Urinary & Fecal Incontinence Specialist

What is urinary incontinence?

Urinary incontinence means urine leakage due to loss of bladder control. When you urinate, your bladder muscles contract to squeeze urine into your urethra. Your urethra sphincter muscle relaxes and urine exits your body. 

Urinary incontinence may occur if your bladder muscles contract unexpectedly and your urethral sphincter isn’t strong enough to stop the flow of urine. Pressure on your bladder from a cough or sneeze may also cause urine leakage.

What are the types of urinary incontinence?

There are many types of urinary incontinence. The most common types that affect women include:

Stress urinary incontinence

Stress urinary incontinence is the most common type of incontinence in women. With stress urinary incontinence, you may leak urine from stress or pressure on your bladder. 

Leaking may occur when you cough or sneeze or during physical activity.

The weakening of your pelvic floor muscles may cause stress urinary incontinence and may be one of the symptoms you experience with pelvic organ prolapse. 

Overactive bladder (urge incontinence)

With an overactive bladder or urge incontinence, you feel an intense and sudden urge to urinate. This type of urinary incontinence develops due to involuntary contractions of your bladder, which triggers the strong need to urinate. 

Mixed incontinence

Many women have both stress incontinence and overactive bladder, which is medically known as mixed incontinence. 

What is fecal incontinence?

Fecal incontinence is similar to urinary incontinence in that you are not able to completely control when you go to the bathroom. Fecal incontinence can involve occasional leakage of stool while passing gas, or the complete loss of bowel control.

With fecal incontinence, you may have a sudden and urgent need to have a bowel movement and not make it to the toilet in time. This type of incontinence may occur in women with weak pelvic floor muscles or pelvic organ prolapse. 

Some people with fecal incontinence may leak stool without knowing it. This is called passive incontinence.

How is urinary or fecal incontinence diagnosed?

Your provider at Zeid Pelvic Health Center conducts a comprehensive evaluation using cutting-edge technology to diagnose urinary or fecal incontinence. During the evaluation, your provider asks detailed questions about your symptoms and your medical and gynecological history. 

Then, they conduct a physical and pelvic exam. Your provider may also request diagnostic tests to determine the root cause of your urinary or fecal incontinence, such as a urinalysis, ultrasound, bladder stress test, or peripheral nerve evaluation. 

Your provider may also perform urodynamic testing to assess bladder function and how well it holds and empties urine.

How is urinary or fecal incontinence treated?

The women’s health experts at Zeid Pelvic Health Center work one-on-one with you to develop a treatment plan that helps you gain control over your urinary or fecal incontinence. The specifics of your plan may depend on incontinence type, underlying cause, and severity of symptoms.

Treatment options include:

• Bathroom schedule
• Diet and fluid modification
• Bladder training
• Bladder instillations
• Biofeedback
• Pessary incontinence ring
• Pelvic floor muscle therapy
• Medications
• Bladder injections
• Percutaneous tibial neuromodulation
• InterStim™ neurostimulator for bladder and bowel

Dr. Zeid also performs minimally invasive procedures for urinary incontinence when non-surgical treatments fail to alleviate symptoms, such as the minimally invasive sling procedure. During this procedure, Dr. Zeid places a “sling” around your urethra through a small, single incision in the vagina. 

Don’t let your urinary incontinence keep you from doing what you love. Call Zeid Pelvic Health Center, or book an appointment online today.