Urinary Incontinence: Talk with Your Doctor About Treatment Options

Urinary Incontinence

Talk with your doctor about treatment options.

Although it may feel uncomfortable to discuss urinary incontinence (UI) with your provider, it can help to know you are far from alone. Urinary incontinence (unintended leakage) is common in older adults, although it is not considered a normal part of aging. The good news is that there are treatment options available.

Why is it important to speak to your doctor?

There are several types of urinary incontinence with different symptoms and causes, including urinary tract infections, constipation, nerve blockage, and more. Your doctor needs to understand your symptoms to determine what type you have and what treatments to consider.

A bladder diary capturing your toileting habits over several days is a helpful tool to share with your provider. Include details like these:

• Everything you ate and drank on those days
• How many times you intentionally urinated throughout the day
• How many nighttime trips you made to the bathroom
• The strength of your urine flow
• Did you experience any accidents? If so, how many? What caused the accidents?

Treating incontinence matters for your physical and mental health.

Along with the physical effects, those with UI may also tend to avoid social contacts due to the unpredictability and inconvenience of their condition. This isolation can affect mental health and overall quality of life.

All the more reason to speak up at your next visit and explore treatments that can help you manage your UI and get back to enjoying life with confidence.