How your women’s health specialists in Woodbridge, VA, can help

If you are struggling with urinary incontinence, it can be embarrassing and uncomfortable. Fortunately, your women’s health and internal medicine specialists at Ridgeview Internal Medicine in Woodbridge, VA, can help you feel better.

Episodes of incontinence can occur when muscles in the bladder tighten but the sphincter muscles can’t close the urethra, producing a strong urge to urinate. Problems with the nerves that control bladder muscles and the urethra can also cause incontinence. You can also lose small amounts of urine when you sneeze, laugh, or exercise.

Women suffer most from incontinence because it can be related to:

• Pregnancy
• Childbirth
• Menopause

A woman’s pelvic floor muscles support the bladder, urethra, and other structures. These muscles can be weakened or damaged from the issues listed above. When the pelvic floor muscles are weak, the urinary tract muscles have to work harder to control urination. This extra stress can cause urine leakage.

There are several simple tips you can try at home to minimize incontinence. Consider:

• Doing Kegel exercises to strengthen pelvic floor muscles
• Urinating at set times to train your bladder
• Increasing the time between urination by 15-minute intervals to train your bladder to hold urine
• Losing weight to decrease pressure on your bladder and bladder muscles
• Avoiding caffeine, carbonated drinks, and alcohol to help minimize symptoms
• Quitting smoking to improve your overall health and decrease symptoms
• Getting help for constipation, which can make incontinence worse
• Wearing pads or protective underwear to help control leakage

Your women's health specialists at Ridgeview Internal Medicine will do a comprehensive medical examination to help diagnose the cause of your urinary incontinence. If your symptoms are related to menopause, your doctor may recommend vaginal creams or other topical agents containing estrogen. Estrogen therapy can help strengthen the muscles of the urethra.

Other common treatments for urinary incontinence include introducing bulking agents like collagen, to help thicken the walls of the bladder and urethra for added support. A surgical procedure may also be recommended. Placing a sling under your urethra and bladder to hold these structures in place is a common surgical procedure for urinary incontinence.

Concerned? Give us a call

You don't have to let urinary incontinence control your life. To find out more about urinary incontinence and how your doctor can help, call your women’s health and internal medicine specialists of Ridgeview Internal Medicine in Woodbridge, Virginia at (703) 494-4116. Call today!