General urology

Incontinence is the involuntary loss of urine. It’s an awkward situation that may disturb your daily routine, severely limit social activity and the quality of life of patients who suffer it.

It is a health problem that has, therefore, a social aspect in addition to the strictly medical component, and many times the fear of being in uncomfortable social situations is worse, than the leak itself. So from this clinic we perform a global approach to the problem by relying on the wide experience we have in handling these problems.

It is the involuntary leakage of urine.

No, although it may be common, incontinence is always a health issue that should be studied and treated.

No. There are several causes of incontinence. They can be divided into two groups. There is an incontinence caused by physical efforts such as coughing, laughing, lifting weight,… This type of incontinence is called stress incontinence and occurs almost exclusively in women.

The other type of incontinence that happens is when there is difficulty to postpone urination; there is not enough time to get to the toilet and urine leaks before reaching it. This type of incontinence is called urge incontinence and may be present in both men and women. In addition, there are patients who have both types of incontinence (stress and urge) and in such cases is called, mixed-type incontinence.

It depends on the kind of incontinence. So it is very important to evaluate correctly and reach a diagnosis before starting a treatment, spending the necessary time with each patient to properly asses the case.

Severity and causes of incontinence should first be assessed. Usually, the basis of the treatment for this type of incontinence is to strengthen the pelvic floor, which is the structure that holds the bladder. That strengthening can be done, in some cases, through pelvic floor exercises while other patients may need surgery, especially if there is a displacement or herniation of any pelvic organ such as the uterus or bowel. Stress incontinence in men after surgery can be remedied too through various and specific techniques.

It is very important to first conduct an evaluation to analyze the causes of this problem and when detected, treat them. It is very difficult to adequately address this issue without a full and correct diagnosis. Subsequently, according to the data obtained the most appropiate treatment will be prescribed. Drugs are usually the first line treatment, but in cases that do not respond properly, other more invasive treatments might be needed.