Three Effective Treatments for Urinary Incontinence
If you are suffering from embarrassing bladder leaks – or “urinary incontinence” – you are not alone. In fact, in the US, 10% of women under the age of 65 and 35% of women over 65 suffer from some type of urinary incontinence.
Sadly, though, many women simply do not like to talk about urinary incontinence. And many do not seek help, assuming that they just have to “learn to live with” bladder leaks. This is unfortunate because there are actually now several very effective state-of-the-art urinary incontinence treatments.
The pelvic health experts at Northwest Ohio Center for Urogynecology & Women’s Health have been helping women in the Toledo, OH area reduce or eliminate frustrating urinary incontinence since 1973. We offer the latest, most advanced technologies for stopping bladder leaks – so you can get your quality of life back.
Types of Urinary Incontinence
Different types of bladder leaks are caused by different underlying medical conditions. The first step in determining the best urinary incontinence treatment for you is diagnosis of your specific type of incontinence. That is why it is important to see a specialist – like Toledo, OH area board certified urogynecologist Dr. Andrew Croak.
Stress Urinary Incontinence
Stress urinary incontinence is characterized by bladder leaks that occur when you cough, sneeze, laugh, lift something heavy, run or otherwise exert yourself. The pressure from these activities causes urine to leak through the weakened ring of muscle that controls the bladder. Childbirth and normal aging are among the typical causes of stress urinary incontinence.
Urge Urinary Incontinence
Urge urinary incontinence, on the other hand, is a condition in which your bladder empties without warning – or you feel like you need to urinate suddenly and frequently. Urge urinary incontinence is also called “overactive bladder.” It is the result of miscommunication between the brain, spinal cord, nerves and bladder – improperly releasing urine at the wrong time.
Treatments for Urinary Incontinence
Pelvic Floor Therapy for Urinary Incontinence
In many cases pelvic floor physical therapy can effectively treat urinary incontinence and restore bladder control. The pelvic floor is a group of muscles that control bladder function, in addition to supporting the internal organs, and affecting sexual performance.
When the pelvic floor muscles become weak, or if their neuro-motor control is impaired, it can result in bladder leaks. Physical therapist Karen Liberi MS MPT WCS, has advanced board certification in pelvic floor physical therapy. She and her team have helped hundreds of men and women in Toledo, OH area remedy urinary incontinence issues – and regain their quality of life – with pelvic floor therapy.
MonaLisa Touch for Stress Urinary Incontinence
For women suffering from Stress Urinary Incontinence, we offer an innovative, new vaginal laser treatment called MonaLisa Touch. This treatment delivers gentle, painless CO2 laser energy to the vaginal walls and muscles to improve tightness and tone.
In addition to improving sexual health, non-surgical MonaLisa Touch has been clinically proven to reduce the bladder leaks associated with stress urinary incontinence. Over 90% of MonaLisa Touch patients report relief from their symptoms after one year or longer.
Interstim for Urge Urinary Incontinence (Overactive Bladder)
Insterstim is a type of “percutaneous (or posterior) tibial nerve stimulation” (PTNS) that is used to treat overactive bladder. This innovative, FDA approved technology offers “neuromodulation” to effectively reduce or eliminate urinary urgency, urinary frequency, and urge incontinence (bladder leaks).
Like MonaLisa Touch, Interstim is an in-office procedure that does not require surgery – and has no downtime.
Interstim neuromodulation for overactive bladder treatment has been clinically shown to offer three times greater improvement in urge incontinence than medications in most cases. More than 225,000 patients have received Interstim Neuromodulation, with 85 percent of patients achieving bladder control success in the first year.
Urinary Incontinence Treatment – Toledo, OH Area
If you live in the greater Toledo, OH area and you are experiencing embarrassing bladder leakage, you do not have to suffer in silence. Board Certified urogynecologist Dr. Andrew Croak has helped hundreds of women in the Toledo, OH area stop bladder leaks with these state-of-the-art urinary incontinence treatments.
Call us to schedule a discreet, confidential urinary incontinence consultation, and let Dr. Croak help you determine which bladder leak treatments are right for you.
