Everything you need to know about Urine Incontinence in Women

Stress Urinary Incontinence is treatable. There are numerous options available to women to overcome this condition at early onset.

I) Lifestyle Changes Making certain lifestyle adjustments can help manage and reduce symptoms of urine incontinence:

• Fluid Management: Drinking the right amount of fluids and avoiding excessive intake of caffeine and alcohol can help control symptoms.
• Weight Management: Losing excess weight can reduce pressure on the bladder and pelvic floor muscles.
• Bladder Training: Scheduled voiding and bladder training exercises can help improve bladder control.

II) Pelvic Floor Exercises : Often Kegel exercises are effective for strengthening the pelvic floor muscles. These muscles support the Urinary bladder and hence, help control the process of urination. With kegel excercises, a patient needs to contract and relax their pelvic muscles consistently, to strengthen them. This strengthening helps the muscles to control urine flow  and minimize involuntary leakage. Regular practice can significantly reduce symptoms of stress incontinence.

III) Medications : A special medication is given by the doctors to SUI patients to relax the bladder muscle so that it can increase its capacity to hold more amount of urine. However, mere medications have not been clinically significantly helped reduce symptoms and hence, is not usually a preferred treatment for Stress Urinary Incontinence.

IV) Medical Devices : Medical devices can be used to manage urine incontinence. Many women are comfortable using medical devices over long period of time to relieving symptoms of urinary incontinence. On the other hand, many women opt for simpler treatments to get rid of this condition once for all.

1. Urethral Inserts: These are disposable devices inserted into the urethra before an activity like exercising to prevent leaks.
2. Pessary: A pessary is a stiff ring inserted into the vagina to help hold up the bladder and prevent leakage.

V) Non Invasive Treatments

We have all heard about the age old Kegel excercises. However, in order to get a significant result from kegel excersises, it is imperative to consistently do kegels over long period of time. 
Today, effective treatments are available at Elle Sante which deliver 100% non invasive kegel like contractions to the pelvic area of the patient while sitting on a state of the art Electromagnetic Pulsating Chair. 

• The patient is fully clothed during the procedure
• The treatment takes 30-45 minutes only
• The results have been clinically proven as the patient recieved 1000s of kegels within each session.
• The number of sessions will be recommended by a skilled reconstructive & cosmetic gynaecologist
• The patient can feel results from the very first session. 
• There is no downtime. This means the patient returns to their normal lifestyle almost immediately after the session.

VI Minimal Invasive Treatments

As the name suggests, Minimal invasive treatment options for Urinary Incontinence means a probe is used to delivery waves from within.
This probe may use Laser Technology, which is a rampantly used and proven technology, or Radiofrequency Technology. 
Both methods heal the vaginal region through the vaginal canal, by effectively producing soft heat waves to rejuvenate the tissues and encourage collagen production.

• There is very low downtime and this is an outpatient procedure
• The patient is fully draped during the treatment
• The number of sessions are recommended by a skilled reconstructive & cosmetic gynaecologist depending on the severity of the condition
• The patient is fully awake during the procedure and feels minimal discomfort of the probe entry
• A complete session lasts appro. 1 hour which includes treatment and consultation time

VII Surgical Options

While we prefer to offer minimal invasive and non surgical options for Urine Incontinence, many women may need a surgical intervention due to the severity of their condition. Women should not “experiment” on such surgical procedures as they include a high level of complexity. You should only trust a skilled reconstructive & cosmetic gynaecologist who has very high level of expertise in persforming surgical treatments specific to women pelvic area.

For such severe cases of urine incontinence, surgical interventions may be necessary:

• Slings: A sling procedure involves creating a hammock of synthetic mesh or your tissue to support the urethra and help keep it closed. This sling is then surgically suspended inside the body and gently lifted to provide the necessary strength to withstand simple stress. The urethra hence, does not leak involuntarily. 
  The procedure is fairly complicated, and must be done with utmost precision. A skilled surgeon should be consulted for sling procedure. There are small incisions made in the pelvic area to suspend the sling and stretched.

• Bladder Neck Suspension: This surgery provides support to the urethra and bladder neck. The procedure is a surgical treatment which works on the principle of suspending the neck of the urethra from the pelvic tissue around it.

Surgical Interventions, as any surgery, require fair precaution and have risk involvement. A trained reconstructive & cosmetic gynaecologist will be able to alleviate urine incontinence problems at an advanced healthcare facility. 

• The procedure a small recovery period
• The procedure involves anaesthesia so the patient will be required to stay on the premise for a few hours post the surgery, or depending upon the recommendations of the surgeon
• The results of sling surgery are fairly permanent and women feel the change post healing