It would seem that everything is over - a long nine months, exhausting birth and stay in the hospital. And now you can completely dissolve in the infinity filled with boundless happiness and joy of motherhood with your little, defenseless little one. Yes, it was not there ... Sometimes it happens that among the pleasant troubles for the newborn, along with the obligatory small intimate "problems", there is another trouble, clouding the life filled with new colors, - urinary incontinence after childbirth.
The main thing in this situation is not to hang your nose and understand that everything is fixable. In no case should you let things go by themselves, be embarrassed and keep silent about your delicate problem. Here it is necessary to act! If this becomes easier: you are not alone, in the world over 200 million women suffer from incontinence.
What is urinary incontinence?
Incontinence is a pathological condition characterized by involuntary discharge of urine. The volume of excretions and their frequency may be different: from a few drops one to two days prior to constant leakage.
There are different types of this pathology, but incontinence after childbirth is often stressful, in other words, urinary incontinence with stress, that is, urine output occurs if the pressure in the bladder increases above the pressure in the urethra (urethra).
The main cause of the disease is the weakness of the muscle that blocks the exit from the bladder (sphincter). Normally it opens only when you visit the toilet, at other times it is in a tightly compressed state.
Stress urinary incontinence manifests itself in the performance of the most common actions and movements that require muscle tension. Any tension in the abdominal muscles can trigger involuntary leakage.
So, there are three degrees of urinary incontinence:
- mild - symptoms of urinary incontinence are minimal with significant physical exertion;
- mean - involuntary discharge of urine during coughing, sneezing, laughing, fast walking);
- severe - involuntary urination with a change in the position of the body or even in a state of sleep).
Causes of urinary incontinence after childbirth
The main cause of urinary incontinence in young mothers is strong stretching, loss of elasticity, weakening and even sagging of the pelvic floor muscles during pregnancy and childbirth. Exacerbation of the situation occurs with complex and prolonged childbirth, especially if the fetus is large, which, passing through the birth canal, strongly compresses soft tissues. As a result of a change in the angle between the bladder and the urethra, the normal functioning of the urinary tract is disrupted.
Injuries that the woman in childbirth received during childbirth - existing gaps and incisions, increase the likelihood of a problem of this nature. In the risk group, there are also mating females.
Often, urinary incontinence after childbirth can also be accompanied by fever, pain during urination, the discharge of turbid urine or urine with a very unpleasant odor. All this is evidence of a urinary tract infection, and requires immediate medical attention.
Treatment of urinary incontinence after childbirth
Conservative treatment
When urinary incontinence, women are recommended to perform exercises for the muscles of the perineum. They are the basis of conservative treatment. This traditional method of treatment is not invasive and does not guarantee 100% cure, rapid improvement of the condition and stability of the positive effect.
It is believed that correctly performed physical exercises with incontinence after 8 weeks can improve the condition by increasing the resistance of the urethra, which is created due to an arbitrary contraction of the muscles of the perineum. Exercises are a combination of successively short and long contractions of the muscle, which raises the anus. Depending on the initial condition of the muscles, the patient is given individual exercises for urinary incontinence.
With regular exercise, incontinence problems must go away after 3 months. If, during a jump in place after this period, urine is released, it is necessary to contact the doctor again, which will determine the further treatment tactics.
A greater effect on the final result can be from a combination of exercises and electrical stimulation. As an alternative to exercises for strengthening the muscles of the pelvic floor, an individual course of treatment with vaginal cones can be used, but because of possible side effects (colpitis, vaginal bleeding, discomfort), their use is limited.
Medication
With urinary incontinence after childbirth, pharmacological treatment is undesirable, in the absence of drugs without side effects.
Operative treatment
The most effective and guarantee a lasting effect are surgical methods of restoring the function of urination. Among the operations in this area are:
- uretrocystocervicolexia - an operation to strengthen and fix the pubic-bubble connection, which in the normal position keeps the urethra and the neck of the bladder. It can be performed through laparoscopic or open access;
- Sling (loop) surgery is a more gentle way of restoring the functions of the urethra. Using the free loop method makes it possible to create additional supports for the urethra. Implantation of the sling is performed by cutting into the vagina and two skin punctures in the inguinal and suprapubic areas under the influence of local anesthesia. High-tech operation lasts 30 minutes, while in hospital - 1 day. With correctly diagnosed stress urinary incontinence, the effectiveness of the method reaches 96%.
Recommendations for alleviating the condition
To slightly ease the condition of the disease, it is recommended to do the following:
- go to the toilet on the clock, without overexposing urine (start with an interval of 1 hour, gradually bringing it up to 3 hours);
- follow the chair, not allowing constipation;
- quit smoking;
- constantly monitor weight, not allowing obesity;
- revise the diet in the direction of products that do not irritate the bladder;
- Drink a day at least 1.5 liters of water, which will ensure a normal concentration of urine, and will not irritate the bladder;
- Perform Kegel exercises, in the absence of inflammatory diseases of the genitals;
- Use special "breathable" gaskets that prevent leakage and neutralize the odor.