Count on a San Antonio OBGYN to diagnose and treat your incontinence
Incontinence is the loss of bladder control. Symptoms can range from simple urine leakage to wetting your clothes.
- Incontinence affects millions of women, especially as they age.
- Incontinence is twice as common in women than men due to the effects of pregnancy, childbirth and menopause.
Our compassionate OBGYN team is ready to discuss any issue
Incontinence affects women in different ways. For some, it is merely irritating. For others, it can severely impact activities outside of the home. Yet, more than half of women experiencing incontinence suffer in silence because they are too embarrassed to talk to their doctors.
We treat bladder issues for women in San Antonio and the surrounding areas. We promise to treat you with kindness and respect, diagnose your problem, treat or alleviate symptoms and rule out serious issues.
Symptoms and types of incontinence
According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), the symptoms of urinary incontinence include:
- Urgency – a strong urge to urinate, often with pelvic pressure, regardless of whether or not the bladder is full
- Frequency – voiding more often than what is considered normal
- Nocturia – the need to void during sleep
- Dysuria – voiding that is painful
- Enuresis – bed wetting or leaking while sleeping
There are different types of incontinence, some of which include
- Stress incontinence – The most common type of incontinence, urine leakage occurs when pressure is placed on the bladder while laughing, coughing, sneezing, exercising or lifting heavy objects.
- Urge incontinence – Often referred to as “overactive bladder,” urine leakage occurs after a sudden and very intense urge to urinate. Urge incontinence can happen often and at unexpected times, including in the middle of the night. Causes range from urinary tract infections to diabetes to neurologic disorders.
Our OBGYN team will recommend the most minimally invasive solutions
Diagnosing your incontinence will begin with a thorough discussion about your symptoms. Your OBGYN may ask you to keep a bladder diary to track how often you empty your bladder, how and when you leak urine and how much urine you leak.
Possible tests include a bladder stress test, urinalysis, ultrasound or cystoscopy.
Once we uncover the cause we will recommend the most minimally invasive solutions and treatments to alleviate or eliminate symptoms.
- Evaluating the need for current medicines, diuretics or hormone replacement therapies
- Reducing intake of caffeine and alcohol, which can act as diuretics
- Incorporating strategies to reduce constipation
- Treating infections, such as urinary tract infections, with oral antibiotics
- Prescribing medications that increase bladder control
- Decreasing pressure on the bladder by reducing excess weight
- Participating in bladder retraining
- Using a medical device known as a pessary
- Performing Kegel exercises to strengthen pelvic floor muscles
- Addressing nerve damage from childbirth or diseases such as diabetes or multiple sclerosis
If surgery is needed, our skilled OBGYNs trained in the most current, effective and minimally invasive techniques to treat incontinence.
Don’t suffer in silence. Contact us today. We encourage women experiencing incontinence to talk with one of our skilled and compassionate OBGYNs today.
