It’s no laughing matter. Urinary incontinence, or the involuntary leakage of urine, is an embarrassing condition for nearly 11 million women in the United States. Any sudden movement that puts pressure on the bladder can cause a woman to leak urine – a sneeze or cough – even a laugh. 

Stress Urinary Incontinence or SUI is especially common in women who have had children. And for many women, learning to cope with the condition seems like their best and only option. But what most of them don’t know is that there are minimally invasive options to help treat SUI. Gateway Medical Center now offers a new treatment called the GYNECARE TVT SECUR* System. 

The treatment is performed during a 10- to 15-minute procedure, and in most cases, can be performed under local anesthesia. The technique features a new minimally invasive approach that eliminates the need for surgical exit incisions in the patient’s skin. During the procedure, the surgeon inserts a piece of mesh tape through the vagina and positions it under the urethra, the tube by which urine exits the bladder. The mesh tape creates a supportive sling or hammock under the urethra, allowing it to maintain its seal to prevent unintentional urine loss.

According to Dr. Timothy Duffin, Urologist, “Although so many women experience SUI, most women are not aware that it is a treatable condition.  Women may suffer in silence and put off activities that they enjoy. GYNECARE TVT SECUR allows us to correct the problem in a minimally invasive way that doesn’t require a patient to undergo general anesthesia or experience a long recovery time.”

Patients treated with GYNECARE TVT SECUR may be able to go home as early as a few hours after the procedure. Patients can expect a short recovery period. During this time, there should be little interference with daily activities.

GYNECARE TVT SECUR is not for women who are or intend to become pregnant. Women on anticoagulation therapy also are not candidates.

All medical procedures present risks.  Although rare, complications associated with the treatment include injury to blood vessels of the pelvis and abdominal wall, difficulty urinating and bladder and bowel injury.

To see if this procedure is right for you, talk to your doctor.