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HEALTHCARE GUIDE 2007
I WOMEN'S HEALTH
Dr. Paul Hametty
Cornerstone QB/QYN
Female urinary incontinence is
a common medical disorder - In
the United States, an estimated
13 million adult’s experience
significant involuntary urine loss.
About 26% of all female patients age
30 years and older have reported
some form of urinary incontinence
during their lives. According to the
International Continence Society,
urinary incontinence is a medical
disorder defined as “a condition in
which involuntary loss of urine is a
social or hygienic problem and is
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Female Urinary Incontinence
What Caw I Vo-About It?
objectively demonstrable.”
Historically, female urinary
incontinence was an issue not readily
discussed between patients and their
doctors. However, because of an aging
US population and increased public
awareness, patients have become
less hesitant to discuss treatment
options for incontinence. Doctor Paul
Harnetty, an OBGYN physician states:
“I try to use a patient’s annual exam as
an opportunity to review her urinary
status. If she expresses symptoms or
concerns consistent with incontinence,
or if she just wants to know more about
the disorder, we discuss it at length. I
enjoy educating patients about potential
sources of urinary incontinence, its
appropriate evaluation, and potential
medicinal versus surgical treatment
options” says Doctor Harnetty.
When being evaluated for urinary
incontinence, a patient can expect a
review of her medical, surgical and
obstetric history. “When evaluating
a patient’s incontinence, I ask about
the nature and severity of her current
symptoms in addition to current and past
medical problems - such as diabetes,
neurological disease and hypertension,
as well as number of vaginal deliveries
and birth weights of her children.
We then discuss potential sources of
her incontinence, and finally a brief
urinalysis along with a basic urologic
profile and physical examination and
are performed.”
There are several forms of urinary
incontinence - the most common type is
“stress” incontinence, other types include
“urge” and “mixed” incontinence. “Urge”
incontinence is treated with medication,
not surgery, and can be described
as a series of uncontrolled bladder
spasms. Many patients who have urge
incontinence report feeling the need to
urinate on a frequent and “urgent” basis
- they usually cannot wait for more
than 15 minutes before having to use the
bathroom. “Stress” incontinence occurs
when a woman does any activity to
increase her intra-abdominal pressure
- such as cough, sneeze, laugh, or lift a
heavy object. This form of incontinence
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is treated surgically using a bladder ‘sling’
or hammock to support the bladder and
adjacent urinary structures. “Mixed”
incontinence is a combination of both
stress and urge incontinence and may
require both a medicinal and surgical
treatment approach.
In summary, urinary incontinence is
more prevalent than you might think,
and talking to your doctor can be a great
first step in understanding and dealing
with this issue. According to Doctor
Harnetty, “Many patients admit feeling
extremely relieved when they ‘finally’
bring up their incontinence - and a vast
majority of patients who choose to treat
their disorder, whether medically or
surgically, are extremely pleased with
their results.”
- Doctor Hametty works with
Cornerstone OBGYN, and is board
certified in both Obstetrics and
Gynecology in Warner Robins.
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