Incontinence may affect as many as 25 percent of females and 5 percent of males between the ages of 15 and 64. Due to pregnancy, childbirth, menopause, and the structure of the female anatomy, incontinence is more common among women than men. At MedStar Health, our women's health experts specialize in the diagnosis and treatment of the following pelvic floor disorders and conditions:
- Bladder pain syndromes or interstitial cystitis
- Defecatory dysfunction: Trouble moving bowels
- Fecal incontinence: Involuntary leakage of stool or gas from the rectum
- Lower back pain
- Overactive bladder: Urgency or frequent leakage
- Pelvic organ prolapse: Dropped bladder or loss of urine or rectal support
- Sexual dysfunction: Painful intercourse or low sex drive
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Urinary incontinence: Involuntary leakage of urine
- Urinary voiding dysfunction: Trouble emptying the bladder
Common types of incontinence
The most common types include:
- Bowel dysfunctions: Constipation due to pelvic floor muscle spasms and fecal incontinence after childbirth or anorectal surgery.
- Stress incontinence: Triggered by laughing, lifting, coughing, sneezing, or any activity that suddenly increases abdominal pressure, making it difficult to hold back urine.
- This is common after pregnancy, pelvic surgery, and during menopause.
- Urge incontinence: Sudden uncontrollable urge to urinate often associated with urinary tract infections, certain medications, stress, spinal cord injuries, multiple sclerosis, and neurological diseases.
Diagnostic tests and nonsurgical incontinence treatments
You don't have to live with the pain and embarrassment of rectal or urinary incontinence. MedStar Good Samaritan offers a full range of advanced diagnostic services and nonsurgical therapies, including:
- Anorectal manometry
measures the pressure and electrical activity of the anal sphincter muscle and the rectum.
- Biofeedback
therapy uses an electronic device to help you strengthen the correct pelvic muscles.
- Electric stimulation
therapy stimulates the muscles of the pelvic floor.
- Pudendal nerve testing
measures the delay between an electrical impulse and the muscle contraction.
- Urodynamic testing
assesses how well your bladder and muscles store and release urine.
Pelvic surgery
For patients who do not find relief through therapy, surgery may be the answer. Our surgeons treat a wide range of gynecologic conditions using minimally invasive procedures. Conditions we treat include:
- Endometriosis
- Fibroids
- Ovarian cysts
- Pelvic disorders and incontinence
- Cystocele repair, which tightens the tissue that separates the bladder and vagina.
- Rectocele repair, which tightens the tissue that separates the rectum and vagina.
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MedStar Good Samaritan Hospital
5601 Loch Raven Blvd. Baltimore, MD 21239
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