Study: Effectiveness of Non-Surgical Treatments for Urinary Problems

Women suffering from symptoms of urinary incontinence may find an effective treatment in pelvic floor

muscle training without the risk of side effects, according to a report by the United States Department

of Health and Human Services (HHS) Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). The research

also revealed that while medications may also be effective in treating urinary incontinence, it may be

less beneficial than pelvic floor training as it yields the risk of side effects. The report, which was

documented in the 2012 April edition of Annals of Internal Medicine, is a comparative effectiveness

review of various non-surgical treatment options available for women’s urinary disorders.

The inter-agency research zeroed in on two different forms of bladder problems common in women

such as stress urinary incontinence (SUI) and urge incontinence. SUI happens when a person involuntary

urinates due to a sudden extra pressure to the bladder and muscles involved in urinary control, while

urge incontinence, also called reflex or effort incontinence, occurs when a person experiences an

intense urge to pass urine which is usually followed by an involuntary leakage, as defined by medical

journals. Factors that increase women’s risk of urinary incontinence include damaged or weakened

pelvic tissues and muscles that support organs in the pelvis such as the bladder, and uterus.

The review found that pelvic floor muscle training, such as Kegel exercises, worked in improving a

woman’s ability to retain urine. These exercises when combined with bladder training were also found

effective in improving symptoms of mixed urinary incontinence (SUI and urge incontinence) in women.

Estrogen treatment was found to work for SUI despite yielding side effects, while an antidepressant

(duloxetine) was revealed to of no benefit, as well as risky in terms of side effects.

Urinary incontinence takes an increasing role as regards prevalence in adult women, government

statistics shows, explaining that the bladder problem affects an estimated 25 percent of young women,

about 57 percent of middle-aged or postmenopausal women, and up to 75 percent of older women in

nursing homes. Its symptoms may vary from mild, occasional leaks, incessant dribbling, to a bigger loss

of urine during various physical activities.

Surgical intervention, involving the use of vaginal or bladder meshes, may be required in instances

where symptoms fail to respond to conservative treatments. However, a number of adverse-event

reports have been associated with the use of these medical devices, instigating safety alerts from the

United States Food and Drug Administration, and harboring a number of surgical mesh lawsuits from

women who have experienced adverse effects. Visit bladdermeshlawsuit.us to learn more about the

safety issues linked to pelvic mesh implants.