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Urinary incontinence
Will menopausal urinary incontinence heal itself?
Whether menopausal urinary incontinence heals on its own depends on the specific cause of the incontinence. Menopausal urinary incontinence may occur in women as they age due to a relaxation of the urethra, especially in women who have had children when they were younger, as childbirth damages the pelvic floor muscles, further leading to relaxation of the urethra. This type of incontinence is known as stress urinary incontinence, which is particularly evident when sneezing or coughing, making it difficult to heal spontaneously. Treatment includes exercising the pelvic floor muscles by contracting the anus, and Midodrine Hydrochloride can also be used for treatment. However, urinary incontinence may also be caused by urinary tract infections, which lead to what is known as urge incontinence, and this condition may heal on its own. (Medication should be used under the guidance of a physician.)
Symptoms of urinary incontinence in women
Urinary incontinence primarily refers to the uncontrolled leakage of urine from the urethra. In female patients, stress incontinence and urge incontinence are more common. Urge incontinence is often seen in acute cystitis. In such cases, there are evident symptoms of urinary urgency, and severe cases can lead to incontinence. Stress incontinence, on the other hand, is more common among women who have given birth. It mainly occurs when coughing, sneezing, lifting heavy objects, laughing, or any other action that increases abdominal pressure, causing urine to leak from the urethra. Mild stress incontinence can be improved through exercises that strengthen the pelvic floor muscles and the detrusor muscle. For moderate to severe stress incontinence, it is recommended to consider surgical treatment as soon as possible.
What causes sudden fainting and loss of bladder/bowel control?
Sudden fainting and incontinence may be due to a sharp decrease in blood pressure, a sudden reduction in cardiac output, and widespread insufficiency in brain artery supply. It is related to cardiogenic syncope, cerebrogenic syncope, and vasovagal inhibitory syncope. This is caused by a temporary sudden decrease in cerebral blood flow, resulting in insufficient blood and oxygen supply to the brain, which leads to suppression of the reticular activating system and loss of consciousness and incontinence. Further actions should include ambulatory electrocardiograms, dynamic blood pressure monitoring, dynamic electroencephalograms, cranial magnetic resonance imaging, and vascular imaging to clarify the cause of the syncope. Further tests should include complete blood count, liver function tests, kidney function tests, and electrocardiograms.
Postpartum urinary incontinence symptoms
Postpartum urinary incontinence primarily manifests as uncontrollable urination in women. This occurs when there is increased abdominal pressure, such as during coughing or constipation or when jumping rope, causing urine to involuntarily leak. This condition typically develops during pregnancy as the growing uterus compresses the subcutaneous tissue in the pelvic area. Additionally, the biochemical damage to the pelvic tissues during childbirth reduces their elasticity, leading to a loss of control over the abdominal muscles of some pelvic organs. It is recommended to promptly start pelvic floor muscle rehabilitation training in such cases, and generally, symptoms should improve within six months of consistent rehabilitation exercises.
Symptoms of urinary incontinence
The primary clinical manifestation of urinary incontinence is the uncontrollable leakage of urine from the urethral opening. Depending on the specific cause of incontinence, the clinical manifestations can vary. For instance, stress urinary incontinence typically occurs during coughing, sneezing, laughing, or other activities that increase intra-abdominal pressure, leading to uncontrollable urine leakage. Urgency urinary incontinence is commonly seen in severe cases of bladder inflammation or stiffening of the bladder neck, where patients often previously experience significant symptoms such as frequent urination, urgent need to urinate, and pain during urination. Overflow incontinence is more common in elderly men, particularly those with prostate enlargement, leading to urinary retention and subsequent incontinence, often accompanied by lower abdominal pain.
How to recover from postpartum urinary incontinence?
During the process of natural childbirth, the presenting part of the fetus significantly compresses the woman's pelvic floor, causing conditions such as uterine prolapse and bladder prolapse. Postpartum, many women experience urinary incontinence. Postpartum urinary incontinence can be alleviated through the following methods. First, one can perform Kegel exercises independently. Kegel exercises, a set of movements that contract the pelvic floor muscles, are quite effective in treating mild urinary incontinence. Second, if the urinary incontinence is more pronounced, it is advisable to undergo assisted treatment at a hospital, mainly involving electrical stimulation. This can stimulate the local pelvic floor muscles, promoting recovery and alleviating symptoms of urinary incontinence. Third, if the symptoms are very severe and conservative treatment is ineffective, pelvic floor functional repair surgery should be considered.
How to treat frequent urination and occasional incontinence in women?
Frequent urination and occasional incontinence in women may be caused by urinary tract infections, as patients with such infections may experience symptoms like frequent urination, urgency, and pain during urination. Urgency can manifest as being unable to hold urine, even leading to incontinence. Generally, this condition requires treatment with antibiotics. Depending on the severity of the patient's condition, either oral antibiotics or intravenous antibiotics may be chosen. For milder cases, oral medications such as cefixime or levofloxacin can be used. If the condition is more severe, such as if there is discomfort in the lower back, nausea, vomiting, and fever symptoms, intravenous antibiotics may be administered. Alongside medication, it is also important to drink plenty of water, urinate frequently, and maintain a light diet rich in fresh vegetables and fruits during treatment. Avoid spicy and irritating foods, such as chili peppers, fried foods, barbecue, and also avoid alcohol. (Please use medication under the guidance of a doctor.)
How to express fecal incontinence
Fecal incontinence, also known as anal incontinence, means that when the function of the anus is impaired, feces or intestinal fluid involuntarily leaks out of the anus. Therefore, it can be divided into two aspects: the first aspect is that some people only have incontinence of liquid stool, not solid feces; the other is that both solid and liquid stools are incontinent, both can involuntarily leak out, with the latter scenario being more severe. The causes are generally due to damage to the anus, congenital anomalies of the anus, damage to the anal sphincter, or diseases of the anus, among other reasons.
Urinary incontinence pelvic floor muscle exercise method
If you want to improve urinary incontinence through pelvic floor muscle exercises, this method is mainly suitable for mild stress urinary incontinence and is not applicable to all types of urinary incontinence. Therefore, if you want to improve urinary incontinence through pelvic floor muscle exercises, you first need to determine if it is mild stress urinary incontinence before proceeding. Usually, we choose to do anal lift exercises to improve this. The specific exercise method for anal lift exercises is to take a deep breath, lift the anus, hold for about five seconds, then relax, and continuously practice 15 times. Perform 15 times per set, about 20 sets a day, and it needs to be maintained for more than half a year to be effective.
How to treat urinary incontinence?
How to treat urinary incontinence: The most common cause of urinary incontinence is pelvic diaphragm dysfunction. The bladder is located above the pelvic diaphragm. In elderly people, especially elderly women, the pelvic diaphragm and tissues around the urethra are relaxed and weak. Increased abdominal pressure, such as from coughing or changes in body position, can lead to incontinence and stress urinary incontinence. Urinary incontinence is also seen in obstructions of the urethral opening and bladder outlet. Such diseases are more common in elderly women with vaginal inflammation, whereas in men, the main cause is benign prostatic hyperplasia. The third category involves bladder disorders itself, such as bladder tumors, bladder stones, and inflammations, all of which can cause urinary incontinence. Additionally, neurological disorders that control urination are also a significant cause of urinary incontinence in the elderly. Once the diagnosis of urinary incontinence is clear, symptomatic treatment should be adopted and most cases can be controlled. For inflammations, anti-inflammatory treatments can be used. For abnormalities in the bladder or urethra identified through cystourethrography, surgical treatment can be considered.