Stress urinary incontinence

Stress incontinence is usually the result of the weakening of or damage to the muscles used to prevent urination, such as the pelvic floor muscles and the urethral sphincter

Urinary incontinence is the unintentional loss of urine. Stress incontinence happens when physical movement or activity — such as coughing, laughing, sneezing, running or heavy lifting — puts pressure (stress) on your bladder, causing you to leak urine.

There is considerable evidence that a variety of psychological factors such as low self-esteem, depression, anger, and stress often occur in subjects with urinary incontinence. Whether psychological factors contribute to the occurrence of urinary incontinence or are a result of this condition has yet to be determined.

Choose activities that will reduce pressure on your bladder, such as yoga and swimming, lower impact exercises, such as walking or Pilates and workout machines that don’t exert pressure on the pelvis, such as a treadmill or elliptical.

Before you do any activity likely to cause you to strain down, lift and engage (squeeze) your pelvic floor and always remember – breathe throughout the exercises. If you have symptoms of urinary leakage or prolapse, avoid full squats, and keep your legs no more than shoulder width apart if doing half-squats

In some people with an overactive or painful bladder as well, the production of a more concentrated urine may be irritating to the bladder. In these patients, drinking more water can help incontinence due to decrease in the frequency of voiding and the amount of leakage.

• Do daily pelvic floor exercises. Pelvic floor exercises can be effective at reducing leaks, but it’s important to do them properly. The help of a physiotherapist can be very helpful 
• Stop smoking.
• Do the right exercises.
• Avoid lifting.
• Lose excess weight.
• Treat constipation promptly.
• Cut down on caffeine and alcohol
• Drink plenty of water
• Eat the right foods.Avoid spicy and acidic foods, such as curries and citrus fruits, as they can irritate the bladder and make leaks and other incontinence symptoms worse.

Any time you notice urine leakage that makes you feel uncomfortable, you should talk to a doctor even if it’s not something that’s causing you significant trouble. The earlier you address it , the better the outcome is likely to be.

Urinary incontinence is a condition that can be permanent or temporary. Urinary incontinence can strike suddenly and last for a long period. Temporary incontinence is the term for this. It can also remain permanently, which is known as permanent or chronic incontinence.

If left untreated, urinary incontinence can lead to frequent accidents, which can cause skin rashes, recurrent UTIs, and other issues.

You may be able to treat stress incontinence by doing pelvic floor exercises (Kegels). They may help you control your bladder when you cough, laugh, sneeze, or exercise. Medicines may help you control urine leaks, but they don’t work for everyone. You can also try a pessary to deal with symptoms.

Vaginal mesh surgery is where a strip of synthetic mesh is inserted behind the tube that carries urine out of your body (urethra) to support it. Vaginal mesh surgery for stress incontinence is sometimes called tape surgery. The mesh stays in the body permanently. You’ll be asleep during the operation.

No, you can go home a few hours after your operation.

For the first few days after surgery, you may feel sore or have some pain or cramping in your lower belly. Taking pain medicines as your doctor prescribes can help. At first, you may notice some changes in the flow of your urine and how often you need to urinate.

You will probably be able to go back to work in 1 to 2 weeks. But you will need at least 6 weeks to fully recover before returning to all normal activities. You must avoid heavy lifting and strenuous activities during this time. These might put extra pressure on your bladder while you recover.