Help for Incontinence—Living Life Interrupted

Millions of men and women experience it. Many of those millions do nothing about it because of fear or resignation. They live with incontinence – one of several forms of a condition that prevents them from controlling their urge to urinate, and fully enjoying life.

There are four types of incontinence:

Overflow: If you are unable to completely empty your bladder, it can lead to overflow which causes unexpected leakage. Beyond the potential embarrassment, urine remaining in the bladder can lead to a urinary tract infection.
Urge: Also known as overactive bladder (OAB), urge incontinence results in involuntary leakage after a strong, sudden urge to urinate. It is typically caused by abnormal bladder contractions.
Stress: Stress incontinence (SI) occurs when urine leaks during vigorous activities such as lifting, exercising, sneezing, coughing and even laughing. SI is the most common type of incontinence in women, especially older women. If you have given birth, you are more likely to experience stress incontinence.
Mixed: This type reveals symptoms of both stress and urge incontinence.

Incontinence in Men

Male incontinence is often triggered by an enlarged prostate gland, also known as benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), especially in older men. Male incontinence also occurs when the bladder is improperly triggered by the brain, or the sphincter muscles are squeezing too much or not enough. There could be an issue with the bladder muscle itself or the nerves controlling it, resulting in improper sphincter function.

Other factors that increase a man’s chance of developing incontinence include prostate cancer treatments such as radiation therapy and urinary tract issues. Many conditions — such as a sedentary lifestyle, being overweight, an overfull bladder, chronic cough and neurological issues — increase a male’s likelihood of developing incontinence.

Incontinence in Women

Urinary incontinence occurs when the brain does not signal the bladder correctly, or the sphincters are squeezing too much. There could be an issue with the bladder muscle itself or the nerves controlling it, resulting in improper sphincter function.

Pregnancy and childbirth can damage the urethra muscles and nerves, as the fetus puts added pressure on the bladder. Similarly, weight gain puts extra pressure on the bladder, and can cause leakage before the bladder is full. Overactive bladder (OAB) occurs when the bladder can’t hold urine normally; incontinence is a symptom of this condition. Incontinence can occur because of a condition as serious as overactive bladder in women, but also can happen as the result of a urinary tract infection (UTI), or overconsumption of liquids.

Treatment

If you are experiencing one of the above forms of incontinence, our urologists offer a wide range of safe, effective treatments to relieve or manage your symptoms and restore your confidence and peace of mind.

Male and female urinary incontinence is highly treatable. If medication hasn’t been effective for the treatment of urge incontinence, we can help you regain control of your daily life with a variety of nonsurgical approaches.

The most advanced incontinence diagnostic studies and procedures Fisher-Titus offers include:
Urodynamic testing which effectively evaluates bladder function during the filling and voiding phases.
Botox® treatments for urge incontinence in men and women. Botox®, introduced into multiple areas of the bladder wall, blocks nerve impulses that trigger frequent or urgent urination. The procedure takes about 15 minutes, followed by an additional 30 minutes for observation. One Botox treatment relieves urge incontinence symptoms for three to nine months.

For men, Fisher-Titus Urology Services also offers help to those living with a reduced ability to urinate, a symptom often caused by a noncancerous enlarged prostate. This very common and treatable condition in older males is also known as Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia, or BPH.

We exclusively offer two of the most advanced minimally invasive procedures to relieve men’s BPH symptoms, The UroLift® System and Rezūm® therapy are both state-of-the-art approaches involve no cutting.

The UroLift System introduces a fine instrument that literally “lifts” and secures the enlarged prostate tissue outward. This relieves pressure on the urine channel and enables better flow.

Rezūm therapy utilizes a special hand-held device that delivers radiofrequency-generated thermal therapy in the form of water vapor or steam directly into the enlarged prostate that is causing the urethra to close. The thermal energy safely destroys the extra prostatic tissue, which opens the urine channel and creates improved flow.

These procedures directly treat BPH and incontinence-related symptoms in men and women. They allow you to return home within one to two hours. Best of all, they enable you to return to living life uninterrupted.