What is female stress urinary incontinence

  Urinary incontinence, a condition in which the patient experiences leakage of urine from the urethra, is mainly classified as stress, urge, overflow, neurogenic, and mixed. Stress incontinence is most common in women after childbirth and menopause, mainly because the muscle tissue supporting the urethra is relaxed, resulting in reduced urethral control. When the abdominal pressure increases (such as running and jumping, laughing, coughing, sneezing, moving heavy objects) is transmitted to the bladder, resulting in an increase in pressure in the bladder, without a corresponding increase in urethral pressure, urine will flow from the urethra.  Causes of female stress urinary incontinence: 1, excessive stretching and relaxation of the pelvic floor muscles during pregnancy and childbirth; 2, excessive obesity: extra burden on the abdominal and pelvic floor muscles; 3, ageing causes the muscles of the whole body to become flaccid; 4, reduced estrogen in the body after menopause, which affects the function of the pelvic floor muscles and urethral closure; 5, smoking: nicotine has a negative impact on blood circulation and nerve health, reducing Sphincter strength and bladder contraction ability; 6, other: including long-term cough, nerve damage, use of certain drugs, surgery, long-term constipation, etc.  Urinary incontinence is not only seen in the elderly, but can also happen to you or your family members. The embarrassment and pain associated with urinary incontinence can seriously affect an individual’s health and quality of life.  1, causing personal hygiene problems, itchy skin and heavy smell; 2, sleep quality decreased, get up in the middle of the night to go to the toilet; 3, become nervous, see the toilet want to go; 4, suffer from a high proportion of depression, loss of confidence in themselves; 5, afraid to go out or go out, looking for the toilet everywhere; 6, refuse to social life, afraid of being known embarrassed; 7, affect the performance of work, constantly running to the toilet; 8, affect the sexual life. Some people have problems with urine storage and urination, and are prone to cystitis, pyelonephritis, hydronephrosis and kidney failure.  If you want to confirm whether you are suffering from urinary incontinence, you can seek the assistance of a urologist, who will request an examination (such as a urodynamic examination) based on your medical history and condition, to measure the changes in bladder and urethral pressure and sphincter contraction to observe whether the muscles, nerves and sphincter of the bladder and urethra function normally during the process of urination. Depending on the condition, the doctor will recommend the appropriate treatment for the patient.  Conservative treatment: Improve lifestyle habits: stop smoking, stop drinking, change diet and avoid stimulating foods such as caffeine.  Medications: Non-invasive treatment that relaxes the bladder and increases the function of urethral closure, thus relieving its symptoms, but there are certain side effects.  Pelvic floor muscle training: This method is convenient, easy to implement and effective, and is the most natural treatment option, but it requires long-term adherence, sometimes it is difficult to determine whether the training is to the correct muscle area, the effect is slow, and the duration of the effect after stopping training is unclear, and it is suitable for patients with mild incontinence.  Biofeedback therapy: pelvic floor muscle training can also be implemented through biofeedback using special instruments and equipment. Compared with simple pelvic floor training, biofeedback is more intuitive and easier to grasp, and its efficacy is comparable to or better than simple pelvic floor training, with the potential to maintain a relatively long effective duration.  Electrical stimulation therapy: repeated stimulation of the pelvic floor muscles by electric current to increase the contraction force of the pelvic floor muscles; at the same time, feedback inhibits sympathetic reflexes and reduces bladder mobility, which is suitable for patients whose pelvic muscles cannot contract on their own. Side effects: Local infection, bleeding, perineal discomfort and rash, etc., which are not easily accepted by some patients.  Surgical treatment: For patients who have poor results from conservative treatment or cannot adhere to it, cannot tolerate it and expect poor results; patients with moderate to severe stress urinary incontinence, which seriously affects the quality of life, surgical treatment is the most effective method.  The current minimally invasive procedure: tension-free midurethral sling is the gold standard for the treatment of female urinary incontinence. The procedure is simple and helps tighten the urethra by placing a sling to support the urethra, allowing patients to have normal bladder control, and is suitable for people with moderate to severe urinary incontinence.  Features: 1. Less surgical trauma; 2. Short surgical time; 3. Short hospital stay; 4. High surgical success rate and few complications; 5. Fast postoperative recovery and mild postoperative pain.