Question:
How do they test for Stress Incontinence?

My PCP wan'ts me to see my GYN to have a Stress Incontinence test. How exactly do they do that..just make you drink a lot of water and wait for you to pee?    — mastrnservnt (posted on October 5, 2001)

October 4, 2001
Hey there, I do not have a answer to your question, but was interested. I have never heard of testing fot this. When they asked me if I had it, I told them yes, and they took my word for it. guess it depends on the dr. I wonder how they do test for it? Maybe check how the bladder contracts when there is urine in it.
   — [Anonymous]

October 5, 2001
I am 43 and an RN. I have stress incontinence ever since I had my first child 22 yrs ago.It got better over time and now it has gotten worse with weight gain.I have never heard of a test for this condition, but I do know that if you involuntarily urinate when you cough, sneeze or laugh, that constitutes stress incontinence. It even happens to me after I have fully empty my bladder. I sneeze and there it is..So frustrating..I would recommend calling your GYN doc and asking exactly what the test entails..I am curious to know myself since I have worked in the OB/GYN field for many yrs.
   — garyzgurl

October 5, 2001
I had a bladder repair when I had a hysterectomy in 1984. To test for stress incontinence the urologist used a catheter in reverse. Instead of draining fluid he filled me up with steril, distilled water and then had me stand in several positions and cough, laugh, bend over, and so on. Guess what? It leaked. The only uncomfortable thing about the process was that when I finally was allowed to empty my bladder completely, I peed cold water. It was the strangest thing.
   — [Anonymous]

October 5, 2001
I had a hysterectomy to treat my stress incontinence along with the whole pelvic floor uplift. What a farce. I ended up with a chronic bladder infection leading to a whole assortment of pee problems. Before this surgery I went to a urologist to rule out other causes for the stress incontinence. One of the first test he did was called a chain cystoscopy. It is ecxactly what it sounds like they fill your bladder with liquid take and xray then they insert a little chain into your bladder and take another xray then you go potty and get to pull the chain out. No pain involved but weird. Like I didn't know I had incontinence. It is silly things like this that run up unnecessary ins costs. If docs would listen to their patients they would not need so many tests. But what do we know it is only our body and our wet pants.
   — [Anonymous]

October 6, 2001
A urodynamic study is what is done. They check a flow rate first, see how much urine your bladder can hold, when you start to feel an urge to urinate (e.g. how many mL in the bladder make you have the urge), etc. They then put pressure on the bladder, something called a Valsalva manuever, and see if you leak urine. They can tell if you have a certain amount of leakage because of pelvic floor relaxation. Talk to your doctor more about it.
   — [Anonymous]