Bladder Problems/Urinary Incontinence

Do you experience urine leakage when you exercise? Do you suddenly have to urinate, seemingly without any warning? As many as 20 million American women suffer from bladder control problems. Often, it hinders a woman’s lifestyle, but many women cope with it out of embarrassment or simply because they are unaware that their condition can be cured or managed.

But you don’t have to live with it. In North Miami, gynecologist Dr. Remberto Santos will diagnose your bladder problem and discuss your treatment options. He will help you understand your condition and what you can do to improve your quality of life.

While childbirth, limited mobility, side effects from medication, or urinary tract infections can cause temporary incontinence, chronic urinary incontinence is often traced to:

• Bladder or pelvic muscle weakness
• A blocked urethra
• Vaginal prolapse
• Birth defects
• Brain or spinal cord injury nerve disorder

There are several types of urinary incontinence:

Stress incontinence occurs when exercising, coughing, sneezing, or other activities puts pressure on a weakened bladder sphincter

Urge incontinence (overactive bladder) happens when the bladder inappropriately contracts, and you’re not able to get to the bathroom quickly enough.

Overflow incontinence occurs when you don’t feel the urge to urinate, your bladder doesn’t empty well, and small amounts of urine leak continuously.

Total incontinence is the continuous leakage of urine.

Mixed incontinence is a combination of any of the above types of urinary incontinence.

There are numerous treatments to help you effectively manage bladder control problems and restore your quality of life. At Aventura OB/GYN Advanced Care, we understand what you’re going through and can help with common bladder control conditions such as stress urinary incontinence (SUI) and overactive bladder (OAB). Among these solutions are:

• Behavioral bladder training, such as timed urination to treat urge incontinence
• Pelvic floor (Kegel) exercises that strengthen the muscles that control the flow of urine, used to treat urge and stress incontinence
• Medications such as imipramine (Tofranil®) and estrogen cream or gel
• Mechanical devices such as a pessary, which is a latex or silicone device inserted into the vagina and placed against the back of the pelvic bone to support the bladder and treat stress incontinence
• Surgery to correct stress incontinence by lifting the urethra, the bladder, or both into their normal positions

Aventura OB/GYN Advanced Care provides effective treatment for female urinary incontinence at our office in North Miami. Don’t put it off any longer; schedule an appointment with Dr. Santos today. Call (305) 931-7960 or use our convenient online request form