Incontinence

Diagnosis and testing for incontinence

Your provider will ask you questions about your symptoms and perform an exam of the pelvis, abdomen, rectum and genitals. You may need other tests to figure out what’s causing your incontinence, including:

• Urinalysis: A sample of your urine is checked for signs of infection, traces of blood or other abnormalities.
• Bladder diary: You record how much you drink, when you urinate, the amount of urine you produce and the number of incontinence episodes you have over a period of several days.
• Postvoid residual measurement: You're asked to urinate (void) into a container that measures urine output. Your provider checks the amount of leftover urine in your bladder using a catheter or ultrasound test, which tells them that you may have an obstruction in your urinary tract or a problem with your bladder nerves or muscles.
• Magneticresonance imaging (MRI): Imaging displays your pelvic organs for your provider to observe and evaluate.

After one or more of these tests, your provider can determine the underlying cause of your urinary incontinence and then make a treatment plan that is right for you.

Incontinence treatments

For minor cases, incontinence treatment can be as simple as making dietary adjustments, but more severe situations may require medication or one of the following:

• Pelvic floor therapy
• Urogynecology
• General surgery

Finding the root cause of incontinence

Problems with the nerves that control the bladder and bowels can also cause incontinence. This might be related to:

• Spinal cord injury
• Spine tumor
• Multiple sclerosis
• Parkinson’s disease

In any case, you won’t know what’s causing your incontinence until you talk to a doctor. He or she will ask you questions about your symptoms, and you may also need a physical exam. You may need other tests to figure out what’s causing your incontinence and find the right treatment for you.