Roughly one-third of women deal with urinary incontinence, a condition that interferes with your body’s ability to control your bladder. Urinary incontinence can cause urine to leak out at the least convenient times, like when you laugh, sneeze, or lift something heavy.
Just because it’s common doesn’t mean you want to live your life with this issue. That’s why Suresh Gupta, MD, and our team offer two noninvasive urinary incontinence treatments — diVa™ and THERMIva® — right here at our PureMD MedSpa locations in Beavercreek, Liberty Township, Miamisburg, and Dayton, Ohio.
As we help you put a stop to urinary incontinence, we also want to help you understand it. Here are six of the most common causes of this unwelcome condition.
Aging
As you get older, a number of changes happen in your pelvic floor. Your bladder muscles might weaken or get overactive even as other conditions make it harder to control your bladder and get to the bathroom in time. Ultimately, as you age, your risk for urinary incontinence goes up.
Childbirth
Incontinence is fairly common during and immediately after pregnancy, but your pelvic floor doesn’t always bounce all the way back. Childbirth can contribute to an overactive bladder and damage the nerves that control your bladder, for example. An episiotomy may also make you more likely to deal with urinary incontinence.
Menopause
Incontinence gets more common during and after menopause. Your body creates less estrogen, causing a variety of changes, including:
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- The weakening of your pelvic floor muscles
- Less elasticity in your vaginal tissue
- Thinning of the lining in your urethra
This makes it harder to control your bladder and to seal your urethra shut, contributing to increased instances of incontinence.
Perimenopause
Your estrogen levels don’t wait until menopause to start declining. Even during perimenopause, your dropping estrogen levels can cause the changes we outlined above and contribute to incontinence.
Hysterectomy
Similarly, because a hysterectomy causes your estrogen levels to drop, it can heighten your risk for urinary incontinence.
Breast cancer
Recent studies have linked early-stage breast cancer with urinary incontinence. While researchers are still working to understand why breast cancer affects your bladder control, it’s something worth preparing for as a side effect.
Fortunately, no matter what’s causing your urinary incontinence, we can help. With our noninvasive diVa and THERMIva treatments, we give you a way to regain your bladder control. To learn more and to find out which option is best for you, call the PureMD MedSpa office nearest to you or book your visit online today.
