My Incontinence Is Embarrassing: Can You Help?

You're not alone if you suffer from urinary incontinence and the embarrassment and frustration that comes with it. Millions of women deal with this common condition. But did you know that less than 25% of these women seek help from their medical team?

At her private practice in Santa Monica, California, board-certified provider Shamsah Amersi, MD, has over two decades of experience providing excellent care to women with urinary incontinence.

Find out more about this common condition, the different types of incontinence, and how we can help you regain control of your bladder.

Urinary incontinence is common

At least half of adult women are affected by urinary incontinence, making this condition extremely common. The number of women who experience incontinence rises with age—about 75% of women over 65 report some urinary incontinence.

This condition affects women twice as often as men. This is because the reproductive life cycle of women includes things that impact the urethra, bladder and the muscles that support these organs, such as pregnancy, childbirth, and menopause.

Women also have a shorter urethra than men, meaning there's less muscle to help keep urine contained. Any weakening

There are different types of incontinence

Incontinence comes in several different types, each from different underlying causes. Here's a review of the types of urinary incontinence affecting you.

Transient incontinence

A temporary form of urinary incontinence, transient incontinence occurs when women have an active urinary tract infection, take certain medicines, or have a different underlying but temporary condition that impacts bladder control.

Stress incontinence

Stress incontinence is more common than any other type of urinary incontinence for women. This type occurs when the muscles supporting your urethra and bladder weaken, meaning any pressure or stress on your bladder leads to leaks.

With stress incontinence, exercising, coughing, sneezing, or laughing may cause you to leak urine. Vaginal atrophy is a condition that occurs with age and leads to weakened vaginal walls and also contributes to stress incontinence.

Overactive bladder (OAB)

Women over 45 years may experience overactive bladder (OAB), also known as urge incontinence. Though it’s not as common as stress incontinence, OAB affects over 20 million women in the US.

With OAB, you may experience strong, sudden, and desperate urges to urinate. These can be so strong that you may leak urine, even if your bladder is empty.

OAB occurs when you develop a problem with the muscle that controls your bladder, the detrusor. If the detrusor contracts before your bladder is full, it signals your body to urinate even though you don’t need to empty your bladder yet.

Overflow incontinence

Overflow incontinence causes you to drip or leak urine without realizing you need to empty your bladder. This type of incontinence makes it hard to fully empty your bladder or retain the amount of urine produced by your body. This means that leaks often happen after you've already used the bathroom.

You may also find yourself getting up multiple times at night to urinate or have trouble starting to urinate. Overflow incontinence can also increase the recurrence of urinary tract infections.

Mixed urinary incontinence

If you have multiple issues that cause you to experience more than one type of urinary incontinence, Dr. Amersi may diagnose you with mixed urinary incontinence. This often involves a combination of overactive bladder and stress incontinence.

Ways to control your bladder

Advances in medical technology and our understanding of urinary incontinence have led to many options for bladder control. Dr. Amersi develops a personalized incontinence treatment plan based on your unique situation and needs.

Dr. Amersi may recommend one or several treatment options for you, depending on the type of urinary incontinence you're struggling with. These include:

Lifestyle changes
Exercises, like kegel to strengthen your pelvic floor
BOTOX® injections
Nerve stimulation
Behavioral therapy to help you better train your bladder
Bladder sling

If you want to learn more about urinary incontinence and which treatment might be right for you, consult Dr. Amersi! Please schedule an appointment online or over the phone for Shamsah Amersi, MD, in Santa Monica, California, or email us at info@amersimd.com.