Urinary incontinence–the involuntary leakage of urine–is a common and yet undertreated problem faced globally. Treatment typically involves lifestyle modification, pelvic floor muscle training, and the use of topical vaginal estrogen. For a selected number of patients, surgical procedures can be done to treat specific cases of urinary incontinence.
Urinary incontinence in females is often underdiagnosed and undertreated. Studies have shown that nearly three out of four women with urinary incontinence do not address this issue with their doctor, because they feel “embarrassed, they are too busy, or worried about wasting the doctor’s time”. In another study, only 60 percent of patients seeking care for their symptoms recalled receiving any treatment for their incontinence. Nearly 50 percent of those who received treatment reported having a lot of frustration with their results.
Types of Urinary Incontinence and Treatment Options
Determining the classification of urinary incontinence type (stress, urgency, mixed) can help direct treatment.
Initial treatments for most types of urinary incontinence include lifestyle modifications and pelvic floor muscle exercises, along with bladder training in women with urgency incontinence and in some women with stress incontinence. This is usually done for six weeks before moving on to other more advanced therapies.
In peri- and postmenopausal women, genitourinary syndrome of menopause can contribute to urinary incontinence. Topical vaginal estrogen can be used to alleviate incontinence in many of these patients.
Bladder training is the most effective treatment for all women with urinary incontinence.
Overflow incontinence is another form of urinary incontinence. It can mimic stress incontinence, urgency incontinence or mixed urinary incontinence. Typically, these patients present with involuntary, intermittent, or continuous urinary leakage with no warning or sensation, dribbling, and incomplete bladder emptying.
Continence pessaries are the most common, traditional form of support devices and may be used for women with stress incontinence either as an additional or a substitute treatment for pelvic muscle exercises.
The BTL Emsella Chair is a noninvasive treatment that uses high intensity focused electromagnetic energy to stimulate the pelvic floor muscles. The treatment mimics what you would feel when you perform Kegel exercises. What makes this treatment effective is the in-depth penetration and stimulation of the entire pelvic floor area. A single session delivers 11,000 powerful contractions in just 28 minutes. This is very helpful when it comes to strengthening the muscles of the pelvic floor.
What to Expect During/Throughout Treatment
During an Emsella Chair treatment, you will be completely clothed. We recommend loosely fitted clothing to help achieve the best positioning during treatment. When the treatment starts, you will feel slight tingling and vibrations in your pelvic floor muscles that will then turn into full contractions. Your healthcare provider will adjust settings accordingly to your comfort level. Take this half-hour session to relax, read a magazine, or watch television. You will be able to return to normal activities immediately after your treatment.
At Aesthetics and Medical Lasers of Colorado, we have treated over 100 patients with urinary incontinence using the BTL Emsella Chair in the past two years. We are very glad to say that we have had a nearly 100% success rate in our treatment. Our patient population ranges anywhere from 30-75 years of age. Many of these had a history of vaginal delivery. For most of the younger patients, only 4 sessions performed at a 5–7-day interval was adequate. Older patients required a series of 6 sessions performed at a 3–4-day interval. All the patients that we have seen reported improvement in their symptoms by the third session. No patient returned with urinary symptoms after completing their full treatment sessions.
For more information, contact us at (720) 818-0533 to book your appointment!
UpToDate: Female Urinary Incontinence by Emily S Lukacz, MD, MAS,Kenneth E Schmader, MD,Linda Brubaker, MD, FACOG,Kristen Eckler, MD, FACOG, Karen Law, MD, FACP
