Find relief for overflow incontinence

Have you ever put a glass under the faucet and left the water running to fill it? If you don’t come back in time, your glass is overflowing. That’s what overflow incontinence is like. Your bladder has a certain capacity. When your bladder becomes too full, you have chronic urinary retention that causes urine leakage. Our Houston urologists compassionately diagnose and treat this type of urinary incontinence.

Causes and risk factors

A bladder that is too full is the primary cause of overflow urinary incontinence. Your bladder can become too full for several reasons.

• Obstruction in the urethra or bladder that keeps the bladder from emptying fully
• Nerve damage or weak muscles in the bladder
• Medications or conditions such as diabetes that cause an increase in the volume of urine produced

Men get overflow incontinence more often than women. People who have spinal cord injuries, diabetes or nerve damage are also more likely to develop overflow urinary incontinence.

Prostate problems and incontinence

Prostate problems, such as benign prostatic hyperplasia, or BPH, and prostate cancer raise men’s risk of developing overflow urinary incontinence, urinary retention and other types of incontinence. These conditions, as well as treatment for prostate cancer, can cause urethral obstructions or scar tissue that causes a urethra stricture. These blockages prevent the bladder from emptying fully and cause urine leakage.

Symptoms of overflow incontinence

People who suffer from overflow urinary incontinence often feel embarrassed and may not seek treatment for these common symptoms.

• Constantly dribbling urine
• Urine leakage
• Feeling the need to go to the bathroom often, even though you might not produce much urine
• Experiencing the sudden urge to urinate
• Needing to get up two or more times each night to go to the bathroom

Our Houston neurologists urge you to schedule a visit with our team for expert diagnosis and treatment. There is no need to miss out on life because of urinary incontinence.

Diagnosing urinary retention and other bladder issues due to overflow urinary incontinence

Our team starts the diagnostic process by performing a physical examination. Our urologists can perform several different tests to diagnose why you are retaining urine and having urine leakage.

• Urinalysis to assess your urine and look for things like blood in your urine or urinary tract infections
• Urodynamic testing to diagnose problems with your lower urinary tract, as well as the muscle and nerve function of your bladder and other issues
• Procedures such as a cystoscopy or voiding cystogram
• Abdominal ultrasound

Our Houston urologists offer expert treatment for overflow incontinence

Our experienced physicians have a variety of ways to manage and treat this type of incontinence. Lifestyle changes, including bladder training, timed voiding and pelvic floor exercises, can help you take more control over your bladder. Medications can help shrink an enlarged prostate. Here are some of the procedures our urologists may recommend.

• Self-catheterizing can help with urinary retention.
• Nerve stimulation can strengthen bladder muscles by sending electrical pulses to the nerves.
• Permanent catheterization helps some patients.
• Our Houston urologists can perform surgery to fix any obstructions or blockages.

Don’t despair if you have symptoms of overflow incontinence. Contact us for an appointment, and get on the road to good health and a better quality of life.