It is okay to have an overactive bladder and urinary incontinence as you age but help is only a step away.
If you are feeling more sudden urges to run to the bathroom as you age, you are not alone.
According to Dr Gitobu Mburugu, a Urologist, both men, and women experience the symptoms, but older women are more victims.
“If you have an overactive bladder, you may feel embarrassed, isolate yourself, or limit your work and social life. The good news is that a brief evaluation can determine whether there's a specific cause for your overactive bladder symptoms,” Mburugu told the Star on Wednesday.
“Urinary incontinence is the loss of bladder control, varying from a slight passing of urine after sneezing, coughing or laughing, to a complete inability to control urination.”
Mburugu said that urinary incontinence symptoms are common in women and typically worsen as women age.
Kenyans living with urinary incontinence suffer in silence.
There are many types of urinary incontinence, but the most common are three.
Stress incontinence; In this case, Mburugu says that urine leaks, and this may be because of pregnancy, childbirth, and menopause.
“Women with this condition can practice timed voiding and bladder-holding techniques using their pelvic floor muscles. This will help strengthen those muscles, but a thorough consultation with your doctor is essential,” he said.
Everyone can benefit from doing pelvic floor exercises.
“If these initial efforts don't help enough with your overactive bladder symptoms, additional treatments are available.”
Urge incontinence; In this case, one has a sudden, intense urge to urinate followed by an involuntary loss of urine. This can be quite traumatizing especially if it happens in a public place.
“Many may be embarrassed, or they may think nothing can be done. So they suffer in silence. Urinary incontinence is not just a medical problem. It can affect emotional, psychological, and social life,” Mburugu added.
“Many people think urinary incontinence is just part of getting older. But it is not. And it can be managed or treated. It is more common in men with prostate problems and in women after menopause. However, there are medications that can manage the problem.”
Overflow incontinence; According to research, with overflow incontinence, the body makes more urine than the bladder can hold or the bladder is full and cannot empty thereby causing it to leak urine.
Mburugu says oftentimes, there may be something blocking the flow or the bladder muscle may not contract (squeeze) as it should.
The symptoms are almost the same, but one symptom is frequent urinating of a small amount. Another symptom is a constant drip, called "dribbling."
Some research suggests this type of urinary incontinence is rare in women and it is more common in men who have prostate problems or have had prostate surgery.
“In this condition, surgery may be performed to remove the obstruction or resolve the bladder problem,” he said.
Given the significant negative effect on the quality of life and the presence of effective strategies for the management of these burdensome symptoms, Mburugu advised people not to be ignorant and to seek professional help from doctors should they detect the onset of the condition.
What tests do healthcare professionals use to help find the cause of a bladder control problem?
Your healthcare professional may order one or more tests to help find the cause of UI.
- Urinalysis; They can test your urine for a bladder infection, a kidney problem, or diabetes.
- Blood tests; can show problems with how well your kidneys work or a chemical imbalance in your body.
- Urodynamic testing, including electromyography, looks at how well parts of the urinary tract—the bladder, urethra, and sphincters—are storing and releasing urine.
- Cystoscopy is a procedure that uses a cystoscope—a long, thin instrument—to look inside the urethra and bladder.
- Imaging tests; These can be used to take pictures of the inside of the body, including the urinary tract and nervous system.