Medically Reviewed by Gary H. Emerson, MD

The day a woman finally decides to move past the embarrassment of Stress Incontinence or Urge Incontinenceand seek care, is a benchmark she’ll long remember.

It’s the start of a journey to regain control of her life. No more leakage when she sneezes or coughs. No more constant scanning for a bathroom because of her overactive bladder.

Yet,  according to . McLeod Gynecologist Gary Emerson, MD, a woman has some work to do before she sees the doctor:

Key points from the video:

The  best thing a woman can do prior to seeing her doctor for incontinence is keep a bladder diary with how often she urinates during the day, often leakage episodes occur, how many times she urinates at night, what her volume e of urine production is and whether she feels like she is completely emptying her bladder or not.

Those are important facts that the doctor will ask her when she gets there. If she knows that before her visit, she’ll be a step ahead when she sees the doctor. 

There are several ways that Gynecologists can evaluate this problem.  One way is a history of her bladder problems. The doctor will go into detail about this. The other way to evaluate her situation is a physical exam, which would be part of any evaluation. The doctor can tell if she has some pelvic organ prolapse or a problem with pelvic relaxation.

Then, the last step is urodynamics. This is a study done in the office. A technician will fill up the bladder with fluid, simulating urine. The doctor will stress the bladder to see what the pressures are like.  This is a good way to see if her bladder spasms involuntarily, whether she has a weakness in the neck of her bladder or whether she has a weakness in sphincter of her urethra.

This  article may also be helpful:

Tests for Incontinence Your Doctor Can Do in The Office

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