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Take Control of Your Bladder and Reclaim an Active Lifestyle
Mindy Samuelson-Marquez, MD, Urologist
The truth is that urinary incontinence is far from inevitable. Yet Barbara is not alone – of the 12 million Americans with urinary incontinence, many hesitate to discuss the condition with their doctors due to embarrassment and the misconception that urinary incontinence is a normal part of aging. But Mindy Samuelson- Marquez, MD, urologist at St. Helena Urology in Clearlake, Kelseyville and Calistoga, wants to change that.
“Almost every woman has either had the problem or knows someone who's had the problem, but no one talks about it,” Dr. Samuelson-Marquez says. “It's something women need to realize occurs very often and there are some great treatment options. I view it like hypertension – it becomes much more common as you age, but that doesn't mean you don't seek treatment for it. There are consequences to not dealing with it. It is not a normal part of aging.” Dr. Samuelson-Marquez is dedicated to helping patients understand and correct their bladder control issues with a wide variety of treatment options.
“Why spend your 30s, 40s, 50s or 60s with a leakage problem when you could be active and not leaking?” she asks. “There's almost always something I can do to help someone, and I'm not going to give up until I find it. My job is to figure out what type of leakage a person has and make sure we have all of the information we need in order to select the best treatment for that individual.”
Urge or Stress?
Urinary incontinence is divided into two
main types: urge and stress.- Urge urinary incontinence (UUI) This is when
your bladder is overactive. You feel the need to
go frequently so you have the urge to urinate a
lot even if you don't have leakage problems.
- Stress urinary incontinence (SUI) The first name of this condition says it all – stress! As if you don't have enough to worry about, the fact that you could leak when you laugh is not funny. And forget about sneezing, coughing or exercising. Sudden movement could cause women with stress urinary incontinence to experience leakage.
Many women have a combination of the two, or mixed urinary incontinence, which calls for specialized treatment.
“If someone with mixed incontinence has sought treatment before and only one type of incontinence was addressed, the treatment often won't work. A lot of women get frustrated and give up,” says Dr. Samuelson-Marquez. “I recognize that every person is an individual, and that there is no one type of treatment for everyone.”
Personalized Solutions
Treatment depends on a variety of factors, including the degree of each type of leakage, the support of the urethra and bladder, personal preferences and the overall health of the individual.Treatments for urge incontinence aim to calm the bladder, either by medications to relax the muscle or with a new form of therapy, peripheral nerve stimulation, which redirects the communication between the pelvic nerves and the bladder. “Dietary changes such as minimizing caffeine, spicy foods, alcohol and other bladder irritants can help, but it won't be enough for everyone,” Dr. Samuelson-Marquez explains.
Treatments for stress incontinence involve restoring support to weakened pelvic-floor and sphincter muscles. Dr. Samuelson-Marquez works with a physical therapy team that offers traditional therapies, such as pelvic floor tightening through biofeedback and Kegel exercises, as well as more advanced options like collagen or synthetic agent injections around the urethra that help the sphincter muscle close tightly. She also specializes in a new single-incision sling procedure. This outpatient surgery results in a quick return to normal activity and minimal discomfort.
“Women are more comfortable coming to another woman, and they're more
likely to open up and tell me all of the details that help improve our odds
of successful treatment.”
“I offer a full spectrum of treatments so I can
offer a patient many options. The ability to use
multiple treatments greatly increases
a patient's odds of seeing improvement,”
Dr. Samuelson-Marquez explains. Being
the only female urologist within a 100-mile
radius of Lake County also gives her a unique
advantage. “Women are more comfortable
coming to another woman, and they're more
likely to open up and tell me all of the
details that help improve our odds of
successful treatment.”The Best Treatment for You
For most people, there is more than one option for treatment. Dr. Samuelson-Marquez can help you find the solution that works best for you. Call St. Helena Urology at 707-994-9771 to schedule an evaluation today.
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