July health news: A breakthrough in incontinence treatment

July health news: A breakthrough in incontinence treatment

Good news for the one in three women who suffer with stress urinary incontinence. A promising new surgery just may put an end to embarrassing leaks.
Updated:
2009-09-22 22:16
Published:
2009-07-03 00:00
By 
Heather Camlot

Treatment options for women who live with incontinence

Incontinence treatments
The first course of action in SUI treatment is Kegel exercises, to strengthen the pelvic floor. But If this non-surgical treatment doesn't work, you may consider some surgical options. The most common involves a mesh netting or "sling" that's inserted to support the urethra. 

But unlike muscle cell injection therapy, such surgeries require losing a couple of weeks of work and it can take about four to six weeks for your body to recover enough to resume normal activities.

Cellular injection therapy stops or reduces leaks
Of the 29 women who participated in a study by Dr. Carr and associates, 68 per cent said their quality of life was improved and 61 per cent said their urinary leakage was reduced and symptoms improved three months after the first injection. Three months after the second injection, 67 per cent of women said their quality of life improved as well as their symptoms. After one year, four women reported no leaks at all, while 76.5 per cent reported an overall reduction in leaks. The findings were presented at the American Urological Association Annual Scientific Meeting in April 2009.

Although the cellular injection therapy is still likely five years away from becoming a routine procedure, Dr. Carr says safety has not been a concern. "This is just a muscle cell. The safety of these types of cells is much greater than other types of stem cells," she explains. "I think this kind of restorative medicine and using stem cells is the future."

Read more medical headlines in the Health News section of Health & Fitness.

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE:
-Take control of a leaky bladder
-10 things women want to know about menopause
-Diseases that attack women differently that men

Page 2 of 2

Advertisement
_

Comments

Advertisement

Sign up for Insider Access,
Our Free E-Newsletter

Contests, recipes, member-only perks and more! Get Homemakers.com's monthly newsletter.

Newsletter

get your
Download of the Month

Weekly meal budget tracker

Could you cut your grocery bill without sacrificing nutrition, variety and taste? Find out by pricing out how much you're spending on your average dinner meal.

Download now!

how to
Follow Homemakers Online

Contests

more contests

Partners

Advertisement Advertisement

Transcontinental Media contact information

Médias Transcontinental
Street Address
1100 Boulevard René-Lévesque Ouest
Extended Address
24th floor
Locality
Montréal
Region
QC
Country
CA
Postal Code
H3B 4X9
Latitude
45°29' 55" N
Longitude
73°34' 13" W
Work
+1 514 392 9000
Fax
+1 514 392 1489