Stress urinary incontinence for female seniors can be bothersome at times. This condition is the milder version of urinary incontinence that plagues men and women of senior ages. With stress urinary incontinence, only a small amount of urine is passed when the sufferer coughs, laughs, sneezes, and made other abdominal movements which apply extra pressure to the bladder causing it to mildly leak some urine uncontrollably.
Stress urinary incontinence or effort incontinence is just one of many types of urinary incontinence and it is very common among senior women. Unfortunately, some women suffer the same condition after giving birth since their pelvic muscles are most likely weakened from carrying the child in their womb for nine months. Because of its insufficient strength, the urethra can easily be moved downward, pressing and forcing the bladder to leak some urine.
On the other hand, urinary incontinence in general is the involuntary leakage of urine due to many varying factors. Since this is a bladder problem, urologists mostly handle these kinds of conditions and treatments. Also, some types of urinary incontinence can be treated if consulted to a doctor at once especially within early stages.
While stress urinary incontinence can be quite embarrassing for senior women suffering the condition, almost 30% of women across all ages suffer accidental leaks during their lifetimes. Some will most likely experience SUI once or twice but others develop to a more severe bladder condition. For women suffering stress urinary incontinence, it is best to consult your urogynecologist. Urogynecologists are specialists which handle and treat incontinence and uterine prolapse; conditions which occur specifically to women.
Treatments available for stress urinary incontinence are surgery, electrical stimulation, procedures, devices and simple pelvic exercises such as Kegel. Bulking agents are also developed by manufacturers and have been approved for use by FDA. These bulking agents are injectable implants which will treat SUI and relieve women of the distressing bladder condition. The bulking agent is then injected under urethra and patient should come back to her doctor for consultation from time to time.
With senior women, the loss of hormone estrogen within their menopausal stage is mostly the cause behind stress urinary incontinence. Low estrogen levels can lead to weakened pelvic muscle support which results to SUI. Three other types of urinary incontinence are: transient incontinence, urge incontinence and overflow incontinence; the last mentioned being the most popular to seniors.
Incontinence, if not treated early on can lead to complications and other disorders closely related to the bladder and its surrounding areas. For urinary incontinence in general, your medication should be taken in consideration so it is best to round them up together and list them down before consulting your doctor.
However, if the patient in question is suffering advance stages of dementia or Alzheimer’s disease wherein the problem is more psychological than physical, urinary incontinence could go untreated hence the use of absorbent pads and bedpans to aid the condition. These things are used for last resort only when no other options can be applied to the patient anymore.
