How is urinary incontinence treated?

Depending on your type of urinary incontinence – stress or urgency incontinence – and how severe your symptoms are, Dr Sam may recommend non-surgical management strategies, surgery for urinary incontinence, or a combination of both.

Non-surgical treatments for urinary incontinence:

Conservative management is typically reserved for urgency incontinence, but some cases of stress incontinence may also be effectively managed with non-surgical treatments. Some of the more common conservative management approaches are medications, pessaries, and pelvic floor exercises.

Surgery for urinary incontinence:

It is not uncommon for stress urinary incontinence to require surgery, especially if pelvic floor physiotherapy fails to improve your symptoms. There are a few different surgical approaches to treating urinary incontinence. Dr Sam is particularly experienced in performing an effective, minimally-invasive procedure known as a laparoscopic Burch colposuspension.

A laparoscopic colposuspension is performed under general anaesthesia through keyhole incisions. Dr Sam inserts tiny stitches to stabilise your urethra and lift the vagina, reducing accidental urine leakage.

In general, serious complications from urinary incontinence surgery are very rare. More common (but still infrequent) complications from a laparoscopic colposuspension include infection of the incision site, difficulty emptying your bladder, or recurrent symptoms requiring another procedure.