How is urinary incontinence diagnosed?           

The most important thing that the doctor will do to establish the diagnosis of urinary incontinence is to take a thorough history. She will ask you specific questions about how often you pass urine (frequency), whether you have to rush to the bathroom the moment you feel like passing urine (urgency), whether you lose a few drops or a larger quantity of urine when you cough, sneeze or laugh (stress incontinence). She will ask you about other medical problems you may have which might have an effect on the leaking of urine. Women with chronic cough may need to get their cough taken care of before embarking on the tests and treatment.

What are the tests that are done?

Your gynaecologist will do a pelvic exam to make sure that there are no specific physical reasons for the incontinence. A uterus, which is significantly enlarged by fibroids, may press on the bladder and lead to loss of urine.

You will be asked to cough while being examined. This requires you to have a full bladder. If you lose urine when you cough or bear down, then stress incontinence is diagnosed.

If your gynaecologist is not able to establish what kind of incontinence you have, she may ask you to undergo urodynamic testing. During urodynamic testing, your bladder is filled up with water and tests are done to determine the pressure inside the bladder and the volume of urine the bladder can hold. This test can help pinpoint the best treatment that would ease your symptoms.