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The Ultimate Guide to Urinary Incontinence and Sexual Dysfunction

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Dr Cindy Yang

April 2nd, 2020· 5 min read

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Everyone has moments where they feel they cannot hold in their urine anymore. However, some people might feel this urge constantly. They may even release urine unwillingly, unable to control them. This Urinary Incontinence can come hand in hand with Sexual Dysfunction, where you may leak urine during sex or fear having a bad odour around the genitals. Thankfully this area has been researched before and there is one treatment that I am quite excited about. Let me tell you more.

What is urinary incontinence?

Urinary Continence is the involuntary leakage of urine. In other words, it is the loss of bladder control. This is a common problem and may often lead to embarrassing moments. The amount of urine leaking ranges from a small amount of urine, released from laughing or sneezing, to having strong and uncontrollable urges to urinate which may be difficult to control.

Urinary Incontinence is classified into 4 main types: [1]

  1. Stress Incontinence - This occurs when you are laughing, coughing or sneezing due to weak pelvic floor muscles and/or a deficient urethral sphincter. This is one of the most common problems women face and it can strike at any age.
  2. Urge Incontinence - This refers to a strong or sudden urge to go to the bathroom whenever and wherever you are. You may find it difficult to resist the urge of urinating frequently.
  3. Overflow Incontinence - This refers to a condition where you leak urine while sitting or lying still. This may occur at any current position including sitting or laying down without an added pressure, stress or sudden movement.
  4. Mixed Incontinence - A combination of one or more incontinence stated above, including muscle and sphincter issues. Usually, one symptom is more severe than the other and that directly affects what treatments are to be used. [2]

Read more about urinary incontinence here.


What is sexual dysfunction?

Sexual dysfunction refers to a problem that arises during the sexual response cycle that may prevent you and your partner from getting satisfaction from sexual activities. A normal sexual response cycle begins with desire, then arousal, followed by orgasm and lastly resolution. There are 4 main types of sexual dysfunction: [3]

  1. Desire - This dysfunction affects the desire and interest in sex also known as libido disorders or low libido.
  2. Arousal - This occurs in both man and woman and makes it hard for an individual to become physically aroused during sexual activity. When this occurs, though a person might have desire to have sex, they may not be able to get the physical satisfaction from the act. In Men, this is commonly known as Erectile Dysfunction
  3. Orgasm - This refers to an absence of orgasm or delay in orgasm. Common factors include stress, fatigue or hormonal changes leading to this disorder.
  4. Pain - Refers to pain during sexual intercourse and may be due to many reasons like vagina dryness, hormonal changes or Urinary Tract Infection (UTI). In Men, some causes can be due to Perineal Trauma(damage to area between scrotum and anus), yeast infections, UTIs, genital herpes and other skin conditions.

What are the symptoms of sexual dysfunction?

  • You cannot get an erection at times
  • Could have an erection but do not last long enough for sexual intercourse
  • Incapable of having an orgasm at any moment [4]

Female Urinary Incontinence and Sexual Dysfunction are correlated, meaning if you have one condition you are likely to have the other too. [5] [6] Urinary Incontinence can lead to sexual problems, such as accidentally urinating during sex (Coitus Incontinence) and can lead to a fear of bad smells around the genital area.

While we know Urinary Incontinence is caused by weaknesses or problems with the pelvic floor muscles, the relation between pelvic floor muscles and Sexual Dysfunction is not as clear.

This popular review recommends that, if you are female, should train your pelvic floor muscles as first line treatment for Stress Urinary Incontinence. More studies needed to be done to find a link between pelvic floor muscles and Sexual Dysfunction. [7] However, more research has been done since then and found a correlation between Sexual Dysfunction and weaker pelvic floor muscles in females. [8]

For males suffering from Erectile Dysfunction and/or Urinary Incontinence, there is evidence that training your pelvic floor muscles will improve both problems. [9]

Is there anything someone can do to resolve these issues?

For both genders, going through strength training for your pelvic floor muscles will tackle Urinary Incontinence and Sexual Dysfunction. [10] You will have to exercise for an extended period of time, so an exercise regime like Pilates [11] will help. If you are averse to exercise or are not in a position to do so, there are alternate methods of treatment, such as Electrical Stimulation and Whole-Body Vibration Training. [12] Another alternative is to use technology like the TESLA Former, which uses Functional Magnetic Stimulation. I will talk about this treatment option below.

How do doctors measure how much my condition has improved?

Early treatments for Urinary Incontinence focused on conservative and surgical techniques as treatment and focused on the objective amount of incontinence after treatment. Over the last decade or so there has been increasing focus on how incontinence affects someone’s quality of life. [13] The same is true for Sexual Dysfunction for both genders. Where early indicators used factors such as how rigid the penis was, now questionnaires are used to determine quality of life improvements. [14]

For example, if you went for treatment for Urinary Incontinence in the past, doctors would focus on whether urine leakage actually stopped or not. If you went for treatment for the same condition now, doctors would ask you how stressed you are about the condition now or how much trouble it causes you. You would also fill in several questionnaires that help determine the quality of life.

What is the TESLA Former?

TESLA Former is a body shaping tool that uses new Functional Magnetic Stimulation (FMS) technology to remove fat and improve muscles in the glutes, belly, hamstrings, arms and pelvic floor beyond what somebody can do in a workout.

Some of the things the TESLA Former can do include:

  • Neuro-physiotherapy
  • Musculoskeletal strengthening
  • Increased blood circulation
  • Rehabilitation of sports injuries
  • Muscle toning and relaxation
  • Pain relief

Our focus is on the musculoskeletal strengthening function of the TESLA Former.

How does the TESLA Former work and how does it help?

The TESLA Former activates motor neurons and induces muscle contraction. TESLA Former-generated Functional Magnetic Stimulation (FMS) magnetic field works through clothes, flesh, and bone. When this field enters deep tissue, it is converted into a local electric field by induction, which affects the motor nerves. Impulses sent by these motor nerves cause the muscles around the nerve to contract. Muscle contraction is then consistently triggered but not to the point of giving you sore muscles. Continual intense contractions in the muscle also force the muscle to increase strength and volume

The energy required to support this cycle comes from local fat deposits. Local fat tissue in the target region depletes quickly during therapy. The end result is a realistic-looking muscular effect.

Because of how the TESLA Former is built, the magnetic field can penetrate surfaces within and outside the pelvic floor. The FMS magnetic field activates the deep muscles of the pelvic floor that even people who frequently exercise tend to neglect.

Earlier studies suggest that Functional Magnetic Stimulation (FMS) has a short-term effect on urinary incontinence. [15] [16] Larger sample sizes and research into long-term benefits in the future will explore if these effects last long term. [17] The relationship between the pelvic floor muscles and Sexual Dysfunction are only being appreciated now, [18] and as research continues the relationship between the two will be made clearer.

Treatment usually lasts for 20-30 minutes per session. You will see results in as few as 6 sessions, although more may be needed. From my experience, my patients are happy with their results long term and may return once every few months to keep up the results.

Are there any side effects of using the TESLA Former?

There are no negative side effects. While the machine was made to minimise muscle soreness, you may experience light soreness as if you had just exercised. You will feel your muscles contracting and it will feel like you are doing a workout. You will also feel tiny zaps of energy. To many of us, this can come as a new sensation as we don’t usually experience this in our day to day lives. As a result, the sensation may be a bit ‘shocking’. To make you feel more at ease, the doctor will set the machine to a low intensity. The intensity will gradually increase for the subsequent sessions.

How much does it cost?

Treatment will cost around $400-$500 per session. If you are undergoing the recommended 6 sessions, the total cost will be between $2400-$3000.

Does Medisave or Insurance cover my treatment?

No, Neither Medisave nor Insurance covers treatment for Sexual Dysfunction. There are some surgical treatment options for Urinary Incontinence but TESLA Former is not one such treatment.

Where can I go for TESLA Former treatment?

Certain clinics that focus on Aesthetic medicine offer the TESLA Former as treatment. While there, you will be treated by a certified doctor who practices Aesthetic Medicine. Please note that Aesthetic Medicine is not a recognised specialist or subspecialty, although all doctors who focus in this area must be certified in aesthetic procedures. [19]

Conclusion

Urinary Incontinence and Sexual Dysfunction can be frustrating and scary situations to deal with. You now know that weak pelvic floor muscles contributes to these conditions.

Therefore, if you strengthen your pelvic floor muscles you will be able to overcome either problems. While exercise works, not everybody can exercise for one reason or other. Luckily for you, you can use the TESLA Former as a treatment option.

Why not book an appointment with me and discuss what TESLA Former can do for you?


Dr Cindy Yang is the medical director and founder of Dr Cindy’s Medical Aesthetics Clinic. She graduated from NUS with an MBBS. Following her graduation, she has built her experience in the field of aesthetics medicine.

Dr Yang has received several recognitions and certifications in the field of aesthetics. It includes the Breast Filler Certification, Certified Laser Physician (S’pore), Gold ThreadLift Certification (Korea) and the ThreadLift Certification. Despite years of experience and achievements, Dr Yang still actively participates in international seminars and conferences to stay on top of the latest technologies and treatment methods.


I hope that you've found this guide useful, and perhaps gained more insight into the application process. Most of the admissions-related information (admin and logistics wise) can be found on the official NUS Faculty of Dentistry website.

To help yourself out, you should take note of what people look for when they look for a dentist.

This article was written by Dr Cindy Yang and published on Wednesday, 25 January 2017. Human medically reviewed the article on Wednesday, 25 January 2017. The last update was made on Friday, 18 September 2020.

Disclaimer: Opinions belong to the author and not to the platform.

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