Bulking agent injections are used to treat women suffering from stress urinary incontinence
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A bulking agent injection is a procedure that is used to treat urine incontinence. This injection can provide some short-term relief from unitary incontinence, but it will not cure the condition.
This procedure is used to treat women suffering from stress urinary incontinence (SUI). SUI is a common problem affecting many women. It is caused by a weakness of the pelvic floor muscles or weakness in the urethra. Common signs of an SUI leads include leaking of urine when you cough, sneeze or laugh. A bulking agent works by narrowing the urethra so that leakage is less likely to occur.
Before the outpatient procedure, your doctor at OneWelbeck may recommend a urodynamics test. This is an investigation of bladder function, which will confirm your diagnosis and help rule out any other problems with the bladder. See our page on urodymanic testing for more information.
During the procedure, your doctor will start by inserting a catheter to ensure that your bladder is totally empty for the surgery.
During this procedure, your doctor will insert a bulking agent into the wall of your urethra (waterpipe) using a small telescope called an endoscope. The bulking agent will help your urethra to make a watertight seal and to prevent urine leaking from your bladder. Your doctor will use a local anaesthetic.
We always recommend to drink plenty of water after a gynaecological procedure.
There are some possible side effects to this procedure, but side effects can vary between individual cases so you should talk to your doctor for more details. Common side effects include
Less common side effects:
Introduction
Treatment
Typically less than an hour. Home same day
Aftercare
Stay hydrated
Recovery
Very minimal
Health Insurance
This service or treatment is generally covered by most health insurance policies. You are responsible for checking your insurance policy cover, and you may need a referral letter. Check which insurance companies are covered.
Doctor Referral Only
You will generally need to get a referral letter from your NHS GP, Private GP, or other doctor to access this service or treatment. Find out more including how we can assist you
Self-Pay Available
This treatment is available for self-paying users. If you would like to see more information on pricing visit our pricing and payments page.
Consultation Required
For this treatment you will need to have a 1-to-1 consultation at OneWelbeck first. To book in with our team of expert clinicians or to find out more about the process contact the relevant centre team.
Same Day Availability
We usually have same-day appointments available for this service. Please call us to book.
Next Day Availability
We usually have next day availability for this service, please call us to check availability.
We have brought together a group of leading gynaecologists and breast specialists to form our Women’s Health team. With over 200 years of combined experience, these expert clinicians are the best in their field and are all focused on delivering the very best patient care.