Urinary Incontinence and Overactive Bladder Treatment in Johor Bahru and Batu Pahat, Johor
Leaking urine, rushing to the toilet or waking often at night can be treated. Consultant urologist Dato’ Dr Azhar Amir Hamzah uses urodynamic testing to find the cause in men and women.
What is urinary incontinence and overactive bladder?
Urinary incontinence is the accidental leaking of urine. Overactive bladder is a sudden, strong urge to pass urine that is hard to hold, often with frequent trips to the toilet day and night. Both are common in men and women, especially with age, but they are not something you simply have to live with.
Symptoms
- Leaking urine when coughing, sneezing, laughing or exercising (stress incontinence)
- A sudden urge to pass urine, with leaking before you reach the toilet (urge incontinence)
- Passing urine more than eight times a day
- Waking two or more times at night to pass urine
- Constant dribbling or leaking
Common causes
- Weak pelvic floor muscles after pregnancy, childbirth or menopause
- Overactive bladder muscle
- Enlarged prostate, or after prostate surgery in men
- Urine infection
- Nerve conditions such as stroke, spinal injury, Parkinson’s disease or diabetes (neurogenic bladder)
- Caffeine, alcohol and some medicines
How Dato’ Dr Azhar assesses and treats incontinence
Dato’ Dr Azhar asks you to keep a simple bladder diary, checks your urine and uses ultrasound to see how well the bladder empties. Urodynamic testing measures bladder pressure and function to show exactly why you leak, which guides the right treatment.
Treatment may include bladder training, pelvic floor exercises, changes to fluids and caffeine, and medicine to calm an overactive bladder. When these are not enough, he discusses procedures suited to the type of incontinence. For neurogenic bladder, he plans care that protects the kidneys and keeps you in control.
When to see a urologist
- Leaking that affects your work, sleep or social life
- Waking two or more times a night to pass urine
- Leaking with blood in the urine, pain or repeated infections
- Bladder problems after a stroke, spinal injury or prostate surgery
FAQs
Is leaking urine a normal part of ageing?
It is common, but it is not normal and it can usually be improved with treatment.
What is urodynamic testing?
It is a test that fills the bladder slowly through a thin tube and measures pressure, showing how the bladder stores and empties urine.
Do men get overactive bladder?
Yes. In men it is often linked to the prostate, so both are assessed together.