Female Intimate Health
Stress
Urinary Incontinence
What is stress urinary incontinence?
Stress Urinary Incontinence (SUI) is the involuntary leakage of urine during activities such as coughing, sneezing, lifting, laughing, or exercising.
It is a common misconception that SUI is a natural part of aging. This is not true. This condition affects at least 10-20% of women, many of whom do not realize that there are simple, effective treatment options available.
SUI can negatively impact women’s lives. Pressure to the bladder occurs in many different potential scenarios, thus SUI may limit women’s social and personal relationships, as well as limiting physical activity.
What causes stress urinary incontinence?
There are a number of factors which can play a role in developing stress urinary incontinence. These include:
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Pregnancy and vaginal birth
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Chronic cough
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Constipation
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Genetically inherited factors
How is stress
urinary incontinence diagnosed?
At your appointment, Cleveland Clinic doctors will ask you questions about the activities which cause leakage and will perform a pelvic exam to determine if you have other complicating conditions such as pelvic organ prolapse. If you are experience other forms of incontinence such as urinary urge incontinence, or feces or gas incontinence, it is important that you mention them to your doctor.
What tests may be performed?
There are several potential tests that your doctor may perform in order to properly diagnose you with stress urinary incontinence or another condition that may cause urine leakage.
To help with diagnosis your doctor may ask you to cough while you have a comfortably full bladder,
You may be asked to fill in a bladder diary (otherwise known as a frequency volume chart). Recording how much you drink, as well as the number of times you pass urine and the volume passed each time. A record of the amount of leakage is also kept. Your doctor may recommend urodynamic studies. Urodynamics investigate the bladder’s ability to fill and empty and the mechanism or cause of the incontinence.
A urine test may be performed to look for a urinary tract infection.
All these tests are designed to help plan the best treatment for each individual.
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What are the symptoms of
stress urinary incontinence?
Stress urinary incontinence is the leakage of urine while the bladder is under increased stress (sneezing, coughing, lifting weights, etc). Many pressure increasing activities that a woman may do happen on a daily basis, thus SUI can lead to emotional distress. However, urinary leakage doesn’t necessarily have to happen every time pressure is increased on the bladder.
What Causes
Bladder Weakness in SUI?
Bladder weakness usually occurs when the muscles in the pelvic floor or sphincter have been damaged or weakened.
Women have a pelvic floor. It is made up of layers of muscles which hold the bladder and bowel in place and help to stop leaks. The sphincter is a circular muscle that goes around the urethra (the tube that urine comes out of) and squeezes as the bladder fills up to create a seal so that urine can’t leak out.
In women, these muscles can be weakened during pregnancy by the extra weight and natural hormonal changes. Childbirth can cause more problems especially if delivery is prolonged or the baby is large. Forceps and ventouse assisted deliveries may increase the risk of damage, muscle tearing or episiotomies (where the muscle is cut to allow an easier birth) can cause further damage.
Some women develop stress urinary incontinence after the menopause. This is because the pelvic floor becomes weaker following hormone changes within the body. Even before the menopause, some women may notice that they have a weaker bladder than normal in the week before a period. Stress urinary incontinence may occur after a hysterectomy and also after operations on the bladder.
People who have been constipated for a long time or have a chronic cough may also be prone to stress urinary incontinence. Men can develop stress urinary incontinence if they are experiencing problems related to their prostate gland or post prostate surgery.
How does SUI develop and how Laser treat this problem?
SUI involves involuntary leakage of urine in response to increased
intra-abdominal pressure. This condition may be caused by a loss of
sub-urethral support, usually as a result of pelvic support structure damage. Patients report varying severity of urine leakage during activities that increase intra-abdominal pressure such as coughing, sneezing, and physical activity.
At Eravio Clinic we use Lasotronix Laser therapy is a safe and effective treatment for this indication, enabling women to enjoy a much more comfortable life – quickly and with no pain or downtime. Using powerful energy to achieve a deep thermal effect, Lasotronix Laser 1470 nm stimulates collagen renewal as well as contraction of the elastin fibers, inducing rejuvenation and tissue remodelling.
The technological benefit of a long pulse enables the creation of this powerful thermal effect, which offers a significant advantage in such procedures. It treats the entire pre-urethral space, increasing the thickness of the vaginal walls and providing better support to the mid urethra underside.
If the problem SUI is mild then the patient may get cured in one session only. Usually, the patient has to undergo at least 3 sessions to ensure that they never face the problem again in life. The number of sessions for laser treatment also depends upon the seriousness of the disease.
The result is a significant reduction in SUI symptoms, improved control of urination, and long term patient continence.
How long does it take to recover after the laser treatment of SUI?
Recovery time for stress incontinence takes only a few days after receiving the laser treatment. The patient can resume a normal lifestyle after taking rest for 4-6 days.
Benefits of Laser vaginal rehabilitation Treatment for SUI.
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Permanent cure for urinary leakage
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Relief from painful urination
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Increased Collagen
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Improved Muscle Tone
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Improved Sensation
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Reduced Vaginal Dryness
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Fully outpatient process without anaesthesia
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No side effects
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Effective and painless
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Non-invasive
