Urine leakage during a belly laugh. A constant urge to “go” even if you’ve just gone.
It’s not uncommon for women to suffer symptoms like these as a result of incontinence, overactive bladder and other urological health conditions, due in part to the stresses of pregnancy, childbirth and menopause. According to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, it’s estimated that women experience incontinence twice as often as men.
The good news is, there are treatments available that can address these issues.
"When someone’s bladder problems are managed, it's like letting them out of jail,” says Ronald Morton, M.D., chief medical officer, Urology, Boston Scientific. “They can travel. They can be with friends. They get their life back.”
Take a look at options that can help.
Overactive bladder (OAB)
What it is: The hallmark symptom of OAB is the frequent, sudden and intense need to urinate. One cause is nerve damage, which can lead to faulty signaling between the brain and the bladder that makes the bladder contract even when it’s not full. Other causes can include abdominal trauma, infection and certain medications.
Treatment options: Physicians may recommend limiting bladder irritants, like caffeine, and trying bladder training, pelvic floor muscle therapy and pelvic floor electrical stimulation.
Those can be combined with medications to relax the bladder muscle or stop the bladder from squeezing before it’s full. While they can work well, they may also cause side effects including dizziness, constipation and cognitive impairment, particularly among seniors.
The next level of treatment involves minimally invasive procedures including neurotoxin injections to the bladder muscle to relax contractions and help you hold more urine. These injections, however, can cause UTIs, bladder perforation or even require catheterization. There’s also peripheral tibial nerve stimulation, which delivers a mild electrical current to correct signaling and improve bladder control for one to three months at a time.
Another option is the Axonics™ Sacral Neuromodulation (SNM) System. Once surgically inserted, a small implant sends mild electric impulses to help restore normal communication between the brain and bladder.
“In a clinical study, Axonics SNM therapy showed sustained reductions in urinary symptoms and delivered high rates of patient satisfaction at two years,” says Dr. Morton.
Stress urinary incontinence (SUI)
What it is: Your bladder muscles contract to expel urine through a tube called the urethra, and the surrounding sphincter muscles relax to let the urine pass. If you have SUI, your bladder muscles contract suddenly when you’re not prepared – often due to a strain such as sneezing, coughing, laughing or exercising – and your sphincter muscles are too weak to pinch the urethra closed. As a result, urine – anywhere from a little to a lot – leaks out.
Treatment options: “We always want to start with the least invasive options,” Dr. Morton says. “These include changes to your diet and fitness routine, Kegel exercises, physical therapy or biofeedback.”
One non-surgical option doctors may recommend is the use of a pessary – a removable device designed to relieve symptoms when in place by holding up the vaginal walls.
Urethral bulking is another minimally invasive procedure that may benefit women with SUI. The Bulkamid™ Urethral Bulking System, for instance, is a water-based hydrogel that’s injected into the urethral wall to bulk it up, with the intention to reduce leakage. “Bulkamid can provide long-lasting relief but is still less invasive than other SUI treatments,” Dr. Morton says.
In some instances, a woman and her physician may decide to pursue a procedure such as a retropubic colposuspension, which repositions a sagging bladder neck, or a urethral sling, in which a piece of mesh or tissue from your body is placed under your urethra like a hammock to keep it closed and help prevent urine from leaking.
The Solyx™ Single-Incision Sling System is a less invasive alternative in relation to other urethral slings. Solyx uses a shorter piece of polypropylene mesh than traditional sling operations and is inserted through a single small incision.
Says Dr. Morton: “With the Axonics SNM System, Bulkamid and Solyx, Boston Scientific now offers women with OAB or incontinence – and the doctors who treat them – a broad range of treatment options that may help them get their lives back.”
Learn more about our treatment options for female stress urinary incontinence and overactive bladder.
Always talk to a doctor about symptoms to determine the right treatment option.
Review important safety and warning information for the Axonics SNM System, the Bulkamid System and the Solyx System.