Incontinence is embarrassing and can interfere with your ability to perform daily functions and enjoy the activities you love. At Poplar Avenue Clinic, the team of board-certified OB/GYNs in Memphis, Tennessee, evaluate and diagnose both urinary and fecal incontinence so they can customize a treatment plan to ease symptoms and help you find relief. Call today for an appointment or use the online tool to schedule.
Suspect urinary incontinence if you urinate more than eight times a day or wake up more than twice during the night to use the restroom.
Urinary incontinence can show up in several ways, including:
Stress incontinence
Stress incontinence is when you leak urine during exertion, like laughter, sneezing, or exercise.
Urge incontinence
If you experience a sudden, intense urge to urinate, you may have urge incontinence. You may not make it to the bathroom in time.
Overflow incontinence
With overflow incontinence, you experience frequent or constant dribbling of urine due to a bladder that doesn’t empty completely.
You may have a combination of these types of incontinence, too.
Fecal incontinence describes the inability to control your bowels. As a result, stool leaks from your rectum. Leakage may be slight and occur when you pass gas or involve a complete loss of bowel control.
While you may experience fecal incontinence as a temporary side effect of diarrhea or constipation, if it’s chronic, you should seek treatment.
Urinary incontinence may be due to an infection or overconsumption of alcohol or caffeine; these cases are simple to resolve. If you experience chronic urinary incontinence, it may be due to weakened muscles (from childbirth), the natural aging process, or hysterectomy.
Urinary incontinence may be temporary and caused by an infection or certain dietary habits, such as excessive caffeine consumption. But if you experience urinary incontinence all the time, it’s considered chronic.
Fecal incontinence often happens as you get older and can be caused by muscle damage or atrophy in the anal sphincter or nerves in the area. Rectal prolapse and hemorrhoid surgery may also lead to fecal incontinence.
At Poplar Avenue Clinic, the team offers a variety of treatments for urinary and fecal incontinence, depending on the cause of your condition.
Both may benefit from dietary changes, exercises to strengthen the relevant muscles, and focused timing of bathroom visits.
Hormonal interventions can help women who suffer urinary incontinence as a result of menopause. In some cases, patients benefit from a pessary, which is a firm, removable ring you insert in your vagina to support your pelvic floor and bladder.
In some cases of urinary and fecal incontinence, surgery may be required to repair nerve damage or damaged soft tissue.
You can trust the staff at Poplar Avenue Clinic to get you the very best treatment for incontinence. Call today for an appointment or use the online tool to schedule.
