Urinary incontinence: help for leaks in women and men
Our new Oakwood location on Mundy Mill Road is nearly ready. For now, our Braselton team is glad to book your visit, and procedures are scheduled at our Lawrenceville Clinic & Surgery Center.
Leaking urine is common, but it is not something you simply have to live with. The fix depends on the kind of leak, so our first job is to work out whether it comes from a weak seal, an overactive bladder muscle, or both.
What kinds of leaks are there?
- Stress leaks happen when you cough, laugh, lift or exercise. They are frequent after pregnancy and around menopause.
- Urge leaks come with a sudden need to go that you cannot hold, often along with frequent trips day and night. This is overactive bladder.
- Mixed leaks combine the two, and treating the bigger problem first usually helps most.
- Leaks in men after prostate surgery are often stress leaks caused by a weaker sphincter muscle.
When should you see a urologist about leaks?
Book a visit if you wear pads most days, plan outings around bathrooms, or stop exercising because of leaks. Men who are still leaking months after prostate surgery should come in too. Pain, blood in the urine or repeat infections along with leaks deserve a prompt look.
How do our urologists work out the cause?
We start with your story and a short exam. A urine test rules out infection, and a bladder scan shows whether you empty fully. Many patients keep a three-day bladder diary of drinks, trips and leaks. When the picture is still unclear, or before any procedure, urodynamic testing measures how the bladder fills and empties, and a quick cystoscopy may be added.
Which treatments do we offer?
For stress leaks: pelvic floor physical therapy, the magnetic pelvic floor chair, Bulkamid urethral bulking, and sling surgery. For urge leaks: bladder habits and medicines first, then Botox injections into the bladder, InterStim sacral nerve stimulation or the Altaviva implant. For men leaking after prostate surgery: pelvic floor therapy and, when leaks persist, the ProACT adjustable balloons.
What is recovery like?
Pelvic floor therapy and the magnetic chair are a series of sessions with no recovery time. Bulkamid is a short procedure, and most women return to usual activities quickly. After a sling or an implant, our urologists will set lifting and exercise limits for the first weeks and see you back to check results.
What do patients ask about urinary incontinence?
Do leaks simply come with age?
It becomes more common with age, but it is treatable at any age. Many people improve with therapy and habits alone, before any procedure is discussed.
Do men get incontinence too?
Yes. Men leak from overactive bladder, from an enlarged prostate that keeps the bladder from emptying, and after prostate surgery. The workup is the same careful one we use for women.
What is a bladder diary?
A simple log of what you drink, when you urinate and when you leak, usually kept for three days. It shows patterns that a single visit cannot.
Will I need surgery?
Most people do not start with surgery. Therapy, habits and medicines come first, and procedures are offered when those do not give enough relief.
What is Bulkamid?
A gel placed in the wall of the urethra through a small scope to help it close more firmly. It treats stress leaks in women without an incision.
Can pelvic floor therapy help after prostate surgery?
Often, yes. Strengthening the pelvic floor is a standard first step for men who leak after prostatectomy, and it can be paired with other treatments.
Which video explains this?
Watch: Dr. Herman Bagga discusses options for Urinary Stress Incontinence
What the video covers: Dr. Herman Bagga, an Advanced Urology urologist, talks through the options for stress urinary incontinence.
Watch: #004 - Leaking After Prostate Surgery? How ProACT Puts You Back in Control
What the video covers: A podcast episode about leaking after prostate surgery and how the ProACT device can help men regain control.
Videos open on Advanced Urology's YouTube channel.
Which of our urologists focus on this?
These physicians list it among their focus areas on their Advanced Urology profiles. You can ask for one by name when you book.
- Dr. Michael F. Nordsiek, Lawrenceville: Urinary Incontinence, Nerve Stimulation
- Dr. Nicholas Farber, Braselton: Urinary Incontinence
Which of our articles go deeper?
Where can you be seen for this?
At the Lawrenceville Clinic & Surgery Center on Crown Pointe Way, where testing and outpatient procedures share one building, or at the Braselton Clinic on Old Winder Highway for visits, lab work and follow-ups. Our Oakwood Clinic is opening soon. Call (678) 344-8900 or book online, and see your first visit and what to bring before you come.
Ready to talk with our urologists? We're here for you.