“Leakage is common but never normal”
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This info comes from an article “Surgery Holds the Key to Incontinence” in last weekend’s “The Weekend Australian”.
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There are a few different types of incontinence including stress, urge and frequency with some of the main causes being pregnancy and childbirth, loss of oestrogen after menopause, heavy lifting, chronic constipation, being overweight and chronic cough.
So
- drink at least 2 litres of fluid (not including tea, coffee, wine…) to maintain capacity.
- Reduce coffee and other caffeinated drinks as they increase urine production.
- Do pelvic floor exercises particularly before and after childbirth and before heavy lifting (Hang on a minute dear, I’ll help you lift the tree off your pinned arm as soon as I’ve done me pelves!!)
<o></o>Many women can be cured by bladder retraining and exercise programs for the pelvic floor (Best to see a physio for this – the oft quoted advice of stopping wee mid stream is not good advice – according to local workshop on this wee problem.
Topical oestrogen therapy is also useful for some women, particularly post menopausal.
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</o>Surgery is possible for stress incontinence, if all else fails. Surgery now often uses a virginal sling; a narrow strip of mesh is inserted underneath the urethra like a sling to keep it in its normal position – high success rate, ½ hour procedure, day surgery. BUT. Why is there always a BUT? Can create an overactive bladder =urge incontinence or stop the bladder from emptying completely.
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A newly published study in Lancet (2007;369:2179-2186) suggests that surgery for incontinence could change significantly in the future, after researchers showed that injecting patient’s own stem cells into their urethra successfully cured the condition. The result was regeneration of the urethra and urinary sphincter.
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Do try exercises first
<o></o>P.S. Don’t teach children to go to the toilet just in case as this can lead to frequency problems because the bladder is never given the opportunity to empty properly.
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H</o>ope this summary helps
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A</o>nnlyn
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