[Medical Q&A] Is surgery necessary for urinary incontinence?

Planner: Chinese Medical Association

Reviewer: Zhu Lan, Chief Physician, Peking Union Medical College Hospital

Not necessarily. Urinary incontinence is not a problem that can only be solved by "surgery". Sometimes, we can try to "treat it gently" and use non-surgical methods to solve it.

Non-surgical treatments for urinary incontinence mainly include lifestyle intervention, pelvic floor muscle training, pelvic floor electrical stimulation/magnetic stimulation, drug therapy, wearing a pessary, radiofrequency ablation, etc. Among them, lifestyle intervention and pelvic floor muscle training are currently recognized as the first-line treatments for stress urinary incontinence, and are effective for patients with mild and moderate urinary incontinence. Although the effect of non-surgical treatment may not be ideal for patients with severe urinary incontinence, non-surgical treatment can be used as an auxiliary treatment before and after surgical treatment.

Non-surgical treatment has fewer complications, lower risks, and better patient compliance. Even if it cannot completely cure the patient, it can alleviate urinary incontinence symptoms to varying degrees for older patients or those with other chronic diseases such as cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, stroke, diabetes, and those who cannot tolerate surgery.