Bladder leaks are an incredibly common problem that plagues over half of women by the time we reach our mid-60s. Yet as common as the issue is, many ladies feel too embarrassed to mention incontinence to their doctors.
But now researchers say they’ve confirmed that a new quick operation can ensure you never have to mention it again.
Deciding to go under the knife to ease incontinence is a personal decision you’ll need to make with the help of your doctor, of course. In some cases, it may turn out to be the best option.
But you should be sure you have ALL the facts when you make that decision. Including any possible problems you may face as well as other effective solutions.
And there are two potential deal breakers you deserve to know about:
- It’s not always the one-and-done quick fix they’re promising.
- It could leave you battling another problem that most folks ALSO don’t like mentioning to a doctor.
And as you’ll see in a moment, that’s a trade-off you simply just don’t have to make in many cases.
Fix the leak and SKIP the scalpel
The most common type of bladder leak in women is stress incontinence. Any slight jostle, including walking, laughing, coughing, sneezing, and stretching, can cause urine to slip out.
When incontinence worsens, occurring several times or more a week, doctors may suggest vaginal surgery to install mesh into the urethra to hold the bladder up.
And yes, that surgery can be every bit as painful as it sounds. The operation itself usually requires you to stay several nights in the hospital. And then, there can be weeks of recovery afterward, including bruising of the pubic bone, cramping, pain, and spotting.
The new study finds that a much simpler version of the standard operation can work nearly as well. It’s called a “mini sling.” It involves a quick outpatient procedure and only about a week of recovery.
A year after the incontinence surgery, around three out of four women who had either procedure reported that their urinary symptoms were significantly improved. And three years later, more than two-thirds were still pretty happy.
So far, so good. But the quick fix procedure turned out to have more complications.
- More than one in 10 women reported pain during sex. That’s more than double the rate of women who had the longer operations requiring hospitalization.
- About one in 10 patients who had the mini sling needed a second operation. Again, that was double the rate of the other surgery.
If your bladder problems are destroying your quality of life, either of those might be risks you’re willing to take. But you may not have to.
There are other effective incontinence solutions that work well for many women. And they could work for YOU too.
Ease incontinence and step out with confidence
You might be able to exercise the leaks away. But don’t worry, it’s not the kind of workout you need to do in a gym. In fact, you can do this no-sweat, anti-incontinence “training” anywhere.
Studies show Kegel exercises can strengthen the pelvic floor, so it’s not as prone to “letting loose.”
You start by locating the right muscle. The easiest way to do this is to stop peeing while you’re in the middle of going. That muscle you use to control the urine stream is the one you want to focus on.
Now that you know which muscle it is, you don’t have to pee to do the exercise. You can just tense it up anytime and anywhere you want.
Seriously, you can do Kegels while standing in line at the bank, while you wait for the pasta water to boil, or even while folding laundry. Not one will be the wiser.
The goal is to tense the muscle and hold it for three seconds 10 times in a row to complete a set. And you should do several sets throughout the day. This will help strengthen the muscle, which can reduce leaks. In some cases, it can even erase the incontinence altogether.
I’ve got more tips on how to plug the leaks… including some supplements that may work as well as or better than surgery… right here in my earlier report.
Latest posts by Alice Jacob (see all)
- Build muscle strength with ‘PINK POWER’ secret - May 23, 2022
- Common pain meds DOUBLE chance of chronic backache - May 23, 2022
- The REAL reason your UTIs keep coming back - May 22, 2022
