Urinary Incontinence Treatments in Wellesley, MA | Brigham Wellesley OB/GYN Associates
Comprehensive women's health, every stage of life
If a laugh, a sneeze, or a jog around the block has ever left you rushing to the bathroom or wishing for a new pair of pants, you are far from alone. At Brigham Wellesley OB/GYN Associates, we talk about urinary incontinence treatments the way we talk about everything else in women’s health: openly, without embarrassment, and with real solutions.
So many women quietly live with bladder leaks for years, assuming it’s just a normal part of getting older, having children, or going through menopause. We want to reassure you that leaking is common, but it is not something you have to accept. It’s treatable, and we’re here to help you find your way back to feeling confident and in control.
To talk with one of our providers about urinary incontinence treatment in Wellesley, call (781) 235-4000 or request an appointment online. You deserve care that takes your concerns seriously and answers that actually help.
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What Is Urinary Incontinence?
Urinary incontinence simply means an unintentional loss of bladder control, and it can show up in different ways, depending on what’s driving it. You might notice a few drops when you cough or lift something heavy, or you might feel a sudden, urgent need to go that’s hard to outrun. Some women experience a mix of both.
Common types we see and treat include:
- Stress Incontinence: Leaking that happens with physical pressure on the bladder, like coughing, sneezing, laughing, or exercise. This is often related to weakened pelvic floor muscles, frequently following childbirth or as a result of hormonal changes.
- Urge Incontinence: A sudden, intense urge to urinate followed by an involuntary loss of urine, sometimes called an “overactive bladder.” This can mean frequent trips to the bathroom, including waking up at night.
- Mixed Incontinence: A combination of both stress and urge symptoms, which is more common than women often realize.
Whatever your experience looks like, understanding the type of incontinence you’re dealing with is the first step toward a treatment plan that actually fits your body and your life.
What Should I Expect at My Visit?
We know it can feel a little vulnerable to bring incontinence up, even with a doctor. Our providers create the kind of space where you can speak candidly about your symptoms without feeling rushed, judged, or brushed off.
During your visit, we’ll talk through your symptoms and how they’re affecting your daily life, from your bathroom habits to your exercise routine to how you’re sleeping at night. We may perform a pelvic exam to assess muscle tone and rule out other contributing factors, and depending on your history, we might recommend additional testing to better understand what’s happening.
From there, we build a treatment plan around you. Options may include:
- Pelvic floor physical therapy and targeted exercises
- Bladder training and lifestyle adjustments
- Medications to calm an overactive bladder
- Minimally invasive procedures for more persistent cases
- Referral to a urogynecology specialist when necessary
There is no one-size-fits-all approach to urinary incontinence, and we won’t pretend there is. We’ll walk through what’s realistic, what’s proven, and what makes sense from where you are right now.
Non-Surgical Treatment Options
- Behavior therapies— Behavior modification is used to train one’s bladder and sphincter muscles by decreasing fluid intake and by prompting or scheduling voiding.
- Pelvic Muscle Exercises— Called Kegel exercises, these exercises commonly are intended to strengthen weak muscles surrounding the bladder.
- Protective Undergarments— Basically these are pads or undergarments designed to absorb leaked urine.
- Catheter— These tubes are inserted into the urethra to collect urine into an external drainage bag. These are generally left in place 24 hours a day.
- External Devices— Called a Pessary, this device is designed to apply pressure to help reposition the urethra permitting it to close tightly. It features a stiff ring that is inserted into the vagina to exert pressure against the wall of the vagina and urethra.
- Bulking Injections— Bulking agents such as collagen are injected directly into the urethral lining to firm and bulk up the urethral lining so that the urethra can close more tightly.
- Medications— There are a number of medications to treat incontinence caused by urge to continually void. Where incontinence is stress related, there are no medications to treat this. For incontinence caused by a combination of both urge and stress, drug therapy may be helpful in treating the urge component.
Urinary Incontinence Surgery
There are a number of surgical approaches to strengthen, support, elevate and/or restore the urethra and bladder. These are employed when other treatments are not working and include:
- Retropubic Suspensions— Surgical procedures (Burch procedure) intended to restore the urethra and neck of the bladder to a higher anatomical position.
- Slings— Procedures used to treat hypermobility in which a sling is used to support the urethra when there is increased abdominal pressure.
- Bone-fixed slings – treat incontinence by supporting the urethra with a graft material attached to the pubic bone.
- Self-fixated slings – can be used to support the urethra and are secured in place by friction and tissue ingrowth and require no sutures or screws.
Incontinence Can Show Up at Any Stage of Life
Bladder changes show up differently for everyone. Here’s a brief look at how we approach incontinence across the years.
Ages 18–39
Younger women are sometimes surprised to learn they’re not “too young” to experience incontinence, particularly after childbirth or during high-impact exercise. We focus on pelvic floor strengthening, postpartum recovery, and early habits that protect your bladder health for the long run, so this doesn’t become something you simply learn to live with.
Ages 40–64
As hormone levels shift through perimenopause and menopause, many women notice new or worsening bladder symptoms. Declining estrogen can thin and weaken the tissues that support the bladder and urethra, and we talk openly about how menopause management, pelvic floor therapy, and other treatments can work together to ease these changes.
Ages 65+
Bladder control remains very treatable well into your later years, and it plays a real role in comfort, independence, and quality of life. We focus on approaches that fit comfortably alongside your other health needs, always with the goal of helping you feel more like yourself, on your own terms.
Why Patients Choose Brigham Wellesley OB/GYN Associates
Since 1963, we’ve been a trusted name in women’s health care, and we bring that same depth of experience to conversations that are often left unspoken. Urinary incontinence can feel small in the scheme of things, but it touches your confidence, your comfort, and how freely you move through your day, and that matters to us.
Our specialists take a whole-woman approach, treating this not as an isolated inconvenience but as one piece of your overall wellness. You’ll never be made to feel like your symptoms are just part of getting older or not worth mentioning. They are worth mentioning, and we’re glad you did.
Ready to Talk About It?
You don’t have to keep planning your outings around the nearest bathroom. To schedule a visit to discuss urinary incontinence at our Wellesley office, call (781) 235-4000 or request an appointment online. Let’s find a plan that gets you back to feeling like yourself.
Urinary Incontinence FAQS
Is urinary incontinence a normal part of aging?
Bladder leaks become more common with age, but “common” doesn’t mean you have to just live with it. Incontinence is a treatable medical condition at every stage of life, whether it starts in your 30s after childbirth or shows up for the first time after menopause. If it’s affecting your daily life, it’s worth talking to a provider.
What’s the difference between stress incontinence and urge incontinence?
Stress incontinence causes leaking when pressure is placed on the bladder, such as during coughing, sneezing, or exercise, and is often linked to weakened pelvic floor muscles. Urge incontinence involves a sudden, strong need to urinate that’s hard to delay, sometimes called an overactive bladder. Many women experience a combination of both, known as mixed incontinence.
Can pelvic floor exercises really help with bladder leaks?
Yes. Pelvic floor exercises, often guided by a pelvic floor physical therapist, strengthen the muscles that support the bladder and urethra and are one of the most effective first-line treatments for stress incontinence. Consistency matters more than intensity, and most women notice improvement with a regular, properly guided routine.
Does menopause make urinary incontinence worse?
It can. Declining estrogen levels during perimenopause and menopause can thin and weaken the tissues supporting the bladder and urethra, which may cause new symptoms or worsen existing ones. This is a common and treatable part of the menopause transition, and it’s often addressed alongside broader menopause management care.
When should I see a doctor about bladder leaks?
If bladder leaks are happening regularly, affecting your confidence, or changing how you plan your day, it’s time to bring it up with your provider, even if it feels minor. Incontinence rarely resolves entirely on its own, and early treatment tends to be simpler and more effective than waiting for it to resolve on its own.