For females, the most common cause of urine incontinence aggravated by cough is due to weak pelvic floor muscles (commonly related to pregnancy and childbirth). We also call it stress urinary incontinence. Many women restrict their activities due to this.
There are other causes of incontinence as well, such as overactive bladder. The treatment between these two are very different.
The treatment is step-wise from simple to complex, before any invasive treatment, we perform objective tests such as the Urodynamic test to differentiate between the two.
If the Urodynamic test confirms the cause of incontinence, the treatment consists of the following (in general):
Treatment for stress urinary incontinence: Pelvic floor exercises, vaginal laser, surgery
Treatment for overactive bladder: Bladder training, medications, neuromodulation, and surgery
The time frame from assessment to treatment normally takes 2-3 weeks.
