Diagnosing incontinence is the first step to finding relief

Do you leak urine? Are you rushing to get to the bathroom? You may be dealing with incontinence. There is no reason to ignore your bladder control issues. Our Central Texas urologists provide the kind of compassionate care you need when you are dealing with intimate problems that may embarrass you. Diagnosing incontinence is a process, but the team at NAU Urology Specialists is with you every step of the way, answering your questions and providing a helping hand.

Be prepared to provide your medical history and answer questions about your bladder control issues

Your medical history provides our team with important information about issues that may be causing your bladder control issues. For example, it’s vital to tell our physicians about all the medications you take because sometimes certain medications can cause urinary problems. If you have had surgery, the procedure could have contributed to your current bladder condition.

Our urologists also ask you a series of questions that help them figure out patterns that occur when you leak urine or fail to make it to the restroom. Here are some questions our urologists may ask when diagnosing incontinence.

• How much and how often do you drink?
• Which beverages do you drink?
• Do you leak urine when you laugh, sneeze or exercise vigorously?
• Do you have trouble making it to the bathroom on time?
• Does your bladder always feel full, even right after you go to the bathroom?
• How long have you had symptoms?

First steps in diagnosing incontinence

Our doctors take certain steps when they are diagnosing incontinence. After they take your medical history and ask some questions, our Central Texas urologists perform a physical examination. They ask for urine samples, so they can perform a urinalysis.

Sometimes, our physicians may ask you to keep a bladder diary for a few days to track your symptoms. You record information about what you drink and when; your urination; leakage and when it happens; and your urges to urinate, if you have those before you leak urine.

If these basic steps don’t provide the information the team needs to figure out what is causing your bladder control issues, our urologists order further testing.

Our Central Texas urologists may order further testing to figure out your bladder problems

There are several different tests our urologists can order to diagnose incontinence.

• Bloodwork that checks for chemical imbalances or kidney issues
• Pad test, where you receive a pad that’s been weighed. You wear it and bring it back, and we weigh it to see how much urine leakage occurred.
• Cystoscopy, a procedure in which the physician uses a cystoscope to examine the inside of the bladder and urethra
• Urodynamic testing, which is a series of tests that determine how well the urethral structural muscles work, as well as the capacity of your bladder
• Imaging tests that provide information about the urinary tract and nervous system

If you are having annoying and embarrassing incontinence symptoms, you can rely on our experienced physicians and team members, who are experts in diagnosing incontinence. Contact us for an appointment.