What is stress urinary incontinence? Symptoms, causes and treatment

Symptoms of stress incontinence manifest in urine leaks following pressure-applying activities such as:

• Coughing

• Sneezing

• Laughing

• Standing up

• Lifting something heavy

• Running

• Having sex

There are three degrees of stress urinary incontinence. The mildest of these is incontinence during coughing, outbursts of laughter or similar situations involving a significant increase in abdominal pressure.

Damage to the mechanisms responsible for closing the urethra is considered to be the main cause of stress urinary incontinence. There are two types of damage that can occur simultaneously and female stress incontinence causes. The first is increased mobility of the bladder neck. This is caused by inadequate support by the pelvic floor. This causes involuntary urine leakage. The second type of damage is failure of the urethral sphincter - as a result of damage to it during surgery (sphincter type).

Both causes of stress urinary incontinence can be linked to weakness of the pelvic floor muscles and changes in the fascial-muscular system. What causes stress incontinence in women? Check the following stress incontinence causes:

Pregnancy

Experiencing urinary incontinence after childbirth is perfectly normal, and many women go through it. During the nine months of pregnancy, and especially during the birth process itself, your pelvic floor muscles – the system of muscles, nerves and tissues that support your bladder and urethra – are stretched and strained. Births via vaginal delivery are more likely to result in stress incontinence.

Excess weight

Excess weight can put a strain on your bladder and your pelvic floor muscles, which act like a hammock to support your bladder. As a result, these muscles can become stretched and fatigued. This can also lead to stress incontinence.

Hormone imbalance

The hormones in your body can also serve to weaken the pelvic floor muscles. The hormonal changes experienced during menopause can result in new or worsening stress incontinence.

Chronic coughing

Any illness or condition that results in chronic coughing can weaken the pelvic floor muscles. Smokers in particular are susceptible since smokers’ cough can be persistent and prolonged over many years.

In order to diagnose stress urinary incontinence, it is important to make an appointment with a doctor. He or she will ask very detailed questions about of urine flow, past medical conditions, lifestyle and fluid intake.

The history is followed by a physical examination - abdominal, perineal, and pelvic examinations and a stress test. This is usually a cough test to observe the intensity of any leakage and the mobility of the vaginal walls. It is also necessary to have a gynaecological examination with a specialist.

Additional tests to be performed are:

• General urinalysis
• Urine culture
• Urinary tract ultrasound

How to stop stress incontinence? Primarily using physical therapy methods and by changing habits. In some cases, pharmacological and surgical treatment can also be used. Luckily, there are a lot of things you can do to get stress urinary incontinence treatment. How to fix stress incontinence? Most of them involve minor tweaks to your daily routine, making them quite doable. Here’s a list of some stress incontinence treatments and remedies: