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Urinary incontinence, or the unintentional leaking of urine, can wreak havoc on a woman's life and affect everything from work to social activities. The good news is, treatments are available for even the most hard-to-treat cases.
Whether you're suffering from a medical problem like urinary incontinence, are pregnant or are seeking preventive services, Dr. Thomas Hatchett, Britteny Barron, our midwife nurse practitioner, and our top-notch team at Habersham OBGYN in Demorest, Georgia, can help. We provide cutting-edge care with a personalized touch for women at all stages of their lives from their teens through menopause and beyond.
While urinary incontinence may feel like an embarrassing subject to discuss with your doctor, it is very common and affects about one in three women between the ages of 30 and 60.
There are a number of different types, including stress incontinence, when leaking occurs due to pressure on the bladder by sneezing, coughing, laughing and more, and urge incontinence, which involves having frequent sudden, intense urges to go followed by urine loss. Overflow incontinence occurs when the bladder doesn't completely empty; functional incontinence is when another issue like lack of mobility prevents reaching the bathroom in time; and mixed incontinence is when there is a combination of two or more types.
There are a number of treatment options available for women suffering from urinary incontinence. Doctors will begin with recommendations that may include Kegel exercises for the pelvic floor and bladder training. Other possibilities could be medication, medical devices, or electrical stimulation.
If none of these therapies are successful, surgery may be considered. However, it is not right for everyone and women need to meet certain criteria. Good candidates for incontinence surgery must meet the following requirements:
A woman must be in general good health without any infections or severe illness. It is also important she doesn't have any medical issues that would make surgery risky.
A good candidate should have severe incontinence that hasn't been helped by other treatments. These women may have issues like very weak pelvic floor muscles, congenital defects, or other problems. They may have had a previous surgery that wasn't successful.
Incontinence surgery is not right for women planning to have more children, as carrying a pregnancy could cause the incontinence to return.
If urinary incontinence is keeping you from fully engaging in life, there are a variety of treatments available. Call our office at 706-229-4718 for an appointment today or book one online to find out what might be right for you.
