Urogynecology - Bladder Control
The causes of urinary incontinence (involuntary loss of urine) can be due to the lack of support of the urethrovesicle junction (bladder neck) or due to an overactive bladder. The way to differentiate the causes can be as simple as using the "cough test" but can advance to the more sophisticated testing called urodynamics.
Stress urinary incontinence (SUI) describes a condition where a woman loses urine with coughing, sneezing, or other physical exertion. SUI is caused by a drop of the support for the urethrovesicle junction (UVJ), commonly referred to as the bladder neck. The lack of support is usually due to the damage of vaginal tissue and muscular structures from childbirth.
The treatment of stress incontinence, loss of urine due to coughing, sneezing, or exercise, can be done with minimally invasive surgery. These types of surgery are done on an outpatient basis with a relatively short recovery period.
An overactive bladder can lead to involuntary urine loss, or bladder urgency or urinary frequency without loss of urine. The overactive bladder problem can be investigated and then treated with medication only, without surgery.