For a long time, women who benefited from bladder health therapies were those who “leaked” when they coughed, sneezed or exercised. Called “Stress Incontinence”, this condition is anatomy-related and treatment often includes lifestyle changes, ObGyn physical therapy, and perhaps surgery.
Unfortunately this approach doesn’t help untold women who have a more common type of bladder problem, called “Urge Incontinence”, or “Gotta go, Gotta go” syndrome.
Unlike Stress incontinence, Urge incontinence usually has nothing to do with exercise or activity and is related to bladder function rather than anatomy. Women with this problem usually feel the urge to go to the bathroom often and have light leaking episodes, which can be extreme and come with no warning.
Help for “Gotta Go” Syndrome IS Available
Most recently, there are life-changing treatments to help women of all ages with “Gotta go, Gotta go” syndrome. Women do not just “have to live with this problem”. It is not “just a part of aging”, and surgery is not the only way to help this problem.
What options are available?
- ObGyn physical therapy: Working with our physical therapist to retrain the pelvic floor and strengthen pelvic muscles has been life-changing for many women.
- Better medicines: It used to be that medications for urge incontinence have historically been unsuccessful and unacceptable to women because of side effects. Today new medications are available, helping women with overactive bladder with fewer side effects.
- Lifestyle changes: our clinical team and registered dietician partner to introduce lifestyle changes and nutrition to help reduce or eliminate bladder problems altogether.
- New, innovative options: Women requiring more than drug therapy find good success with Botox injections /link/ in the bladder and with sacral nerve stimulator therapy /link/, which decreases urinary leaking by decreasing excessive nerve stimulation to the bladder.
Don’t live with Gotta Go syndrome. Visit us at our Center for Urinary and Pelvic Health if you have bladder problems.