During your visit, the expert at KD Blossom Hospital, a gynecology hospital in Ahmedabad, will look for clues that indicate contributing factors.
The Diagnosis
Your appointment will likely include the following:
- Medical history.
- Physical exam may include a rectal exam and a pelvic exam in women.
- Checking a sample of urine for traces of blood, or other issues.
- A brief neurological exam to identify any pelvic nerve problems.
- Urinary stress test, where the provider observes urine loss when you cough or bear down.
Tests Of Bladder Function
Usually, routine cases of urine incontinence don’t call for further testing. But occasionally, your doctor may prescribe urodynamic tests to evaluate the health of your urethra, bladder, and sphincter.
Tests for bladder function could include:
- Measurements Of Post-Void Residual Urine: If there is any reason to suspect that you may not be able to empty your bladder, especially if you have diabetes, are older, or have had previous bladder surgery, our specialist might suggest this test. The results of this test will indicate how well your bladder works. To determine the amount of pee remaining in your bladder after urinating, a specialist utilizes an ultrasound scan, which converts sound waves into a picture. A tiny tube called a catheter may occasionally be inserted into your bladder through the urethra. The residual pee is drained by the catheter so that it can be quantified.
- Measuring Bladder Pressures: Cystometry is a test that gauges the pressure in the area around your bladder as it fills. If you have experienced a spinal cord neurologic condition, your physician might suggest this test to look for stress incontinence. Warm fluid is gradually poured into your bladder via a catheter. You could be asked to cough or bear down while your bladder fills to check for leaks. A pressure-flow study, which measures the amount of pressure your bladder needs to release to empty fully, may be performed in conjunction with this treatment.
- Creating Images Of The Bladder As It Functions: A test called video urodynamics makes photos of your bladder’s filling and emptying process using imaging technology. A catheter gradually inserts warm fluid combined with an X-ray dye into your bladder while the pictures are being taken. The image keeps playing as you urinate to get rid of the contents of your bladder.
- Cystoscopy: To check for obstructions or other anomalies in the bladder and urethra, a scope is introduced into the bladder during this procedure. Usually, this process is finished in the office.
Treatment
A variety of approaches to treating incontinence may be suggested by your healthcare practitioner. You will also be treated for the ailment if an underlying cause or contributing factor, like a urinary tract infection, is found.
Behavioral Therapies
Stress incontinence episodes may be reduced or eliminated with the aid of behavior therapy. Treatments that your physician may suggest include:
- Pelvic Floor Muscle Exercises: You can learn how to perform Kegel exercises to strengthen your urinary sphincter and pelvic floor muscles from your physical therapist or healthcare professional. The effectiveness of Kegel exercises for you, like any other fitness regimen, is dependent on how frequently you execute them. Kegel exercises can be enhanced with the application of biofeedback technology. Biofeedback uses electrical stimulation or pressure sensors to reinforce the correct muscular contractions.
- Fluid Consumption: How much and when you should drink fluids during the day and at night may be advised by our supplier. Don’t cut back on your intake to the point that you become dehydrated, either. Additionally, your doctor might advise you to stay away from alcoholic, carbonated, and caffeinated drinks because they might irritate and impair bladder function in certain individuals. Should you discover that implementing fluid regimens and abstaining from specific beverages greatly enhances leakage, you’ll need to determine if these dietary adjustments are worthwhile.
- Healthy Lifestyle Changes: Your chances of developing stress incontinence will decrease and your symptoms will improve if you stop smoking, reduce weight, or take care of a persistent cough.
- Bladder Training: If you have mixed incontinence, your physician may suggest a toileting routine. Urge incontinence episodes may occur less frequently or with less severity if the bladder is emptied more frequently.
Conclusion
To get a rough estimate of the symptoms of your stress incontinence, your doctor could ask you to complete a questionnaire. A bladder journal may also be required of you for a few days. You can note when, how much, and what kind of fluids you drink in a bladder diary. You can also note when and how much you urinate and when you have incontinence episodes.
You can make a list of any symptoms that you are experiencing and medications that you have been taking. Some of the questions you can ask your gynecologist in Ahmedabad at KD Hospital are if the incontinence will get worse, how to get started with pelvic floor exercises, if the medicines you are taking are aggravating your condition, and the like.
