By Alexander Berger, MD, MPH, FACOG, Urogynecologist – Virtua Female Pelvic Medicine

Do you experience unexpected urine leakage when you laugh or sneeze, or feel a sudden urge to go? You're not alone. Over 60 percent of women in the United States experience (involuntary urine leakage), often waiting years to seek medical care.

Many women worry that this condition may lead to more serious health issues or require invasive surgery. Others believe urinary incontinence is something they must endure in silence. But it's not something anyone should have to accept.

Our goal is to provide compassionate, comfortable care, offering women every treatment option, from conservative to surgical solutions.

Is it stress incontinence or urge incontinence?

Stress incontinence typically occurs in women in their 30s to 50s and is activity-related, often happening when you jump, laugh, sneeze, or cough.

Stress incontinence can be caused by weakened pelvic floor muscles, which make it more difficult for your urethra (the tube that carries urine from the bladder) to stop urine leakage. 

Urge incontinence—the "gotta-go-right-now" feeling—is common among post-menopausal women. It can be temporary or long-term and is characterized by a sudden urge to urinate that leads to either urine leakage or the fear of urine leakage.

Urge incontinence may also accompany neurological disorders such as cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, or Parkinson's disease. 

Urinary incontinence treatments

There's no one-size-fits-all treatment for urinary incontinence. We work with you to personalize a treatment plan that works best for you and your lifestyle.

There are many safe, effective, and minimally or noninvasive treatments available. 

Stress incontinence treatment

Sling procedures—those that use synthetic mesh to properly support the urethra—are often the most effective treatments available for stress incontinence and are performed in an outpatient setting.

Other stress incontinence treatments include:

• Physical therapy
• Bladder training, or training the bladder to hold urine for extended periods
• Vaginal pessary, which lifts and supports the urethra
• Injecting material to "bulk up" the area surrounding the urethra

Urge incontinence treatment

Urge incontinence treatments may include a combination of lifestyle changes, medication, physical therapy, and surgical interventions, including: 

• Pelvic floor exercises and physical therapy
• Bladder training
• Oral medications
• Botox injections into the bladder
• Percutaneous tibial nerve stimulation to improve bladder control

Sacral nerve stimulation is another effective therapy that involves implanting a "pacemaker" into the buttocks. The device delivers mild electrical pulses to stimulate the sacral nerves, enhancing bladder control and reducing urgency. This treatment is also highly effective for managing fecal incontinence.

Urinary incontinence isn't something you need to live with. It's very treatable with therapies that eliminate both discomfort and inconvenience. 

Virtua experts are here with urinary incontinence treatment options