Incontinence

Incontinence

Urinary incontinence may not be something you think much about – until it happens to you. When you find yourself constantly trying to locate the nearest bathroom whenever you are out, these sudden urges can start to take a significant toll on your quality of life. Fortunately, urinary incontinence is something that can be effectively managed without surgery or medications which may carry certain side effects.

The experts at Morpheus Medical Aesthetics know that urinary incontinence is a genuine problem for many of our patients. While it may not indicate a severe medical problem, it can still be time-consuming and embarrassing. Regain your control and freedom with a revolutionary treatment designed to reverse the changes that naturally occur over time and contribute to your incontinence issues.

What Is Urinary Incontinence?

In simplest terms, urinary incontinence can be described as a loss of bladder control. For some women, the problem might be limited to some urine leakage when they cough, sneeze or laugh. Others find themselves suddenly on the run to the restroom with the fear that they won't get there in time. The problem is more common during pregnancy or during and after the menopausal years. Approximately one-fourth to one-third of all women in the U.S. suffer from urinary incontinence, according to the American Urological Association.

Urinary incontinence is likely much more common than we realize, but people are just hesitant to talk about it. Who wants to bring up difficult issues like the fear of losing control of their bladder? Many won't even discuss the concern with their doctors, which is unfortunate since there are ways to alleviate the problem.

Symptoms of Urinary Incontinence

If you struggle with any of the following symptoms, you may have urinary incontinence. There are many variations of incontinence, and your symptoms will vary slightly based on the type you have. Some women have more than one type:

• Urge Incontinence – This type of incontinence is characterized by an intense need to urinate with a sudden onset. Symptoms can persist throughout the day and night, interfering with your ability to get a full night's sleep.
• Overflow Incontinence – If your bladder doesn't empty fully when you urinate, you may find yourself leaking or dribbling regularly. This issue may necessitate wearing daily protection, which can affect your self-confidence and the type of clothing you wear.
• Stress Urinary Incontinence – This type of incontinence occurs when you put pressure on the bladder by laughing, coughing or sneezing. If you have this type of incontinence, you might avoid social situations or public workouts due to fear of revealing your condition.
• Functional Incontinence – When you have an impairment that prevents you from getting to the bathroom quickly, you might have functional incontinence. For example, you might have a mental condition, like dementia, that keeps you from understanding your need to use the restroom or a physical condition, like arthritis, that makes it difficult to move quickly enough to get to the bathroom on time.

Why Do I Have Urinary Incontinence?

Urinary incontinence can be a temporary problem, due to factors like alcohol, caffeine or spicy foods. Some bouts of the condition can also be attributed to another medical condition or medication. When the cause of urinary incontinence is the natural aging process, our non-surgical treatment can help.

To understand the treatment, you need to understand how your body changes over time first. Bladder activity is usually controlled through your bladder muscles. When the muscles are tight, they keep urine from leaking through the bladder to the urethra. When you are ready to urinate, the muscles relax to allow the urine to pass through.

However, your bladder muscles can become more relaxed over time, due to pregnancy, other hormonal changes or weight fluctuations. At the same time, the urges from the bladder can become more intense. The combination of relaxed muscles and intense urges can lead to urinary incontinence.

Treatment Options for Urinary Incontinence

Our innovative treatment, CO2RE Intima, works to combat the changes that lead to incontinence issues. By delivering laser energy to the tissue and muscles in the pelvic region, the treatment can help you restore your control and minimize urine leakage. At the same time, some women may see other improvements after their treatment, such as less vaginal dryness and itching.

The CO2RE Intima device is non-invasive and you do not have to have any anesthesia to undergo the procedure, which takes just a few minutes to complete. The device is inserted into the vagina, where it delivers gentle heating to the areas that need it most. The heat constricts the tissue to produce a firmer pelvic region overall.

Within about 15 minutes, you will be finished with your treatment and back to your regular activities. We will advise you to refrain from intercourse for about seven days to give the treatment area plenty of time to heal fully. You may see positive results soon after your treatment, although improvements could be more gradual for some patients. Most require a series of treatment sessions to enjoy the best possible outcome.