Stress Urinary Incontinence in Pregnancy

Stress urinary incontinence in Pregnancy is the most common type of urinary incontinence that women experience and is known to create embracing situations in public and detrimental effects on the quality of life. Pregnancy is the main factor for stress urinary incontinence (SUI).

Urinary incontinence is the accidental or unintentional loss of urine. Stress urinary incontinence happens bladder is put under stress by physical activities such as laughing, running, coughing, sneezing, or lifting heavy objects that forces the bladder to leak urine. Here, stress is not related to psychological stress.

What is Urinary Incontinence?

Urinary Incontinence means leaky bladder or loss of bladder control or the person leaks urine by accident. Urinary Incontinence (leakage) is common in old age and also prevalent in women during pregnancy or after delivering the child. As the body goes through changes throughout pregnancy to accommodate the baby, the bladder comes under constant pressure.

Stress incontinence is separate from unintentional incontinence or overactive bladder (OAB). During unintentional incontinence or OAB, there is a contraction of bladder muscle causing a sudden urge to urinate. Stress urinary incontinence in pregnancy is rampant in women.

Symptoms of Urinary Incontinence

Some people experience occasional and minor leaks of urine. Others may leak small to moderate amounts of urine more frequently. The types of urinary incontinence include:

• Stress Incontinence: Urine leaks when the bladder is put under pressure through various physical activities like running, laughing, coughing, exercising, or lifting heavy objects.
• Urge incontinence: There is a sudden or intense urge to urinate followed by an accidental loss of urine. Even the affected person requires urinating several times at night. This may due to infection, neurological disorder, or diabetes.
• Overflow incontinence: The affected person may experience frequent or constant dribbles of urine as the bladder doesn’t empty.

Causes of Urinary Incontinence

Urinary incontinence is caused by various everyday habits, infections, or underlying health disorders. A thorough medical evaluation may reveal the actual cause of incontinence. Few drinks, foods, and medications may stimulate the bladder and increase the volume of urine. These include Alcohol, Caffeine, Carbonated drinks & sparkling water, artificial sweeteners, and foods such as spice, sugar, or acid. Medications related to heart & blood pressure, sedative, and high doses of vitamin C. Urinary incontinence could be due to underlying physical problems or changes that include:

1. Pregnancy: Hormonal changes and the growing weight of the fetus lead to stress incontinence.
2. Childbirth: Vaginal delivery at times weakens muscles needed for bladder control or damage bladder nerves and supportive tissues. That leads to a situation dropped (prolapsed) pelvic floor. W
3. Menopause: After menopause, there is less production of estrogen that keeps the lining of the bladder and urethra healthy.
4. Enlarged prostate: In aged women, incontinence arises from enlargement of the prostate gland that is benign prostatic hyperplasia.
5. Prostate cancer: In men, stress incontinence maybe because of untreated prostate cancer.
6. Neurological Disorders: Multiple sclerosis, a stroke or brain tumor or Parkinson’s disease, or a spinal injury can interfere with nerve signals involved in bladder control.

Treatments

When it comes to treatment options for pregnancy incontinence, the first thing is to incorporate lifestyle changes and bladder management. If such steps don’t improve the condition, you have to go to the doctor. The options may include:

1. Controlling the pelvic floor muscles i.e. Kegel exercises
2. Restricting bladder irritant food and beverages
3. A Pessary inserted into the vagina for the support of urethra preventing urine leak
4. Urethral surgical sling placing a sling around the urethra
5. Bladder support “tampons” supporting the urethra from leaks
6. Medications to treat overactive bladder
7. Bladder retraining tactics