Urinary incontinence happens when an individual can’t fully control their bladder, resulting in them experiencing leakage. Most women have experienced weakened bladder control at some point in their life. It’s especially common during pregnancy and for a while after. But when do a few accidents indicate a problem? An Obstetrician-Gynecologist (OBGYN) can help with all matters related to women’s sexual and reproductive health. Schedule an appointment with your OBGYN if urinary incontinence starts happening frequently or affects your quality of life. 

• Caffeine
• Carbonated drinks
• Alcohol
• Artificial Sweeteners
• Spicy, sugary, or acidic foods
• Chili peppers
• Chocolate
• Blood pressure and heart medications
• Muscle relaxants and sedatives

Dealing with bladder control problems? We can help.

Urinary incontinence is more common than you might realize. In fact, up to 50 percent of women experience urinary leakage at some point during their lifetime, with up to 20 percent dealing with regular and uncomfortable leakage. While this is often a normal part of growing older, there are certain conditions and issues that could also be to blame. Our Brownsville, TX, gynecologist, Dr. Gabriel Guajardo, and his team can provide several strategies to improve urinary leakage.

Causes of Urinary Incontinence

There are many reasons you may be dealing with urinary incontinence. Some of these problems can easily be treated to help eliminate bladder leakage. Some of these causes include:

• Certain medications
• Urinary tract infections
• Growths or polyps within the bladder
• Abnormalities in the urinary tract
• Muscle dysfunction caused by muscular disorders or childbirth

It’s important for our Brownsville, TX, OBGYN to be able to determine the root cause of your urinary incontinence in order to create an effective treatment plan.

Treating Urinary incontinence

There are certain measures you can take to improve your symptoms. These lifestyle adjustments include:

• Performing pelvic floor exercises to strengthen weakened muscles of the pelvic floor after childbirth or due to aging
• Managing how much water you drink throughout the day to reduce leakages
• Avoiding alcohol, caffeine, and carbonated beverages
• Avoid drinking water about 3-4 hours before bedtime
• Losing weight if overweight or obese
• Retraining your bladder

If you are unable to control your urinary incontinence through lifestyle changes and at-home care then our gynecologist can provide other treatment options including,

• Medication: There are certain prescription medications such as tricyclic antidepressants that can help the bladder to relax, which improves how much urine the bladder can hold and prevents leakage.
• Botox: These same injections that are used to relax the muscles of the face for cosmetic enhancements can also relax the bladder and improve urinary incontinence.
• Catheters: Your doctor may recommend using a catheter to help empty your bladder. This may be used for women dealing with stress incontinence.
• Electrical Nerve Stimulation: If medication, medical devices and other methods haven’t been effective then electrical nerve stimulation may be used to alter the reflexes of the bladder to improve bladder control.

Schedule an Online Appointment with Us!

Dr. Guajardo and his OBGYN staff know that it’s important for women to be able to have access to gynecological and obstetric care and treatment. During the pandemic, our goal is to keep our patients healthy and safe. We are offering teleconference appointments via your Healow app (which you probably already use to access your medical records).

Whether you have concerns about urinary incontinence, fertility treatments, menopause treatments, or questions about your pregnancy, schedule a telemedicine visits with us by calling (956) 350-4821.

Do you want to know more about what causes urinary incontinence?

The issues you have with bladder leakage or the lack of making it to the bathroom in time shouldn't be ignored. Contact J. Gabriel Guajardo in Brownsville, TX, doctor if you suspect that you may be experiencing urinary incontinence.

More About Urinary Incontinence:

Urinary incontinence is a loss of bladder control and a sudden urge to urinate. This common medical condition often makes it difficult to laugh or cough.

This condition occurs largely due to the loss of muscle control, which in turn, leads to the loss urination control. Consequently, your bladder will contract without warning or your sphincter muscles will no longer hold back the flow of urine as you intend them to.

Common causes of urinary incontinence include

• Pregnancy
• Childbirth
• Menopause

Urinary incontinence may lead to other complications, such as:

• Urinary tract infection
• Constipation
• Certain neurological disorders

There are other risk factors that don't usually result in urinary incontinence, but do make it worse, such as:

• Gender
• Weight
• Other conditions

People may also suffer from temporary urinary incontinence if they've consumed,

• Too much alcohol or caffeine
• Certain medications and sedatives

Treatments for Urinary Incontinence:

If you're suffering from a mild case of urinary incontinence, you may manage by simply wearing pads and using the bathroom frequently. Kegel exercises are also one of the most popular treatment options for urinary incontinence, as they specifically strengthen the pelvic floor muscles. Other methods to improve bladder control include a lifestyle change, such as losing weight and quitting tobacco.

For more serious cases, your doctor can offer you medications, biofeedback, nerve stimulation, or pessary devices. Surgery should be the last resort but that option is available if nothing else works.

Need Help? Give Our Brownsville Office a Call!

You shouldn't be embarrassed by urinary incontinence. For treatment, call Dr. J. Gabriel Guajardo, in Brownsville, TX, at (956) 350-4821.

There are many ways to get bladder incontinence under control.

Dealing with a loss of bladder control, or urinary incontinence can be embarrassing. Being concerned that you might not be able to make it to the bathroom in time could have you avoiding certain social or professional situations. While people may assume that this problem only happens to older women, our Brownsville, TX, OBGYN Dr. J. Gabriel Guajardo is here to tell you that this happens to women of all ages for many reasons.

What causes urinary incontinence?

Urinary incontinence may be acute or chronic. If it’s acute, a urinary tract infection, constipation, certain medications (e.g. blood pressure or heart medications; sedatives), or certain foods or drinks could be to blame. In fact, these foods and drinks can stimulate the bladder and cause urgency:

• Caffeine
• Carbonated drinks
• Alcohol
• Chocolate
• Spicy or acidic foods
• Citrus fruits

If urinary incontinence doesn’t seem to go away then it could be caused by pregnancy, aging, menopause, childbirth, a urinary tract obstruction or a neurological disorder (e.g. spinal injury; Parkinson’s disease).

When to see a doctor?

It’s important to give our Brownsville, TX, gynecologist a call if:

• You experience sudden urinary incontinence (which could be caused by a new medication or a UTI)
• Your urinary incontinence requires you to wear a pad
• Your urinary incontinence impacts your life

While we know that this problem can be a bit embarrassing it is an issue that many women face and it’s important to talk to us about what’s going on so that we can provide you with the individualized care and treatment you need to get this problem under control.

What are my treatment options?

The treatment or treatments that will work best for you will really depend on the cause of your urinary incontinence, which is why it’s a good idea to visit us as soon as symptoms arise so that we can provide a thorough diagnosis.

Urinary incontinence can be treated with:

• Pelvic floor exercises
• Medications (e.g. estrogen cream)
• Botox (to relax the muscles of the bladder)
• Bladder training and biofeedback
• Surgery (if symptoms aren’t responding to any other treatment options)

No matter whether you’ve been diagnosed with urinary incontinence or think you are dealing with this problem it’s important that you have a medical team by your side to provide you with the treatment you need here in Brownsville, TX. Call us today.