Incontinence Specialist

What is incontinence?

Urinary incontinence involves the uncontrollable leaking of urine. It’s usually the symptom of a disease or underlying medical condition.

Your brain and bladder control your urinary functioning, and your bladder stores urine while the nearby pelvic muscles hold your bladder in place. Sphincter muscles are the muscles close to your urethra, a tube that transports urine out of your body.

The sphincter muscles prevent urine from leaking through, and once you’re ready to urinate, your brain communicates with your bladder, your sphincter muscles open, and your bladder muscles contract.

If this bodily system breaks down for any of a variety of reasons, you can experience urine leakage.

What are the types of incontinence?

There are four different types of urinary incontinence:

Overactive bladder

Overactive bladder (OAB) involves the rapid, frequent, and uncontrollable urge to urinate. OAB is often the result of overactive bladder muscles, or your brain frequently communicating to your bladder and telling it to empty even if it isn’t full.

Stress urinary incontinence

Stress urinary incontinence (SUI) is usually caused by weakened and stretched pelvic muscles that allow urine to pass through.

Mixed incontinence

Mixed incontinence is a combination of both stress incontinence and an overactive bladder.

Overflow incontinence

Overflow incontinence happens either when your bladder becomes full and can’t empty, or when your body produces more urine than your bladder can hold. You can also have a blockage that leads to overflow incontinence.

How is incontinence treated?

Dr. Das works with you to develop a treatment plan for urinary incontinence, depending on the type and severity of incontinence you have, as well as your preferences.

In many cases, Dr. Das recommends a surgical procedure called a pubic sling where she uses your tissue, strips of synthetic mesh, or sometimes donor tissue to create a sling or hammock either underneath your urethra or the area of thick muscle where your bladder connects to your urethra.

The sling is designed to support your urethra and help to keep it closed, preventing urine leakage. Dr. Das uses the transobturator approach (TOT), which involves a small vaginal incision and opening on either side of your labia so a needle can pass through.

Dr. Das places the sling under the urethra and then closes the vaginal incision with absorbable stitches, while the needle site may need to be closed with skin glue or stitches.

Recovery time varies, but this procedure is highly effective, safe, and life-changing for many women.

If you’re suffering from the discomfort of urinary incontinence, call or use online booking to schedule an appointment today.