Urethral Devices for Managing Stress Urinary Incontinence

Urinary incontinence is a common problem affecting 25–45% women. Effective management can have a huge impact on a patient’s quality of life and many treatments are available. Management should be dictated by the degree of bother the symptoms are having, and vary depending on the type on incontinence. Conservative measures should always be initiated, including optimisation of body mass index and smoking cessation. Overactive bladder and urge urinary incontinence can be improved with bladder retraining and avoidance of bladder stimulants. Medical treatment then includes anticholinergic medications or Mirabegron. More invasive options include Botulinum Toxin A (Botox®) injections, sacral nerve stimulation or urological surgery. Stress urinary incontinence should be managed initially with pelvic floor exercises, and input from a specialist nurse or physiotherapist is beneficial. The surgical options for managing stress incontinence have changed considerably over the years, but include bladder neck injections, mid-urethral slings, colposuspension or autologous fascial slings. Mixed urinary incontinence is more challenging to manage, but all conservative measures should be started. Further treatment is directed towards the predominant symptom, but overactivity should be controlled before surgical measures for stress urinary incontinence are performed.

Download Full-text

Managing stress urinary incontinence

Practice Nursing ◽

10.12968/pnur.2005.16.1.17341 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 16 (1) ◽

pp. 17-24 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Kate Anders

Keyword(s):

Urinary Incontinence ◽

Stress Urinary Incontinence ◽

Managing Stress

Download Full-text

Ongoing Research for Managing Stress Urinary Incontinence in Women with a FDA Approved Device, The FemCap™

International Journal of Women’s Health Care ◽

10.33140/ijwhc.06.01.01 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 6 (1) ◽

Keyword(s):

Urinary Incontinence ◽

Pilot Study ◽

Stress Urinary Incontinence ◽

Bladder Neck ◽

First Line ◽

Ongoing Research ◽

Ring Pessary ◽

Treatment And Prevention ◽

Menopausal Women ◽

Managing Stress

Background: The previous successful pilot study led the inventor to expand into Sweden and increase the number of participants. We also expanded the research comparing the FemCap to other Pessaries on the market. Pessary treatment is conservative with significant limitations. These limitations include displacement, erosion, ulceration, and urethral obstruction. Stress urinary incontinence (SUI) is prevalent particularly among menopausal women. The first line of SUI treatment is the ring pessary however, a variety of different pessaries have been introduced into the market with hope of achieving better results. Objectives: To provide women with a safer, more effective device to treat SUI. Materials and Methods: The FemCap combines the features of the ring and space- occupying pessaries into one device, which makes it more successful. The Bowl of the Dome of the FemCap covers the cervix and prevents it from prolapsing. The Rim fits snugly into the vaginal fornices that supports the bladder neck. The Brim flares outward pushing against the cystocele and urethrocele anteriorly to restore the anatomy of the urethra and the bladder. We recruited 118 women who had significant SUI and asked them to compare their experience for one week before using the FemCap and one week after. The FemCap was self-inserted and removed by the participants. Results: Only 100 women completed the study 94 were completely dry after one week, while 6 women were not satisfied with the results. No side effects were reported by the participants and pelvic examinations did not show any erosion or ulceration of the vagina. Conclusion: The FemCap is safe and effective in restoring the anatomy of the bladder, and urethra, which could make it ideal for the treatment and prevention of mild to moderate SUI. More studies are warranted to further prove the utility of the FemCap to manage SUI.

Download Full-text