Incontinence and Pelvic Floor Disorders

Comprehensive Care in Eastern Wisconsin

Tracy Capes, MD, a urogynecologist at the Center for Continence & Pelvic Floor Disorders in West Allis, Wisconsin, talks about incontinence treatments on The Morning Blend (Air date: November 14, 2011)

Some women actually adjust their daily activities and lifestyles due to bladder or bowel control problems. It’s possible that through appropriate medical and/or surgical care, you can significantly improve your quality of life.   

With a multidisciplinary team of urogynecologists, gastroenterologists, colorectal surgeons, occupational therapists and nurses, we can help you identify the source of your condition and create a personalized plan to address your concerns.

Living with incontinence can leave you feeling vulnerable and powerless over your own body. The services offered for incontinence and pelvic floor disorders will help to put you back in control. 

Urinary Incontinence

There are several types of urinary incontinence, four of the more common ones include:

  • Stress incontinence: urinary leakage due to coughing, sneezing, laughing, bending or lifting.
  • Urge incontinence: a sudden need to use the restroom and not always making it in time. If you have urge incontinence you often also deal with urinary frequency. Frequency can occur during the day, as well as at night.
     
  • Overflow incontinence: frequent or constant dribbling of urine and incomplete emptying of the bladder.
     
  • Mixed incontinence: this can occur when you experience more than one type of incontinence, most commonly stress and urge incontinence. The cause of both forms of incontinence may or may not be related.

Fecal Incontinence

This is the uncontrolled loss of gas or liquid stool from the rectum or vagina. The two main types of fecal incontinence are anal sphincter injury and rectovaginal fistulas. Both conditions are usually the result of vaginal delivery and are usually unavoidable. There are no nonsurgical options for treatment. Surgical treatments, however, have good success rates and can often take place in an outpatient setting.

Pelvic Floor Disorders

Problems with pelvic floor support are often called prolapse. A pelvic organ prolapse occurs if part of the vagina has become weakened or displaced. Symptoms of pelvic prolapse can include pressure or discomfort in the vaginal or pelvic area, often made worse with physical activities such as prolonged standing, jogging or bicycling. Some women experience diminished comfort and control in the bladder and/or bowels, which can be an indicator of a worsening prolapse condition. Common names are cystocele, rectocele or uterine prolapse. 

Our pelvic health team has experience and expertise in successfully managing these complicated conditions.

Testing

Urodynamic testing is a series of tests to evaluate the function of your bladder and urethra. The goal of the test is to reproduce bladder filling/storage and voiding/emptying symptoms to identify underlying problems. 

Other testing may include:

  • Cystoscopy
  • Radiology scans
  • X-rays
  • Endoscopic procedures of the bladder and/or bowel

Urogynecology Experts

John Utrie, MD
Dennis Miller, MD
Tracy Capes, MD
Alexis Chesrow, MD

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