Your results show you may have incontinence which may be preventing you from enjoying your life.
Are you bothered by frequent urination?
Are you bothered by urine leakage related to the feeling of urgency?
Are you bothered by urine leakage related to physical activity, coughing or sneezing?
Are you bothered by small amounts of urine leakage (drops)?
Are you bothered by difficulty emptying your bladder?
Are you bothered by pain or discomfort in the lower abdominal area or genital area?
Here are some resources to help make your next move so you can focus on find the most effective treatment option for you.
Find a Pelvic Specialist with Experience in Treating Your Condition
Finding a doctor with the skills and experience necessary to treat your stress urinary incontinence is one of the most important things you can do to help you regain control of your pelvic health. And it is easy with our online physician locator.
Urinary Incontinence: It’s common and treatable
Living with urinary incontinence (UI) can be challenging – it can interfere with your activities, intrude on your social life, and be just plain inconvenient and embarrassing. Maybe you’ve heard other women talk about it — and now it’s happening to you.
Millions of other women who have experienced UI2 understand what you’re going through and have found a solution that works1 — and you can, too.
Watch this video to learn more about the causes of Urinary Incontinence and potential treatment options.
Real Women. Real Stories.
If so many women are dealing with incontinence, why have you never heard women talk about it? Many women feel embarrassed, think it’s just a normal part of aging or believe they can cope with it on their own. Whatever the reason, it’s just not something most women talk about with their friends, family or physicians. We’ve spoken with women who have suffered from, and taken steps to control incontinence.
Watch the story of Julie who suffered from stress urinary incontinence and had surgery to take control of their condition.
FDA Information
The FDA has made a commitment to inform thepublic about urogynecologic surgical mesh forstress urinary incontinence (SUI) and maintainsinformation for patients about SUI and use ofsurgical mesh for repair of SUI on its website. Thisinformation can be accessed electronically byvisiting the following webpage:
The FDA also provides Considerations aboutSurgical Mesh for SUI which can be found at thefollowing webpage:
Additionally, the FDA provides recommendations regarding SUI surgery which are printed below and can be found at the following webpage:
Recommendations Before Surgery:
Ask your surgeon about all SUI treatment options, including non-surgical options and surgical options that do and do not use mesh slings. It is important for you to understand why your surgeon may be recommending a particular treatment option to treat your SUI.
Any surgery for SUI may put you at risk for complications, including additional surgery. One complication that may occur when mesh slings are used is vaginal mesh erosion, which could require additional surgery to resolve.
If mesh erosion occurs through the vaginal tissue, it is possible that men may experience penile irritation and/or pain during sexual intercourse.
Ask your surgeon the following questions before you decide to have SUI surgery:
- What surgical or non-surgical treatment options are available and what do you recommend to treat my SUI?
- Have you had specialized training in the surgical treatment of SUI, and if so, what type of training have you had with this particular product and/or procedure?
- What can I expect after surgery and what is the recovery time?
- If I also have pelvic organ prolapse, will that change how you treat my SUI?•What if the surgery doesn’t correct my problem?
- Which side effects should I report to you after the surgery?
- Are you planning to use a mesh sling in my surgery? If so:
- How often have you performed this surgery using this particular product? What results have your other patients had with this product?
- What are the pros and cons of using a mesh sling in my particular case? How likely is it that my repair could be successfully performed without using a mesh sling?
- Are recovery times different for mesh sling surgery compared to non-mesh surgery?
- Will my partner be able to feel the mesh sling during sexual intercourse?
- If I have a complication related to the mesh sling, how likely is it that the complication can be resolved? Will you treat it or will I be referred to a specialist experienced with mesh sling complications?
- Is there patient information that comes with the product, and can I have a copy?
Recommendations After Surgery:
Continue with annual check-ups and follow-up care, notifying your health care provider if complications develop, such as persistent vaginal bleeding or discharge, pelvic or groin pain, or pain during sexual intercourse. There is no need to take additional action if you are satisfied with your surgery and are not having complications or symptoms.
- If you have complications or other symptoms:
- Discuss complications and treatment options with your health care provider. Only your health care provider can give you personalized medical advice.
- Consider getting a second opinion from a surgeon who specializes in female pelvic reconstruction if you are not satisfied with your discussion with your health care provider.
- Let your health care provider know you have a mesh sling, especially if you plan to have another surgery, plan to become pregnant or have other medical procedures.
- If you have had SUI surgery but do not know whether your surgeon used a mesh sling, ask your health care provider.
- Talk to your health care provider about any additional questions you may have.
General Risks Associated with Surgery for Stress Urinary Incontinence (SUI):
- Injury to the bladder, bowel, blood vessels, or nerves
- Bleeding
- Infection of the urinary tract or wound infections
- Urinary problems after the procedure (difficulty urinating or urgency symptoms)
- Problems related to the anesthesia used
Benefits and Risks of Sling Surgery
Benefits
- Short surgery time
- Outpatient procedure
- Recovery time generally is quicker than with other procedures for SUI
Risks
- Mesh erosion
- Infection
- Long-term pain
- Injury to the bladder or other pelvic organs by the instruments used to place the midurethral sling