Risk Factors for Stress Incontinence

Risk factors that Metropolitan Urological Specialists in St. Louis, Missouri specialize in include childbirth, menopause, and pelvic surgery (such as a prostatectomy or hysterectomy).

Having A Baby

Pregnancy and childbirth can flatten, stretch, and weaken the pelvic floor muscles which support the bladder neck and urethra. The position of the bladder and urethra might change, bladder control nerves can be damaged, or an episiotomy (incision of the perineum and vagina) may be performed to prevent tearing during vaginal delivery. These kinds of issues will damage the pelvic floor muscle groups.

If urinary control is lost right after giving birth, the pelvic floor muscles may recover within about 6 weeks. If continency isn't restored, treatment may be required. Sometimes incontinency develops months or years after the birth. Ladies who work out the pelvic floor muscle groups (Kegel exercises) are less likely to develop incontinence.
 
Menopause

At menopause, the ovaries quit producing estrogen. Insufficient estrogen brings about thinned tissues that line the urethra, a weakened sphincter mechanism that opens up and closes the urethra, and weak bladder muscles. These factors can cause the urethral sphincter to open during physical exercise.

Pelvic surgery

Pelvic surgery can weaken and damage the pelvic floor muscles, causing the bladder neck and urethra to drop when abdominal pressure is applied (hypermobility) during the course of physical exercise.

Surgical operations which can affect the pelvic floor muscles include the following:
Abdominal resection for colorectal cancer
Total or partial hysterectomy (removal of the uterus)
Failed surgery to correct stress incontinence

Causes of Stress Incontinence

Stress incontinence is a result of the following:
Thinning of the urethral lining
Vaginal prolapse (e.g., cystocele, enterocele, rectocele, uterine prolapse, vaginal vault prolapse)
Weakened bladder and/or pelvic floor muscle groups
Damaged urethral sphincter

Sign and Symptom of Stress Incontinence

Urine leaks throughout strenuous physical activity are a symptom of stress incontinence.

If you are living in St. Louis, Washington, Creve Couer, Florissant, or Kirkwood, Missouri and think that you may have stress urinary incontinence, give a call to Metropolitan Urological Specialists at 314-315-9911.

What are Bladder Stones?

Metropolitan Urological Specialists, serving Washington, Creve Couer, Florissant, and St. Louis, MO want to offer a couple of tips on identifying and treating bladder stones. Bladder stones develop whenever substances (like calcium oxalate) in the urine concentrate and coalesce into hard, solid lumps that lodge in the bladder. Often, several stones form at once. Generally, they're pretty small and are excreted in the urine without complications, but on occasion stones become trapped in the neck of the bladder and—as residues in the urine continue to accumulate—grow large enough to cause discomfort, urinary blockage, or infections, thus necessitating surgical intervention. Bladder stones almost exclusively impact middle-aged and older men, but, for unknown reasons, are becoming progressively more rare.

What Causes Bladder Stones?

Most commonly, stones come to be problematic whenever the neck of the bladder is hindered due to prostate growth, a benign growth (adenoma) inside the prostate, or unnatural contraction or stricture of the bladder neck. Stones often arise elsewhere in the urinary tract (such as the kidneys), or perhaps in the bladder itself. Hereditary factors may be involved.

Other causes include the long-term usage of a urinary catheter, chronic urinary tract infections, or a nerve injury that impairs bladder function.

Moderate, chronic dehydration concentrates the urine, which could promote stone formation.
A diet high in oxalic acid (found in rhubarb, leafy vegetables, and coffee) may lead to stones.
Weakened area of the bladder caused by a bulging pouch within the organ (called bladder diverticulum)

Damage to the nerves that carry signals to the bladder muscles from the brain (known as neurogenic bladder)

Symptoms of Bladder Stones

• Disruption of the urine stream, lack of ability to urinate except in specific positions, frequent urge to urinate but with only small amounts of urine passed
• Blood in the urine, often only apparent within the last few drops
• Dark urine
• Pain—sometimes severe—in the pelvic region, genitals, lower abdomen, or lower back
• Low-grade fever (under 102°F)

Bladder Stones Avoidance

• Drink no less than eight glasses of water a day.
• Get prompt treatment for urinary tract infections.
• Potassium citrate can increase urine levels of citrate, which is a substance that suppresses calcium stone formation.
• Avoid meat, eggs, and animal fats, as well as processed and fried foods.
• Dietary changes and treatment for any underlying condition may be helpful.

Bladder Stones Diagnosis

• A thorough medical record and physical examination (including a rectal exam) and lower abdominal check to look for bladder distention are performed.
• Urine samples are taken and analyzed (urinalysis).
• Stones can be found with x-rays or ultrasound.
• Bladder stones diagnosis may be confirmed with x-rays, ultrasound, computerized tomography (CT) scan, cystoscopy (inspection of the inside of the bladder using a scope) and intravenous pyelogram (x-rays are taken after dye is used to highlight the urinary organs).

How to Deal with Bladder Stones

Your physician may prescribe narcotic analgesics to relieve pain and antibiotics to treat an infection.
Smaller stones can be removed with a cystoscope, a tube inserted through the urethra that allows the physician to view the stones. The scope can also be outfitted with a device that crushes the stones, after which the fragments are washed away.

Larger stones are treatable with extracorporeal shock-wave lithotripsy, which aims focused bursts of sound waves that powderize the stones.

In rare occasions, very large stones may necessitate surgical removal (suprapubic lithotomy).
The root problem (such as prostate enlargement) causing stones to be caught in the bladder must be identified and treated to avoid recurrence.

For additional information about identifying and treating bladder stones, contact Metropolitan Urological Specialists in St. Louis, Missouri.

Keep Your Kidneys Healthy!

The following strategies can help keep acute kidney injury and other risks to your kidneys at bay. Common-sense steps that shield against heart disease, diabetes, and other major health risks can safeguard your kidneys, too.

• Get some exercise regularly.
• Reduce your consumption of high sodium foods; take in at the most one thousand five hundred milligrams of sodium each day.
• Keep a healthy weight.
• If you've got high cholesterol or diabetes, take all medicines as advised.
• Don't smoke cigarettes.
• Get your blood pressure tested regularly. If you are administered blood pressure–lowering medications, take them as instructed.
• Speak with your physician about your usage of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as ibuprofen (Advil) and naproxen (Aleve).
• Consume alcohol only in moderate amounts or not at all.
• Visit your physician for routine physical exams.

Metropolitan Urological Specialists hopes that you recognize the necessity of healthy kidneys. If you feel you are having kidney-related trouble, visit one of their offices in St. Louis, Washington, or Florissant, MO.

Bladder Control Problems? Great Tips on Getting Yourself Ready For Your Doctor Visit

If urinary urgency is curbing your regular activities, talk to your physician. Speaking up can change your life.

Your bladder needs your kidneys, nerve signals, and muscles to all be in sync with one another. When they're not, you might experience overactive bladder and incontinence, leaving you with symptoms that can lessen quality of life.

Your primary physician (or gynecologist, urologist or urogynecologist) like those at Metropolitan Urological Specialists in St. Louis, MO should be able to pinpoint the root of your condition and determine a treatment plan. Here's what you need to get the dialogue started.

Before Your Doctor Visit

Your physician may have asked you to maintain a bladder diary for several days prior to your appointment. In it, you'd detail fluids you ingest and when you urinate, feel an urge, and experience leakages.

Right Now

No bladder diary? Not a problem. Take a couple of minutes and make a mental list of the times and situations whenever you felt urgency or experienced leakage. It will give your doctor hints about factors that might be bringing about your condition.

During the Visit

Your physician will ask questions regarding your urinary control issues, take your medical history and provide you with a physical evaluation. During or in the days after the visit, you'll also have diagnostic tests.

If You Need More

Some OAB symptoms, such as urgency to urinate, might be caused by other medical issues. So you may initially be diagnosed with another urinary disorder, like the bladder condition interstitial cystitis. A thorough exam and tests should determine the exact cause of symptoms. Yet, if your doctor seems stumped, you might want to see a urologist or a urogynecologist who specializes in urinary tract disorders. The doctors at Metropolitan Urological Specialists have years of experience and are well-equipped to diagnose you correctly the first time.

7 Questions The Doctor May Ask You

1.   What meds are you taking? Some prescription and non-prescription drugs can dull the nerves and muscles involved.
2.   What fluids do you consume regularly? Alcohol, for example, interferes with signals from your brain to your bladder about when to release.
3.   How much fluid do you consume on a typical day? Drinking too much water before going to bed may cause overnight accidents.
4.   What recent surgeries or illnesses have you had? Trauma coming from pelvic or back surgery, for example, can spur leakage problems.
5.   How many kids have you had? Pregnancy and childbirth can deteriorate pelvic muscles.
6.   Can you recall when you began to first notice bladder symptoms? Even if it was years ago, you can find some relief.
7.   How many times per day are you feeling the need to urinate? Going more than eight times a day may mean OAB.

Your Health Background

A number of health conditions send nerve signals to the bladder at the incorrect time, which may cause urine leakages.

Take a glance at this list of diseases and conditions and check off all that apply to you. This often helps your physician better identify the source of your bladder problem and create the very best treatment plan.

•   Bladder tumors or polyps
•   Brain or spinal cord tumor
•   Diabetes
•   Herniated disc
•   Lead, mercury, or arsenic poisoning
•   Multiple sclerosis (MS)
•   Myelodysplasia
•   Parkinson's disease
•   Radiation treatment for cancer
•   Spinal cord injury
•   Stroke

Some study also indicates that individuals with particular conditions might be susceptible to OAB, especially these below. Check all that apply.
 
•   Attention deficit disorder (ADD)
•   Depression or anxiety
•   Fibromyalgia
•   Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)

Are there any other medical situations that you find could be influencing your bladder function? If that's the case, tell your doctor. The doctors at Metropolitan Urological Specialists, serving individuals living in St. Louis, Creve Couer, Florissant, and Kirkwood, would love the opportunity to have an appointment with you so that you can find solutions to your bladder control problems.

Male Urinary Incontinence

Male urinary incontinence is often the consequence of a damaged sphincter; the circular muscle that controls the flow of urine out from the bladder. When damaged, usually the inevitable consequence of prostate cancer surgery, the muscle cannot squeeze and shut off the urethra. This causes urine to leak.

Managing Incontinence And Recovering Your Quality Of Life

Persistent incontinence can limit your activities, keep you homebound in really expensive, messy pads, dealing with the frustration and embarrassment, and the continual anxiety about leaking and odor. But the truth is, you don’t have to put up with bladder control problems anymore. Today you can find real solutions in the St. Louis, Missouri area that can fix incontinence forever, so you're able to go back to the things you love, with confidence and control.

In men, the urinary sphincter muscle is found below the prostate. The sphincter muscle surrounds the urethra. Whenever the sphincter muscle contracts, it holds urine in the bladder. When it relaxes, the bladder contracts and the urethra opens, allowing urine to flow outside the body. Whenever the sphincter muscle is damaged, it cannot close up the urethra.

Forms Of Incontinence

•   Stress Urinary Incontinence (SUI)-The most typical type of incontinence following prostate cancer surgery, SUI occurs when you leak urine during a physical activity such as lifting, exercising, sneezing, and coughing.
•   Urge Incontinence-Occurs when you have an overwhelming need to urinate and aren't able to hold urine long enough to reach a toilet.
•   Overflow Incontinence-When your bladder never entirely empties, which causes urine to leak.
•   Total Incontinence-When the urinary sphincter muscle is entirely deficient, the result is continuous leakage of urine without control.

Stress Urinary Incontinence Responses To Prepare For Your Doctor Visit

1.   Do you ever experience unforeseen, abrupt urine loss either while sleeping or throughout the day?
2.   Do you have leakage while laughing, sneezing, jumping, or performing other movements that put pressure on the bladder?
3.   Do you have trouble holding urine as you hurry to the bathroom?
4.   Do you frequently experience a sudden and immediate urge to urinate?
5.   Have you detected a change in your regularity of urination?
6.   Do you go to the bathroom to urinate more than 8 times each day?
7.   Do you currently wear pads or liners to safeguard against unplanned leakages?
8.   When planning a trip, outing, or event, does the availability or location of the restroom facilities impact your decision?

Treatment Options

There are a selection of ways to manage incontinence, ranging from continuous management to long-term surgical solutions.
•   Absorbent Products-Pads, diapers, and absorbable garments are frequently used to handle incontinence.
•   Internal Collection Devices-Catheterization on a regular basis may be used for certain men to make sure that the bladder is emptied on a consistent schedule.
•   External Devices-Condom catheters can be used to collect urine, and clamps may be used to block the flow of urine.
•   Biofeedback/Electrical Stimulation-Can help patients get awareness and control of their urinary tract muscles.
•   Collagen Injections-Injections of bulk-producing agents, like collagen, into the urinary sphincter.
•   Surgical Options-These cover anything from implantable “male sling” treatments designed to support the muscles surrounding the urethra, to implanting a synthetic urinary sphincter which mimics the function of a normal, healthy sphincter.

Lots of men seek a permanent solution rather than deal with continuously having to wear pads, restrict their activities, and worry about leakage. You and your physician may find out that the ideal way to address your incontinence is using these effective surgical options. Metropolitan Urological Specialists in St. Louis, Florissant, and Washington, MO specialize in that very question. If you would like to find out more about how to treat your male urinary incontinency, give them a call today.

Information About Your Bladder Control Problems

If you have got incontinence, you're not alone. Urinary control trouble impact millions of Americans, making it rank right up there with numerous well-known diseases like asthma, diabetes, and osteoporosis. It is not just a female problem, nor a typical part of aging for the people of Washington, Florissant, and St. Louis, MO.

Urinary control difficulties can be devastating – You may leak small or large volumes of urine, use the restroom really often, or be unable to completely empty your bladder. These conditions affect your life and make simple daily activities an issue and social life quite hard. You may have to scale back on your hobbies or stop working. You may feel confined by a fear of leaking accidents, the need to be near the restroom at all times, and a general preoccupation with your bladder.

How Come I Have Urinary Control Difficulties?

Nerves carry information back and forth from your brain. Some nerves control the bladder and muscle groups that relate to urination. Whenever the communication system between these nerves and your brain isn't working properly, a person may have bladder problems like urinary retention and over active bladder including urgency urinary incontinence and urgency-frequency.

Different Kinds Of Bladder Control Difficulties

With urgency urinary incontinence, you may:
•   Lose urine whenever you feel a strong need to go to the washroom
•   Leak urine when you can't get to the bathroom fast enough
•   Leak urine whenever you drink even a small amount of liquid, or when you hear or touch flowing water

With urgency-frequency, you may:
•   Have frequent, uncontrollable impulses to urinate
•   Visit the washroom more frequently than normal (over 7 times a day)
•   Often sense your bladder is not entirely empty even after using the restroom

With urgency-retention, you may:
•   Spend a long time at the toilet but emit just a weak, dribbling stream of urine
•   Leak urine (often called overflow incontinence)
•   Not have a sensation when your bladder is full
•   Have to use a catheter to empty your bladder

Now that you've an idea just what problem is, the next task is discovering a solution. If you are living in the St. Louis, Missouri area, get a hold of Metropolitan Urological Specialists and schedule an appointment with one of their doctors. They'd be happy to go through each available option with you to find what’s right for you.

Treatments for Female Stress Urinary Incontinence

Metropolitan Urological Specialists of St. Louis, Washington, and Florissant, Missouri, is focused upon delivering innovative solutions for common women’s medical problems. Their aim is to offer worthwhile, easy-to-understand information so ladies, with their health professionals, can consider their options and make well informed decisions.

What Exactly Is Stress Urinary Incontinence?

Stress Urinary Incontinence, or SUI, is the unexpected, accidental release of urine during normal, everyday activities. You may have SUI if you lose urine when you:
•   Cough, sneeze, or laugh
•   Walk, work out, or lift something
•   Rise from a sitting or lying position

You may also visit the restroom often during the day to prevent accidents. If you are suffering from stress urinary incontinence, this means your urethra (the tube from the bladder through which urine exits your body) doesn't stay closed until it’s time for you to urinate. This issue can occur as a result of:
•   Pregnancy and childbirth
•   Prolonged heavy-lifting or straining
•   Menopause
•   Obesity
•   Cigarette smoking

Typical Signs And Symptoms Of Stress Urinary Incontinence

If you are suffering from urine leakage, take the time to ask yourself:
•   Do you experience urine leakage while laughing, sneezing, coughing, or working out?
•   Do you wear pantiliners or pads to soak up urine leaks?
•   Do you limit or eliminate activities to prevent leakage?
•   When organizing a trip, outing, or event, does the accessibility of washroom facilities impact your choice?

If you said “yes” to even one of these questions, take the next step and speak with a physician or some other healthcare professional like those at Metropolitan Urological Specialists in St. Louis, Washington, and Florissant, MO. Talking about it is the most important thing you can do to start taking control. But for quite a few ladies, it's often the hardest step. It should not be embarrassing, urinary incontinence is a medical problem which can be treated, after all.

Consider asking your doctor the subsequent questions in order to make that discussion a little easier:
•   What kind of urinary incontinence do I have?
•   What remedies are there to help me regain urinary control? Which one is ideal for me?
•   Can you take care of this problem, or can you send me to a doctor specializing in female urinary incontinence?

Treatments

Stress urinary incontinence is treatable at any age. But not all methods work for every person or for every type of incontinence. For SUI, your physician may encourage one or more of the following:
1.   Behavioral/Muscle Therapy: Therapy often starts off with Kegel exercises to help strengthen the pelvic floor muscles. Depending on the severity of your condition, however, Kegels may not give adequate relief.
2.   Biofeedback: In this method, the patient exercises the pelvic floor muscles while attached to an electric sensing device. The device provides “feedback” to help you understand how to better control these muscles. With time, biofeedback can help you utilize your pelvic muscles to reduce sudden urges to urinate and lessen some kinds of pelvic pain.
3.   Electrical stimulation: This method helps pelvic floor exercises by separating the muscle groups involved.
4.   Medication: Some forms of urinary incontinence, such as urge incontinence, can be treated with medications; however there is currently no medication approved to treat SUI in the United States.

This article is brought to you by Metropolitan Urological Specialists. If you've any further questions about stress urinary incontinence for women or any other issues that they provide treatment for, come by one of their practices in St. Louis, Washington, or Florissant, Missouri and make an appointment.