Gotta go...again!
If you’re occasionally unable to control your bladder, you might have urinary incontinence. “Many women choose to stay at home because they fear having an accident,” says Steven Bernstein, MD, a urologist and bladder care specialist at the Fairview Center for Bladder Control. “You should you know that most women don’t have to live with that fear – with treatment, urinary incontinence can often be cured!”
Types of urinary incontinence
There are several types of incontinence:
- Stress incontinence – leakage that occurs with cough, laugh or sneeze
- Urge incontinence – leakage preceded by a sudden urge to void
- Overflow incontinence – leakage stemming from an inability to empty the bladder
- Mixed incontinence – a combination of several types
Causes
Weak bladder support can cause urinary incontinence. This breakdown of support may be caused by several different factors, including:
• Advancing age
• Genetic predisposition (heredity)
• General health conditions
• Pregnancy
• Delivering a baby
Treatments for incontinence
Women from all over Minnesota and Wisconsin seek out the Fairview Center for Bladder Control for help. Dr. Bernstein says, “The staff at our Center strongly believes that the key to fixing urine problems is to fully understand the patient’s specific concerns, lifestyle, medical history and expectations.” That’s why, during your first visit, you’ll meet with an expert physician for about an hour. During that time he will listen to your concerns, perform a brief but thorough examination of the bladder and sit down to discuss the situation and consider appropriate treatment options.
Specialists at the Center will determine if you can be helped by basic changes (such as drinking less coffee or soda), muscle training, medication, physical therapy or more complex therapy such as surgery or even modulation of the nerves to the bladder. “Using the proper treatment modality for each individual patient allows us to achieve the very best possible control” Dr. Bernstein states.
Overactive bladder
If you run to the bathroom more than eight times a day, or wake up to go multiple times at night, you might have an overactive bladder. Dr. Bernstein and his team specialize in determining the causes of overactive bladder and create treatment plans tailored to fit each woman’s diagnosis, medical history and lifestyle.
Our services include specialized treatment to help with incontinence (urine leakage), overactive bladders, pelvic prolapse and a variety of other issues.
Make an appointment with the Fairview Center for Bladder Control by calling 952-460-4130. You can also request an appointment online.
