Urinary Incontinence Treatment

For a biofeedback session for urinary incontinence, the practitioner inserts a small monitor into your vagina or rectum, or both. Electrodes may also be pasted on your belly to monitor abdominal contractions. As you perform your assigned pelvic... Full Answer

Both men and women can make use of biofeedback, a technique that uses a device to detect information about a biological function (for example, heart rate, skin temperature, or muscle tension) and provide feedback so you can gain greater awareness... Full Answer

A choice for women who want to try noninvasive methods are devices that help you do pelvic muscle exercises consistently and effectively at home. Research shows that vaginal weighted cones (smooth, tampon-shaped inserts of increasing weight),... Full Answer

Some women find that using vaginal weighted cones helps boost the power of their pelvic floor exercises. These are a set of smooth, tampon-shaped inserts of increasing weight. If you have significant uterine prolapse (in which the uterus drops... Full Answer

To use vaginal cones, start with the lightest (less than 1 ounce) and insert the cone into your vagina as you would a tampon. A lubricant may make insertion more comfortable, but it also makes the cones slippery. Then, contract your pelvic... Full Answer

Home biofeedback devices are handheld electronic devices that let you know how strongly you are contracting your pelvic muscles when you practice Kegels (exercises for the pelvic floor muscles). Muscle strength is detected with a vaginal sensor... Full Answer

One method of rehabilitating a weakened pelvic floor in both men and women employs pulsed, focused magnetic fields generated by a patented device called NeoControl, available in some medical clinics. Pulsed magnetic energy causes the muscles to... Full Answer

With electrical stimulation, electrodes are placed within the body through the rectum or vagina. These electrodes then send out stimulation that helps to strengthen the pelvic muscles. This treatment can be very effective but may take several months... Full Answer

Alpha-adrenergic antagonists are prescribed to men who develop overflow incontinence when an enlarged prostate interferes with normal urine flow. Also known as alpha blockers, these drugs have the opposite effect of alpha-adrenergic agonists --... Full Answer

An older category of antidepressant drugs known as tricyclic antidepressants can be useful for treating men and women whose primary complaint is that they wake up at night to urinate (a condition called nocturia). Drugs such as amitriptyline and... Full Answer