Incontinence will not kill you, only make you wish you were
Incontinence and Sex
If you struggle with incontinence and have concerns about incontinence during sex, you are not alone.
The American Foundation for Urologic Disease (AFUD) reports that one in three women with stress incontinence avoid sex due to fears of leaking during intercourse or orgasm. Women with fecal incontinence are also at high risk for several aspects of sexual dysfunction.
According to Edward James Wright, MD, Assistant Professor of Urology at John Hopkins Medical School in Baltimore, nearly one out of every five men over the age of 60 is having to deal with male urinary incontinence, and incontinence affects their sex lives. ” Male incontinence can put enormous stress on a marriage. I see some guys who really alienate their spouses. They're just not comfortable talking about it, so they push their wives away," says Wright. Some men completely stop sexual activity because of incontinence.
Here are some tips for women and men to improve the situation:
• Avoid bladder-irritating foods or drinks a couple of hours before bedtime
• Limit your fluids before having sex
• Practice double voiding before sex
When you go to the bathroom, wait a few minutes and then go again to empty any residual urine
• Use protective bedding.
• Try a new position
• Strengthen your pelvic floor muscles (This is a continuous work in progress)
• Talk about it to your partner. It makes everything better.
• Talk to your doctor
Remember, if you change nothing, nothing will change.
Incontinence
An estimated 25,000,000 adults have urinary incontinence and 21 million have fecal incontinence, with some experiencing both conditions. Another 27 million feel the need to urinate with increased urgency and frequency. Incontinence can happen to anyone regardless of age. The risk of incontinence increases as you get older
The unintended loss of urine or feces makes it difficult to maintain good hygiene and participate in ordinary social and work activities. Incontinence can be the governing factor in how you manage your daily life, disrupt your sleep, and harm your sex life.
Incontinence prevents some people from exercising due to fear of leakage. It can cause sleep deprivation and social withdrawal. All of these factors increase the risk of depression. Older people rushing to the bathroom are 45% more likely to fall. Incontinence is the leading cause of nursing home placement.
Incontinence is not a psychological problem or a personal failing. Incontinence is a medical symptom that should be addressed in the same way as any other medical problem. This posting, although helpful, is no substitute for consultation with a medical doctor. Treatment for urinary incontinence depends on the type of incontinence, its severity, and the underlying cause. A combination of treatments may be needed. If an underlying condition is causing your symptoms, your doctor will first treat that condition. Yes, there is hope and this problem can be successfully addressed
(This posting focuses on Urinary Incontinence)
We can categorize urinary incontinence into Stress Incontinence, Urgency Incontinences (overactive bladder), Mixed Incontinence, Overflow Incontinence, Functional Incontinence Reflex Incontinence, and Continuous Incontinence.
The treatment that is best for you depends on your diagnosis, lifestyle, age, and overall health. It is a complicated choice that you cannot make on your own. Unfortunately, it is usually a life time struggle that frequently burdens seniors. Different urologists favor certain treatments. Consulting with your Primary Care Doctor and more than one urologists is helpful. Start your search for a treatment that works for you immediately. You will probably have to wait up to six months for an appointment with a urologist.
The treatments listed below are not for you to select without consulting with your urologists. They are listed to demonstrate the variety in complexity of the choice.
We understand the importance of maintaining dignity and comfort while managing incontinence. Incontinence products are designed to provide discreet and effective solutions for individuals facing challenges with bladder control. There are helpful strategies that can help you address urinary incontinence immediately. Absorbent pads, adult diapers and protective underpads are helpful. Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) and flexible spending accounts (FSAs) are two of the best ways to put money aside tax-free money for health care expenses such as incontinence products. As far as we know, Medicare does not pay for these incontinence products. We list a few below for your selection. They are products that members of our team are currently using and have found them to be very cost effective.
Incontinence Supplies - CVS Pharmacy
Women's Incontinence - CVS Pharmacy
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Categories of Urinary Incontinence
Stress Incontinence If your urine leaks out when you jump cough, sneeze, laugh, or, run you may have stress incontinence
Urgency Incontinence
If you feel a strong urge to urinate when your bladder isn't full you may have urgency incontinence
Mixed Incontinence If you have symptoms of both overactive bladder and stress incontinence you likely have mixed incontinence
Overflow Incontinence
When your bladder never empties adequately you might experience urine leakage with or without feeling a need to go or overflow incontinence
Functional Incontinence
if your urinary tract is normal but other illnesses or disabilities are preventing you from staying dry you might have functional incontinence
Reflex Incontinence Reflex incontinence usually occurs in people with serious neurological impairment multiple sclerosis spinal and cord injury other injuries or damage from surgery or radiation
Continuous Incontinence
Continuous incontinence is dribbling of urine that occurs without a break
Treating Urinary Incontinence
The following is a list of treatments for urinary incontinence. As you can see, there are many options. Diagnosis and treatment selection should be a joint decision made with your urologist.
1. Lifestyle changes
• Fluid and diet management
• Bladder training
2. Pelvic muscle conditioning
• Pelvic floor physical therapy
• Biofeedback
Biofeedback can be used to help women learn to control and strengthen their pelvic floor muscles.
3. Electrical stimulation
• eCoin Peripheral Neurostimulator System.
eCoin Peripheral Neurostimulator System for Urgency Urinary Incontinence | Hayes, now a part of symplr
• Percutaneous tibial nerve stimulation (PTNS).
Percutaneous tibial nerve stimulation - Wikipedia
• Sacral nerve stimulation (SNS).
Sacral Nerve Stimulation: Implant, Procedure & Side Effects
4, Surgical procedures
Prostate Surgeries for men
Minimally Invasive Procedures
• Rezūm water vapor therapy.
Rezūm Water Vapor Therapy: Procedure & Results
• Transurethral microwave therapy (TUMT).
Transurethral microwave thermotherapy (TUMT) - Mayo Clinic
• UroLift system.
Patients | UroLift–Lasting BPH Treatment. Tame the Prostate Monster!
• Transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP). This is the most common surgery to treat enlarged prostate. (Benign prostatic hyperplasia BPH.) “The Gold Standard “
Transurethral Resection of the Prostate (TURP) - Johns …
• Transurethral incision of the prostate (TUIP).
Transurethral incision of the prostate (TUIP) - Mayo Clinic
• Laser surgery.
Prostate laser surgery - Mayo Clinic
4. Sling Procedures
• Bladder neck suspension
Bladder suspension (or bladder neck suspension) surgery is a procedure that can be used to treat stress incontinence urine leakage that occurs when a person sneezes, laughs, or coughs.
Bladder Suspension Surgery: Why Is It Done?
5. Artificial Urinary Sphincter
Artificial Urinary Sphincter: Placement & Success Rate
6. Medications
For urge incontinence, medications known as anticholinergics/antimuscarinics (Detrol, Ditropan XL, Enablex, Gemtesa, Oxytrol, Urispas, and Vesicare) can prevent bladder spasms. Detrol, Ditropan XL, Myrbetriq, Oxytrol, and Vesicare also are approved for women with overactive bladder (OAB). Oxytrol is available without a prescription. OAB is a condition in which the bladder squeezes too often or without warning, resulting in incontinence. Also, Botox injected into the bladder muscle causes the bladder to relax, increasing its storage capacity and reducing episodes of urinary incontinence. It can be used for adults who do not respond to or can't use the medications listed above.