Urinary incontinence is a pathological condition in which involuntary urine is released. This problem is especially important among women. It significantly worsens the quality of life of the patient, causes a feeling of shame and discomfort. In addition, women often do not dare to seek qualified help, being embarrassed by incontinence or thinking that everything will pass by itself, which only worsens their condition. By the way, this problem is an accompanying phenomenon in some pathological processes.
Previously, this disease was considered a companion of elderly people, however, it is now celebrated its "rejuvenation" - many women after 30 years old, and even earlier, first encountered urinary incontinence. So why does urinary incontinence occur in women?
Types of urinary incontinence in women
One of the most common types of pathology is stress urinary incontinence in women, which occurs with physical stress. Because of the tension of the abdominal muscles, the pressure in the intra-abdominal area increases, which in turn puts pressure on the bladder, and then a small portion of urine is released. In all "guilty" weak sphincter - the organ of urination, which relaxes and opens with urination. The rest of the time it is in a compressed state. With sphincter dysfunction, no urine output is monitored, and incontinence occurs.
Urgent incontinence in women is called involuntary discharge of urine with such an intolerable and sudden urge to urinate that the patient can not contain it. Such "accidents" are provoked by external factors - the sound of a stream of water, a cough, the use of alcoholic beverages, when switching from heat to cold.
But most often there is a mixed type of urinary incontinence.
Causes of urinary incontinence in women
Stressed urinary incontinence in pregnant women happens due to stretching of the muscles in the small pelvis or in difficult births with tearing of the perineum due to the large weight of the baby. At the same time, the risk of developing pathology increases in patients who gave birth to the second and third child.
Urinary incontinence in young women can also occur as a result of surgery on the pelvic organs - with abortions, removal of tumors of the uterus and the uterus itself, its appendages. In addition, this problem leads to heavy sports, excessive physical activity, obesity, trauma in the urogenital organs or the spinal cord, which causes the brain to not receive signals about the fullness of the bladder.
An example is incontinence in an elderly woman, associated primarily with the changes that occur in her body. There comes a menopause, in which the level of hormones of estrogens decreases, which, in turn, affects the mucous membrane of the external genital organs. The amount of vitamin C is also decreasing, which worsens the strength of the tissues, and the elasticity of the walls of the bladder. Age-related urinary incontinence in women is also associated with diseases such as atherosclerosis, stroke, diabetes mellitus.
Quite often there is urinary incontinence in women at night, or enuresis. And the most susceptible to night incontinence of a woman after 45 years due to loss of elasticity of the walls of the bladder and a decrease in the tone of the sphincter.
A woman should definitely consult a doctor to solve a health problem. There is a medical, physiotherapeutic and surgical treatment of urinary incontinence.
Prevention of urinary incontinence in women consists in following the norms of hygiene, proper nutrition, water regime, refusal from alcohol, cigarettes, restriction of coffee. It is especially useful to lead an active right way of life and perform exercises that contribute to strengthening the muscles of the pelvic organs ("Birch", "Bicycle", "Scissors", Kegel exercises ).