Prime Time Living 6.14.26 - Flipbook - Page 4
4
| Sunday, June 14, 2026
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Although Common,
Urinary Incontinence
is Not ‘Normal’
Myriad treatment options
are available to improve
your quality of life
W
hile urinary incontinence for older adults, especially women, is
prevalent, Alyssa K. Gracely, M.D., a urologist with Chesapeake Urology
(https://chesuro.com), stresses that it is not a normal part of aging and
that treatment is available.
“It’s certainly not dangerous nor harmful for most people, but it’s a common
quality of life problem that is being
ignored because of the misconception
that it is just a ‘normal’ part of aging
and nothing can be done about it,” Dr.
Gracely says.
Urinary incontinence is the loss of
bladder control that results in involuntary
leakage of urine and is usually caused
when the muscles, nerves, or structures
that control bladder function are weakened or disrupted. Dr. Gracely notes that
about 31% of men and 62% of women
experience urinary incontinence.
There are different types of urinary
incontinence, she says.
“Stress incontinence is leakage occurring with movements like coughing,
sneezing, laughing, exercising, and lifting heavy items,” says Dr. Gracely, adding that stress incontinence commonly
occurs when the pelvic floor muscles
that support the bladder and urethra
become weakened. “Overactive bladder
and urgent incontinence is that sudden
intense feeling to urinate, and you feel
like you can’t get there in time or you feel
like you are always having to run to the
bathroom every 20 or 30 minutes.”
It’s important to have a diagnostic
evaluation by a urologist, which may
include a urinalysis check for infection,
stress testing to observe urine leakage
during coughing or physical pressure,
and post-void residual testing to measure how well the bladder empties. “If
I see a woman for another urologic
issue, I always screen for incontinence.
The amount of women who will initially
say, ‘Oh well, that’s just normal,’ is profound.”
Dr. Gracely says that one of the most
important elements of an evaluation
is conversations between her and her
patients about their urinary history.
“I will talk to the patient about how
often they urinate and when they are
leaking. I’ll ask if leakage happens when
they get a sudden urge, after exercising
or something else, as some people just
have leakage without sensation. I will
then do some tests and a physical exam
to try to elicit some of those maneuvers
that cause leakage to accurately assess
the condition,” she says.
Some of the risk factors, she notes,
include weight gain, diabetes, and any-
thing that’s disrupting
the communication of
the nerves between the
brain and the bladder
such as degenerative
disc disease, spinal cord
issues, or strokes.
“For women with
stress
incontinence,
childbirth is probably
reasons number one,
two and three,” Dr.
Gracely says. “There
are also things that can
exacerbate an overactive bladder, such as a
bladder irritant or a diuretic like caffeine
or alcohol that can worsen symptoms.
If you are worried about having easy
access to a bathroom at an event or
something, cutting back on caffeine can
help. If you have diabetes, blood glucose control is the absolute best thing
you can do for all of the nerves of your
body, including bladder nerves.”
Dr. Gracely adds that there are
some exercises that can help, includ-
Urinary Incontinence
Continued on page 20
