Additional treatment for women

There are reasons, pregnancy for example, which will leave many women suffering with incontinence. There are a range of options open to women to treat incontinence.

Pelvic Floor Exercises

These are also known as ‘Kegels’ and done regularly can help to strengthen the pelvic floor so that when under stress no urine leaks out.

Your doctor, continence advisor or physiotherapist (or midwife/heath visitor if you are pregnant or recently had a baby) will be able to advise you on exercises, but usually they entail contracting the muscles that you would tense to stop yourself from passing urine, or passing wind (they are the same muscle group) and holding them tense while you count to ten or more before relaxing. These exercises should be repeated as often as possible, many times a day.

Vaginal Cones

Small, plastic, cone-shaped weights that are inserted into the vagina to help with pelvic floor exercises. They are held in the vagina using the muscles for increasing lengths of time. They are available on prescription or from pharmacies. The weight can be increased as muscle tone improves.

Biofeedback

This is the use of electric stimulators to help improve the muscle tone of the pelvic floor.

Oestrogen

Some women, especially those who have experienced continence problems after menopause may be given oestrogen supplements or Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) to improve the strength and elasticity of the muscles.

Medication

There are a variety of drugs that can be prescribed by your doctor to help with stress incontinence. They all work by minimising the likelihood that the muscles of the bladder wall will contract involuntarily.

As with all medication there may be side effects which should be discussed with your doctor.

Collagen Injections

Sometimes recommended for patients for whom surgery is not an option, collagen is injected around the neck of the bladder and/or the wall of the urethra to strengthen and improve its elasticity. Improvement is for a limited time and treatment may have to be repeated.

Surgery

Colposuspension

This operation lifts the neck of the bladder to improve muscle support. A laparoscopic colposuspension is the same operation done using keyhole surgery.

Anterior Vaginal Wall Repair Surgery

This is often performed on women who have had a prolapse. The prolapse is repaired through the vagina.

Surgical Tape Procedure/Tension Free Vaginal Tape Procedure

Also known as a ‘sling procedure’. This is when a sling is inserted to provide support to the bladder neck and urethra. This operation is less invasive than some of the other interventions to support the bladder neck.

Complications from Surgery

All surgical procedures carry a small risk of infection, bleeding, and the risk of anaesthesia. Discuss with your doctor.