Urinary incontinence affects men and women
Do you often feel an urgent need to rush to the bathroom? Do you get up a few times a night to urinate? If you experience an involuntary leakage of urine or other symptoms of urinary incontinence, you may feel embarrassed and ashamed. Our Austin urologists understand how you feel, but we urge you to come and talk about it. The team at our Austin urology practice is very experienced in the diagnosis and treatment of all types of incontinence.
One of the most common symptoms is involuntary leakage of urine
There are four types of urinary incontinence, each with its own symptoms and causes. If you have any of the four types, you may leak urine involuntarily. Here are the types of incontinence you may have, and the symptoms you may experience if you do.
- Stress incontinence – Weakness in the pelvic floor muscles causes people to leak urine when they laugh, sneeze or cough, move or strain to lift heavy items.
- Urge incontinence – This type has several causes, including overactive bladder (OAB). People feel the sudden, intense urge to urinate, and when they can’t get to the bathroom on time, they may leak urine.
- Mixed incontinence – This type combines the symptoms of stress incontinence with the issues of overactive bladder.
- Overflow incontinence – When the bladder retains urine and fails to empty during urination, it is usually due to overflow incontinence. These people often experience urine dripping. This type is common in people with chronic health conditions such as diabetes or those who have had a stroke.
With any type of incontinence, you may also find yourself getting up two or more times a night to go to the bathroom.
An expert diagnosis is the first step to treating your symptoms
Urinary incontinence is a common problem, particularly as you age. However, it is not something you have to accept and live with. Our Austin urologists are experienced practitioners who know how to accurately diagnose the cause of your problems, including involuntary leakage of urine.
After taking a thorough medical and family history, our urologists perform a physical examination. They may also recommend one or more of the following steps to help them diagnose your issue.
- Urinalysis
- Keeping a bladder diary to record things like when you urinate, how much you produce and when you have incontinence problems
- Postvoid residual measurement where you urinate in a container so our team can measure your output. They then perform an ultrasound to see how much urine remains in your bladder after urination.
Our Austin urologists treat all types of urinary incontinence
Our highly trained physicians and our entire team understand the emotional and physical toll that urinary incontinence takes on you. We offer treatment ranging from bladder training and lifestyle changes to pelvic floor physical therapy to interventional therapies and surgeries. You do not have to endure incontinence. We provide hope and help. Contact us for an appointment.