Your doctor may then refer you to a doctor specializing in the treatment of stress incontinence. This might be a urologist (a doctor with specialist knowledge of the parts of your body that make, carry and store urine) or a gynecologist (a doctor with specialist knowledge of the womb).

You may also be referred to a physical therapist who specializes in teaching Kegel exercises (pelvic floor exercises). You could go to a continence clinic to try simple treatments for stress incontinence that don't involve surgery.

Your doctor may ask you about:

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
Weiss BD.
Diagnostic evaluation of urinary incontinence in geriatric patients.
American Family Physician. 1998;57: 2675-2684, 2688-2690.

 

 

 

 

 

¹

You may be advised to keep a diary for a week or a frequency and volume chart. You'll write down when you go to the bathroom, if you leak any urine and what you drink. Your doctor may also ask you to measure how much urine you pass in 24 hours. To do this, you can use a special pan that fits over the rim of your toilet.

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
Jackson S.
Female urinary incontinence: symptom evaluation and diagnosis.
European Urology. 1997; 32 (supplement 2): 20-24.

 

 

 

 

 

²

Your doctor may also ask you to write down how many pads you use each day or how wet they get over a number of hours. This tells your doctor how much urine you're leaking.

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
Jackson S.
Female urinary incontinence: symptom evaluation and diagnosis.
European Urology. 1997; 32 (supplement 2): 20-24.

 

 

 

 

 

² It's called a pad test.

Your doctor may examine the area around your vagina and rectum for medical conditions that can cause incontinence. For example, a tumor or bad

 

 

 

 

 

constipated
When you're constipated, you have difficulty passing stools (feces). Your bowel movements may be dry and hard. You may have fewer bowel movements than usual, and it may be a strain when you try to go.

 

 

 

 

 

constipation can cause incontinence. Also, if you have poor reflexes and feeling in this area, it can mean that your nerves are damaged.

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
Weiss BD.
Diagnostic evaluation of urinary incontinence in geriatric patients.
American Family Physician. 1998;57: 2675-2684, 2688-2690.

 

 

 

 

 

¹

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
Jackson S.
Female urinary incontinence: symptom evaluation and diagnosis.
European Urology. 1997; 32 (supplement 2): 20-24.

 

 

 

 

 

²

Your doctor may send a sample of your urine to be tested in a laboratory. This checks for signs of infection or another problem.

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
Jackson S.
Female urinary incontinence: symptom evaluation and diagnosis.
European Urology. 1997; 32 (supplement 2): 20-24.

 

 

 

 

 

²

These are tests to check how well your bladder is working. They're usually done before you have surgery for incontinence. They can tell if you also have another type of incontinence or if there are any other complications. This information will help you and your doctor choose the right treatment for you.

A uroflowmetry test measures how much urine you pass and how fast it comes out. To do this, you pass urine into a toilet that has a pan to catch your urine, and a measuring device. You do this in private. A graph shows how fast your urine came out and helps your doctor tell if your bladder is working normally.

This test measures how much liquid your bladder can hold and the pressure inside your bladder. A doctor or nurse will put a small tube called a catheter into your bladder to empty it. Then a smaller tube is used to fill your bladder with water. Another tube is usually put into your rectum to measure the pressure there as well. You'll be asked how you feel as your bladder gets full and when you get the urge to pass urine. And you may be asked to cough to see if you leak any urine. This test may be slightly uncomfortable, but it shouldn't hurt.

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.
Urinary incontinence in women.
National Kidney and Urologic Diseases Information Clearinghouse. July 1997: NIH Publication No. 97-4

 

 

 

 

 

³

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