Help! Why Do I Suddenly Have Urinary Incontinence?

If you’ve ever experienced urinary leakage, you know that it’s one of the most dreaded, embarrassing situations ever!

Some factors make certain women more prone to incontinence problems, but solutions do exist. 

Dr. Peter Khanvongsa and the attentive team at the Miami Institute for Women’s Health want to provide you with the most advanced care for any type of female urinary incontinence issues you may be experiencing, as well as a wide range of obstetric and gynecologic care. 

Dr. Khamvongsa’s knowledge, integrity, and emphasis on personalized treatment are just a few of the things that set him apart from other providers. 

Female urinary incontinence: The facts

Don’t think you’re the only one who’s experiencing leakage problems — one in four women suffers with incontinence and unfortunately, since there’s embarrassment and shame surrounding the issue for many of them, research has found that just 45% of women who experience the problem weekly actually talk to their doctors about it. 

Before Dr. Khamvongsa creates a treatment plan, he must make an accurate diagnosis, and with incontinence, it can get complicated because there are several types of incontinence: 

1. Stress incontinence: This problem is fueled by pressure put on your bladder, which occurs when you sneeze, cough, or laugh, for example. If you lift something heavy, you might also experience an unexpected leak.
2. Urge incontinence: This type of incontinence happens when you can’t reach the bathroom in time after suddenly feeling an urgent need to go. You can notice it as you go about your everyday activities, or your sleep might be interrupted by the need to go to the bathroom often at night.
3. Overflow incontinence: If your bladder doesn’t empty completely, urine often dribbles out — quite an unpleasant experience.
4. Functional incontinence: Your bladder may be working fine with this type of incontinence, but accidents happen because of cognitive issues or a physical problem. A woman with severe arthritis, for example, might not be able to unbutton her pants in time to go to the bathroom when she needs to, while a woman living with dementia may not recognize the urge to go to the bathroom or put off going until it’s too late.
5. Mixed incontinence: This is just as it sounds — when you live with a combination of different types of incontinence. Many women struggle with stress and urge incontinence simultaneously, for instance. 

Dr. Khamvongsa always discusses the details of your incontinence patterns with you, so he can gain as much insight as possible. 

Who is at higher risk for female urinary incontinence?

If you find yourself having leakage problems and you never have before, consider these risk factors. You’re more likely to start experiencing symptoms if:

• You’re pregnant, so the bladder has long-term pressure put on it
• You’ve given birth vaginally
• You’ve had a hysterectomy
• You live with pelvic organ prolapse issues
• You’re postmenopausal
• You’re battling an infection 
• You have a tumor in your urinary tract
• You live with a chronic condition, such as a neurological disease or diabetes 

Finally, simply getting older makes you more at risk for incontinence. If you’re older, lowered estrogen leads to the weakening of the lining of your bladder and urethra. 

What can relieve my sudden incontinence?

Don’t despair if incontinence has put the brakes on activities you love. Dr. Khamvongsa has an array of treatments he can recommend, based on the type of incontinence you have and your unique needs. 

Treatments range from conservative to surgical. Dr. Khamvongsa may first suggest making adjustments to your diet, and pelvic floor muscle exercises are strengthening and can help too. With these, you relax and tighten muscles that control your flow of urine.

Prescription medications can help too, and estrogen therapy has also been found to be effective for some women. 

Devices such as catheters (a flexible tube that empties your bladder) that Dr. Khamvongsa can prescribe, and urethral inserts (a soft, balloon-like device inserted into the urethra that prevents leakage) provide novel, sanitary ways to collect urine and save you embarrassment. With the urethral insert, you take it out when you need to urinate. 

Two other treatment options are botulinum toxin injections (popularly known as BotoxⓇ, and not just for the face anymore) and electrical stimulation (e-stim) treatments. Electrical stimulation treats an overactive bladder through the use of a very mild electric current. 

Finally, surgical solutions — like sling surgery (where Dr. Khamvongsa places a “sling” to support the urethra) or prolapse surgery — are options to consider when others have failed. 

There’s no doubt about it, placing your trust in a urogynecology specialist is the best decision you can make if you struggle with incontinence. Dr. Khamvongsa is at your service. 

Call our office at 786-220-8664 to schedule an appointment, or book one online today.