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If you are a physican and would like to refer a patient please call 713-441-5800 or download our Physician Referral Form.
The Methodist Center for Restorative Pelvic Medicine
6550 Fannin Street
Houston, TX 77030
713-441-5800
713-791-5023 fax
Maps & Directions
Urinary incontinence is the accidental loss of bladder control. This condition affects more than 15 million men and women, but is twice as common in women. Urinary incontinence ranges from occasionally leaking urine when you cough or sneeze, to having a sudden and strong urge to urinate.
Types of urinary incontinence include:
Stress incontinence – Occurs during certain activities like coughing, sneezing, laughing, exercising or heavy lifting.
Urge incontinence – Involves a strong, sudden and intense urge to urinate, followed by involuntary accidental loss of urine, also known as overactive bladder (OAB). Overactive bladder is a condition characterized by a sudden, uncomfortable need to urinate with or without urine leakage usually with daytime and nighttime frequency.
Overflow incontinence – A constant dribble of urine, with the inability to empty your bladder. In men, overflow incontinence can be associated with prostate gland problems.
Mixed incontinence – This incontinence includes more than one type of urinary incontinence, such as stress incontinence and urge incontinence.
Causes
The most common causes of incontinence, found in men and women, include:
- Aging
- Childbirth
- Chronic diseases, such as diabetes
- Urinary tract infections
- Obesity
- Prior surgical procedures in the pelvis
- Prostate cancer treatments
- Neurological disease (e.g., Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, Stroke)
- Spinal cord injury
Symptoms
Depending on the type of incontinence, patients may leak a small to medium amount of urine or may feel a sudden urge to urinate and the need to urinate often.
Some patients may also experience bladder problems, such as difficulty with bladder emptying. Urinary retention (inability to urinate) is a common complication for men with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) or an enlarged prostate. Women with prolapse of the bladder also present with the same difficulty emptying their bladder.
Treatment
Treatments are different for each person and they depend of the type of incontinence you have and how much it affects your life. Treatment may include lifestyle changes such as cutting back on caffeine drinks, eating foods with fiber (to avoid constipation), smoking cessation, staying at a healthy weight or pelvic floor exercises.
Other treatments are available, including:
For stress incontinence:
- Pelvic floor physical therapy
- Urethral bulking agents
- Minimally invasive sling surgery for men and women
For urge incontinence:
- Botox injections into the bladder
- InterStim neuromodulation
- Percutaneous tibial nerve stimulation (PTNS)
Talk to our specialists
These issues can be embarrassing, but can be resolved. Your first step is to talk with one of our specialists. Call the Center for Restorative Pelvic Medicine at 713-441-5800 to find the right specialist and to schedule an appointment.
How to make an appointment
To schedule an appointment with a physician specializing in overactive bladder or incontinence, please call the Center for Restorative Pelvic Medicine at 713-441-5800.
