A Plan For Unplanned Peeing: How To Treat Stress Urinary Incontinence

Stress urinary incontinence (SUI) can be a daily cause of irritation for its sufferers who struggle to deal with its symptoms. We live in a fast-paced era, whether we are on the move, working out, or traveling from point A to point B. The last thing we need is for something as unnecessary as a wet-mishap  to delay our busy routine.

Recently, laser treatment for stress urinary incontinence has become an increasingly popular choice of treatment, as these treatments allow for minimal down time and no surgical procedure.

So why do they still offer surgery to treat SUI? Contrary to laser treatments that require repeat treatments at 6 to 12 month intervals, surgical treatment for SUI is the only definitive treatment available. Also, laser typically only treats mild cases of SUI so, in more severe cases, surgical management with a sling is the most appropriate treatment. Surgery also better serves those patients who, after laser, may have a recurrence of incontinence, or the laser treatment made no improvement in symptoms, even if they had only mild incontinence.  Some patients decide they no longer want to undergo periodic treatments and choose surgical treatment instead.

Despite being a surgical procedure, the recovery process for a sling or transvaginal tape is fairly minimal, with an outpatient surgery that takes only about an hour. Patients are able to go home the same day, with most only requiring 1-2 days off of work. The total healing process is 6 weeks but you will return to normal activity fairly quickly after the procedure with only a few limitations.

If you’re interested in learning more about how we can help visit our contact page or give us a call today at 512-973-8276.