therapy for Women’s Urinary Incontinence That Really Works!

by General Urinary IncontinencePelvic Floor MusclesPelvic Floor WeaknessUrinary Incontinence

This blog is part 9 of an 11 article series of 11 New Year’s resolutions that actually work and WILL improve your pelvic health. Get the full list of all 11 New Year’s resolutions HERE.

Weight loss is the number one New Year’s Resolution that people make … and has been for years! And yet, after the first month of the year, only about eight percent of the people who made this (or any other) New Year’s Resolution are still sticking with it. While “falling off the wagon” in terms of New Year’s Resolutions isn’t a big deal for a lot of people, not sticking to a weight loss or weight management program can be a huge deal for women with urinary incontinence. Why? Because weight loss and management is a tried and true conservative therapy that can help alleviate symptoms of women’s urinary incontinence, including urinary urgency, frequency, and leakage.

Why Weight Loss Works for Urinary Urgency and Other Symptoms
For overweight women with urinary urgency and other symptoms of urinary incontinence, every extra pound above the pelvis puts pressure on the bladder and pelvic organ. Since the bladder is shaped like–and acts like–a balloon, all that extra pressure squeezes the bladder, resulting in urine leakage, frequency, and that “urge to go.” That’s the bad news.

Now for the good news: even a slight amount of weight loss can result in a significant reduction of urinary incontinence symptoms. For instance, one study showed that when overweight women lose even eight percent of their body weight, they experienced a 47 percent reduction in leakage accidents. Another study showed that a 5 to 10 percent loss of weight was just as effective as other conservative (non-surgical) therapies. No wonder weight loss is considered “a first line of therapy” for women’s urinary incontinence!

What to Do if Weight Loss Seems Difficult
Women with urinary incontinence find themselves in an odd catch-22 when it comes to weight loss. See if you recognize the following scenario. On the one hand, your doctor has told you that losing weight will reduce urinary urgency, frequency, and leakage accidents. This gives you motivation to eat healthier and exercise so you can lose weight. On the other hand, you leak urine when you exercise, which causes you to feel totally embarrassed. In turn, you tend to avoid exercise since you hate that “wet pants” look every time you try to get moving. Finally, all this contradiction in your life leads to a little bit of depression … so you reach into your fridge and grab that pint of ice cream to help you feel better. The overall result of this vicious cycle? Weight gain rather than weight loss!

We see this vicious cycle in our women’s pelvic health practices all the time. If you find yourself caught in this vicious cycle, don’t despair. You can lose weight even if you currently have urinary incontinence. Here are our two best recommendations to help you out:

1. Sign up for a well-known successful weight loss program that is known to work. If you’re not sure which programs work, check with your friends or do some research on the internet. This kind of program will keep your diet healthy and “on track,” so that you can avoid emotional eating.

2. Check out these exercise tips designed especially for women with urinary incontinence. These seven tips will help you avoid urinary urgency, leakage, and frequency while you exercise, and get you on your way to weight loss.

We know that losing weight isn’t the easiest task in the world, especially if you have urinary incontinence. At the same time, we have seen so many women lose weight and maintain a healthy weight, so we know that weight loss is possible. You can do it … we know you can. Just start with the first step, and then never look back!
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Diet Modification for Women’s Urinary Incontinence, Part III – What Happens When You “Whoops”?

by General Urinary IncontinenceResources and AppsUrinary IncontinenceWomen's Healthcare

This blog is part 8 of an 11 article series of 11 New Year’s resolutions that actually work and WILL improve your pelvic health. Get the full list of all 11 New Year’s resolutions HERE.

For some women, diet modification alone is enough to relieve their symptoms of urinary urgency and frequency. For other women, this conservative therapy works best when combined with other lifestyle changes, such as weight loss and bladder retraining. Regardless, most women who modify their diets to avoid bladder irritants, such as caffeine and acidic foods, do find some relief from incontinence symptoms such urinary urgency, frequency, and leakage.

Diet Modification: What Happens When You “Whoops”?
The woman who has never experienced a “whoops” while on a diet is a rare woman indeed! After all, what woman isn’t occasionally tempted by that towering piece of chocolate cake or that steaming cup of espresso? The result? A “whoops” in the diet. For a woman who doesn’t suffer from urinary incontinence, such a slip is no big deal. An extra workout on the treadmill or more careful monitoring of the diet will most likely take care of any side effects from that diet slip.

But for the woman who does have urinary urgency or leakage as a result of eating or drinking bladder irritants, such a dietary slip can create a bigger problem. In fact, ingesting bladder irritants can have immediate and unwanted effects … namely, a bladder leakage accident! So what do you do if you find that you have accidentally fallen prey to a tasty treat and irritated your bladder? You use this emergency recipe to reduce urine acidity: a bicarbonate slush.

What is a Bicarbonate Slush?
Don’t let the word “bicarbonate” scare you–it is just a fancy name for baking soda, that powdery white stuff that many of us keep in our refrigerators. In fact, baking soda does pretty much the same job in the refrigerator as it does for you when you have eaten something acidic that irritates your bladder. Baking soda, being alkaline (having a pH higher than seven), tends to neutralize acidic substances. In the refrigerator, baking soda neutralizes the smells caused mostly by acidic foods. When you drink a bicarbonate slush, made by mixing baking soda and water, the baking soda neutralizes the offending acidic food you just ate.

To make a bicarbonate slush, simply mix one tablespoon of baking soda with 16 ounces (or two cups) of pure water. Drink the slush right away, and immediately drink eight more ounces (one cup) of additional water. You should begin to feel your urinary urgency and other symptoms subside fairly quickly. Do not use this slush without first checking with your doctor if you have high blood pressure or are prone to retaining salt.

The good news about the bicarbonate slush is that it is simple to make. Even if you are at a party when you experience a dietary slip, your host  most likely has baking soda on hand. Just whip up a slushy cocktail, chug it down, and consider yourself relieved!

If you enjoyed this post, we invite you to check out our book, leave a comment, contact us, download our free ebook, or interact with us on Twitter and Facebook.