Urinary Incontinence
Common types of Urinary Incontinence.
What is urinary incontinence?
The term ‘urinary incontinence’ describes the involuntary and unwanted loss of urine.
What are the different types of urinary incontinence?
The most common types of urinary incontinence include:
Stress Incontinence - an involuntary passing of urine when a person sneezes, coughs, laughs, or strains
Urge Incontinence - an urgent need to pass urine which cannot be deferred and is accompanied by involuntary passing of urine
Mixed Incontinence - Combination of above
Overflow Incontinence - Constant dribbling of the overflow of urine due to inability to empty the bladder (retention)
What are the causes of Urinary Incontinence?
The main risk factors that predispose people to urinary incontinence are
Older Age
Female sex
Being overweight
Previous childbirth
Smoking
Disorders of the urinary tract e.g. infections or bladder stones
Neurological disorders – Stroke, parkinsons or brain / spinal cord injury
Family history of urinary incontinence
Diabetes
How is urinary incontinence diagnosed?
Your urologist take a medical history and physical examination to understand what type of urinary incontinence you have and ascertain the impact of incontinence on your daily life. Physical exam may include a gynaecological examination in a woman.
They may ask you to keep a bladder diary at home noting down how much you drink, how often and how much urine you produce.
Other tests may include blood and urine tests, a test of your urine flow and an ultrasound scan of you kidneys and bladder. Invasive tests such as urodynamic testing (information about your urination cycle and how your bladder muscles and urinary sphincter work) and cystoscopy (camera examination of your bladder) may be need in some cases.
What are the treatment options for urinary incontinence?
Treatment for urinary incontinence depends on the type of incontinence, how severe it is, and what may have caused it.
Stress incontinence
Lifestyle changes – weight loss, stop smoking
Pelvic floor physiotherapy
Surgery
Injectable bulking agents
Colposuspension (open or robotic)
Urge incontinence
Lifestyle changes – fluid management, bladder retraining
Pelvic floor physiotherapy
Medication – anticholinergics or B agonists
BOTOX injections to the bladder
Nerve stimulators
Surgery to increase bladder volume e.g. Augmentation
Overflow incontinence
Clean intermittent self catheterization
Long term catheter – urethral or suprapubic
What else can I do to help my symptoms and what other supports do I have?
Some things you can do to help with your symptoms are
Don't hold urine — go when you feel the need.
Practice good genital hygiene.
Get a portable urinal or bedside commode.
Plan a schedule for emptying the bladder.
Keep a daily diary of fluid intake and urination.
Lose weight if you are overweight.
Don’t drink a lot of fluids in situations where access to bathroom facilities are limited.
Urinary incontinence can affect your quality of life significantly and you have many sources of supports for further information including:
Local continence nurses and Continence Foundation of Australia
Physiotherapist
Social worker
Local support groups