Incontinence

One Day You Have Urine Leakage. The Next Day You Don't

More women than you might imagine—more than 13 million women in the United States alone, of all ages—experience urinary incontinence at some point in their lives. It is twice as common in women as in men.

If that comes as a surprise, it's probably because urinary incontinence—the sudden, unintentional release of urine—is one of those things that no one finds particularly easy to talk about. It can be a nuisance. It can be embarrassing. It can be uncomfortable. And sometimes, it is much more—urinary incontinence can limit your life so that you end up restricting or avoiding physical activity, travel or social relationships because of it.

The good news is you have options. GYNECARE TVT* Tension-free Support for Incontinence is a product used in a quick (usually less than 30 minutes), simple and minimally invasive treatment for some women with stress urinary incontinence. The procedure is performed under local anesthesia and the recovery period following the procedure is short—most women return to their routine shortly, and patients experience few complications and minimal scarring after surgery. With an excellent safety record and high success rate (98% of women who participated in a study begun seven years ago are still dry, or experience significantly less leakage,¹ this treatment can stop urinary incontinence so that you can take control of your life. Learn more about GYNECARE TVT now or Locate a doctor in your area who has treated urinary incontinence with GYNECARE TVT. You may also call 1-888-GYNECARE to speak with a nurse.

What is urinary incontinence?

Incontinence, simply defined, is as an uncontrolled release of urine from your bladder. Incontinence in women usually occurs because of problems with the muscles that help hold or release urine.

There are 4 types of established urinary incontinence that are most common in women:

Stress urinary incontinence: the unintentional release or leakage of urine during sudden movements such as coughing, sneezing, laughing and exercising.

Urge Incontinence: the sudden, intense urge to urinate, followed by a loss of urine.You may feel like you never get to the bathroom fast enough, you may wake several times a night with the strong urge to urinate.

Mixed Incontinence: occurs when women have symptoms of both stress and urge incontinence.

Overflow Incontinence: occurs when the bladder doesn't completely empty. It may be caused by dysfunctional nerves or a blockage in the urethra that prevents the flow of urine.

The right treatment for you will depend on the type of urinary incontinence that you have. This brochure deals with stress urinary incontinence, the most common type in women. It affects women of all ages, and it's very treatable.

What is stress urinary incontinence?
Stress urinary incontinence, or SUI, is the sudden, unintentional release of urine during normal, everyday activities. You may have SUI if you lose urine when you:

• Cough, sneeze or laugh
• Walk, exercise or lift something
• Get up from a seated or lying position

You may also go to the bathroom frequently during the day to avoid accidents. If you are experiencing sudden urine loss, it means your urethra (the tube from the bladder through which urine exits the body) does not stay closed until it's time to urinate. Any movement that puts pressure on the bladder (such as sneezing or running) may cause the urethra to lose its seal and allows urine to escape.

So why doesn't my urethra function properly?
There are 2 primary reasons why the urethra tube fails to maintain its seal during stress activity. The most common is poor support of the urethra normally provided by the underlying muscle and connective tissue of the vagina. Less commonly the urethral sphincter could be deficient.

One of the myths about SUI is that it is a natural part of the aging process. In reality, it can affect women at any age. And although common, SUI is not a normal part of aging. The weakening of the pelvic floor, connective tissues and muscle can happen as a result of:

• Pregnancy and childbirth
• Chronic heavy lifting or straining
• Menopause
• Obesity

If you think you may have urinary incontinence, its important to know that it can be treated - you dont have to "just live with it."

Diagnosis

SUI can often be diagnosed based on the symptoms you describe to your doctor and a careful pelvic exam focused on your pelvic support. Your doctor may ask you to cough with a full bladder to observe leakage. Ofter your doctor will want to obtain special tests (urodynamics) to evaluate your bladder and urethral function. These tests usually involve placing a small tube called a catheter into the bladder, which can measure bladder and urethral activity.

Treatment

Today there are many minimally invasive treatment options that can help you gain control over this condition and improve the quality of your life. The information in this area of Gynecare.com will provide you with basic facts and tools to help you understand urinary incontinence in women, consider your treatment options and make it easier to discuss them with your doctor or healthcare provider.

Learn more about urinary incontinence and how the condition is diagnosed

Learn more about treatment options for urinary incontinence.

View more details about urinary incontinence in women (PDF: 18 KB).

¹ Nilsson et. al., 7 Year Follow-up on the Tension-free Vaginal Tape (TVT) Procedure; International Urology, IUGA Abstract #116 (89): October 2003.

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