Did you know that unwanted urine leakage, or incontinence, affects half of women at some point? After age 50, the problem is more common, with up to 75% of women over 65 complaining of incontinence problems.
Equally concerning is that, despite these statistics, just between 25-61% of women with the condition seek help from their provider.
At Lake Havasu OB/GYN Care, Dr. Kevin Hooker helps women who live with urinary incontinence so they can be free from worry and comfortable again. The good news is that effective treatments are available, and Dr. Hooker creates a customized treatment plan for you that brings real relief.
Incontinence isn’t straightforward, which is why Dr. Hooker delves into the details of your symptoms to craft an effective treatment plan.
The various types of incontinence include:
This type of incontinence causes a sudden and urgent need to urinate. Unfortunately, once the urge arises, it isn’t always possible to make it to the bathroom in time without having an accident.
These leaks happen when you laugh, sneeze, or exert yourself. All these activities put pressure on your bladder, prompting leakage.
You might have incontinence episodes if you have Parkinson’s disease, arthritis, or other disabling condition that prevents you from unbuttoning your pants or making a beeline to the bathroom. The unfortunate result? An accident.
This type of incontinence is the result of your body producing too much urine for your bladder to hold.
You can experience more than one type of incontinence simultaneously, and the most common combination is urgency and stress incontinence.
No matter which kind or combination of incontinence affects you, the condition causes embarrassment, and its unpredictability can make you hesitant to do things you enjoy, whether going to the gym, having coffee with friends, or walking your dog. If you never know whether a leak will happen — or when — it affects your quality of life.
Dr. Hooker wants to free his patients of the awkwardness that living with incontinence brings and liberate them from constantly needing to consider the “what ifs” before they decide to exercise, socialize, or even simply go about their routine work and home activities.
Effective treatments he might recommend, based on your symptoms and the type or types of incontinence you’re experiencing, include:
Some incontinence stems from pelvic floor weakness, and Kegel exercises can help with strengthening the pelvic floor and reducing or eliminating accidents. Extra pounds are also linked to incontinence and can weaken your pelvic floor, so talking to Dr. Hooker about what the best approach to weight loss is can also help.
Pelvic organ prolapse is when the muscles and tissues surrounding your cervix, uterus, and bladder can’t support your organs. Though nonsurgical prolapse treatments may work for you, Dr. Hooker also offers laparoscopic and vaginal reconstructive surgery that adjusts your fallen organ or organs so your pelvic floor is no longer compromised.
Dr. Hooker may also ask that you keep a journal to track leakage events. The written record helps with bladder training, which involves creating a schedule to urinate at certain times, even when you don’t feel the urge.
If you need to urinate outside the prescribed times, you learn urge-suppression techniques. The goal is to increase the time between bathroom breaks without accidents gradually.
Aside from its more well-known use as an anti-aging treatment, Botox injections can help prevent leaks in women with urge incontinence. You receive an injection of Botox in your bladder, which relaxes it, and the treatment’s effects last up to six months.
A pessary is a flexible silicone device inserted into the vagina that offers relief by lengthening your urethra and supporting your pelvic organs.
This noninvasive treatment, which also addresses vaginal atrophy and dryness, stimulates your body to produce collagen and elastin, proteins that strengthen the vaginal tissues.
We hope learning about these incontinence treatment options gives you peace of mind. Dr. Hooker is dedicated to finding the treatment or combination of treatments that make accidents a thing of the past so that you can live fully and joyfully again.
Call our Mesquite Avenue office at 928-683-1667 to schedule an appointment, or book one online. For your convenience, we offer routine early morning appointment times.
