There are few things more embarrassing than having a good laugh, picking up a baby, or sneezing — and experiencing urinary incontinence, or more simply, a leak. It can even occur during intimacy, which is sure to cramp your style.

Incontinence affects twice as many women as men, and nearly one-third of women over age 65 struggle with it. This is due to anatomical, hormonal, and other reasons, but you can get relief by instituting certain self-care routines and through other treatments.

Dr. Jacob Holdren and Dr. Steven Foley also offer an advanced treatment option that’s been successful for many of our Regenerative Health & Wellness Medical Center patients.

Two kinds of women’s urinary incontinence

Two types of incontinence affect women: stress incontinence and urge incontinence. Stress incontinence is the more common of the two and is often linked to weak pelvic floor muscles.

The weakened muscles squeeze your bladder and urethra and a leak can be provoked by a hearty laugh, cough, or physical activity.

Urge incontinence leaks occur when the feeling that you need to urinate comes on quickly and you simply can’t make it to the bathroom in time, or you might make it, but feel the urge to go more than half-a-dozen times per day.

Otherwise known as overactive bladder, this problem is surprising, too, because once you go to the bathroom, you only expel a tiny bit of urine. The urge can be activated just by hearing running water or even while you sleep.

Many women live with both types of incontinence, which is dubbed mixed incontinence.

You’re at increased risk for incontinence is you’ve had a vaginal birth, are overweight, pregnant, or post-menopausal.

What can be done about my incontinence?

We conduct tests to look into your condition and form a diagnosis, and as part of this, we may ask you to keep something called a urination diary. You note how many times and when you urinate throughout the course of a week, as well as how much urine you produce. This volume information is obtained by using a special pan that fits over your toilet.

There are a variety of treatments  and things that you can do to ease incontinence symptoms:

• Doing Kegel exercises (squeezing your pelvic muscles)
• Limiting diuretics, such as coffee, tea, and alcohol
• Keeping your weight in check

You can also use incontinence products, which are specially made undergarments that trap leaked urine discreetly. Bladder training is another helpful practice, where you urinate at predetermined times and slowly increase the volume of urine you can hold without it feeling unbearable.

Biofeedback, medication, and even surgery are all used to address incontinence, but the Regenerative Health & Wellness Medical Center offers an advanced treatment that’s proving to help many of our patients, before they have to choose a more invasive route.

A cutting-edge urinary incontinence treatment

We administer a treatment called the V-Shot that is getting rave reviews from our patients who suffer with incontinence. It’s a comfortable, noninvasive procedure that uses your body’s own restorative growth factors to combat incontinence and strengthen your tissue.

When you come to our office for the treatment, we take a small blood sample from you, reconstitute it so the plasma is as rich in platelets as it can be, and inject it near your urethra. We keep you comfortable by applying local anesthetic at the injection site.

There’s virtually no downtime needed after a V-Shot treatment, so you can go back to your normal life right away. When your urinary foundation is strengthened, you experience less incontinence. Think of how freeing that will feel!

Seek treatment for your urinary incontinence problem

We’re here to help. Schedule a consultation to see if you’re a candidate for the V-Shot today. Call our office or contact us via our website.