Bladder leakage care for women and men in the northwest metro
Urinary incontinence means losing urine when you don't mean to. It affects women and men, it has a few distinct types, and each type points to different treatments. Getting the type right is the first job.
Three common types
- Urge leakage: the urge hits hard and urine escapes before you get there; the bladder muscle or its nerve signals are overreacting.
- Stress leakage: leaking when you cough, laugh, lift, run or stand up, because the muscle valve that keeps urine in has weakened.
- Overflow leakage: the bladder does not empty well, stays too full, and urine dribbles out. Nerve or muscle problems and constipation can play a part.
Why do men leak urine?
For men, stress leakage usually follows prostate surgery or radiation treatment. Our options for men include a male sling and an artificial urinary sphincter, a device placed around the urethra that stays closed until you open it to urinate. These are surgical options with their own recovery and risks, and they are discussed after a full evaluation.
Leakage in women
Bladder symptoms are one of the most common reasons women visit our Marietta-area offices. For stress leakage, a midurethral sling is a common outpatient option. For urge leakage, treatment follows the overactive bladder path: habits, medicines, bladder Botox or sacral nerve stimulation. Pelvic floor therapy is also available within our practice.
What the first steps look like
Your clinician will ask when and how leaks happen, check a urine sample for infection, and often scan the bladder with ultrasound to see how well it empties. That picture decides whether lifestyle changes, medicine or a procedure makes sense.
Where to be seen
Call us to book a visit at our Marietta, Canton, Dallas or Jasper office. Procedures are scheduled at the Marietta Clinic & Surgery Center.
More on this topic from Advanced Urology: bladder leakage (incontinence)
Educational information, not medical advice. Every treatment has risks, benefits and alternatives to discuss with your clinician.
When should you see a urologist about bladder leakage (incontinence)?
Leaking is worth a visit as soon as it bothers you, whether it happens with a cough, on the way to the bathroom or as a steady dribble. Leakage with fever and back pain, or sudden inability to urinate, needs the ER.
What is recovery usually like?
Pelvic floor therapy and medicine involve no surgery. A midurethral sling for women is an outpatient procedure, and the male sling and artificial urinary sphincter are surgical options with their own recovery, which our urologists explain before you decide.
More questions we hear
Is leaking after childbirth something I have to live with?
No. It is common, and pelvic floor physical therapy is usually the first step for mild to moderate stress leakage.
What tests will I need?
Often a urine test, a bladder diary and an ultrasound check of how well the bladder empties. Bladder function testing (urodynamics) is added for some people.
What is a midurethral sling?
It supports the urethra to cut down on leaking with coughing, laughing or exercise. Like most leakage procedures, it is outpatient and usually takes under an hour.
What helps men who leak after prostate treatment?
Options include adjustable balloons such as ProACT, a male sling for mild to moderate leaking, and an artificial urinary sphincter for more severe leaking. These are usually considered after about a year of recovery and pelvic floor exercises.
Is magnetic pelvic floor therapy available?
Yes, it is offered within our practice. You sit fully clothed in a chair while magnetic pulses contract the pelvic floor muscles, usually in a series of sessions over several weeks.
Does urge leakage have different treatment?
Yes. Urge leakage follows the overactive bladder path: habits, medicine, bladder Botox or nerve stimulation.
Which articles go deeper on bladder leakage (incontinence)?
These short reads answer questions patients often bring to us.
- What is Bulkamid for bladder leakage?
- Who is a good candidate for Bulkamid?
- Male bladder leakage after prostatectomy: what are my options?
- Magnetic Pelvic Floor Stimulation: can I do regular exercises after sessions?
- Bulkamid: what if I also have urge incontinence?
- What is magnetic pelvic floor therapy (the chair)?
- Magnetic Pelvic Floor Stimulation: who is NOT a candidate?
- Surgery for stress incontinence: what to expect
- Urodynamic Testing: can I eat beforehand?
- Leaking at night or wetting the bed as an adult
- Fecal incontinence: can a urologist help?
All 11 articles on bladder leakage and pelvic floor
Clinicians whose Advanced Urology profiles list this area: Chirag Dave, MD, Jason Lomboy, MD, Andy Ostrowski, MD, Amanda Boulos, PA-C, Anna Flint Todd, PA-C, Ionela Turcin, PA-C, Britany Howard, FNP.
Part of the first evaluation is often a bladder diary that logs what you drink, how often you go and when leaks happen. For mild to moderate stress leakage, pelvic floor physical therapy with a specially trained therapist is the usual first-line step.
Videos from Advanced Urology
Videos play here from Advanced Urology’s YouTube channel, using YouTube’s privacy-enhanced mode.
Noticing symptoms? Our plain-language guide, Bladder leakage or frequent urination? Start by noticing when it happens, explains what to do next.
Bowel leakage and bowel control
Accidental bowel leakage often shows up alongside bladder symptoms. These guides cover causes, warning signs and treatment at our four offices:
Let's sort this out together. Our offices in Marietta, Canton, Dallas and Jasper share one phone line and one caring team.