Bladder and
bowel conditions

You deserve freedom.

Urgency. Frequency. Leaks. Understand the possible causes of your symptoms and discover therapies that may help you take back control.

Alert Important Safety Information
See details
Read more
See more
Learn more
View more

Understanding bladder and bowel symptoms

Do you plan life around the bathroom?

You’re not alone. Bladder and bowel problems like incontinence, retention, frequency/urgency, and more can disrupt your life, your freedom, and your confidence. Even when medications may fail, have hope: life-changing therapies are out there.

View therapies
Six people with one person highlighted indicating one in six adults suffer from bladder control problems.

One in 6 adults suffers from overactive bladder symptoms.1 One in 12 adults suffers from bowel incontinence.2,3

Causes of bladder and bowel symptoms

When your body is functioning properly, nerves signal your brain when your bladder or rectum are full and need to empty. When you experience troublesome symptoms, there may be a disruption in the communication between your brain and your bladder or bowel.4,5 Targeting this communication may help restore* function.5-7

See the treatment pathway

Common types of bladder and bowel problems

  • Urinary urgency/frequency
  • Non-obstructive urinary retention
  • Urinary urge incontinence
  • Fecal incontinence (FI)

Medtronic offers a
different type of treatment

Many first-line treatments target the muscles that control bladder and bowel functions. Our InterStimTM system works by targeting the nerve signals that regulate bladder and bowel functions. This can help restore* communication to the brain and reduce your symptoms.6,7

See the system
Young couple walks dog in the woods

Actual patient not shown

We have been able to go hiking, we have been able to go do things as a family, we have been able to really have a normal life again.

– Shamay B.,  Nonobstructive urinary retention patient treated by the rechargeable InterStim™ Micro system
See patient stories

Are you a candidate?

Answer a few quick questions to find out if the InterStim™ system may be a fit for you.

Bladder control quiz
Bowel control quiz

Find a doctor
Portrait of a female physician in a hospital setting
*

Restoration of function is defined as a 50 percent or greater reduction in your troublesome bladder or bowel symptoms from baseline.

1

Stewart WF, Van Rooyen JB, Cundiff GW, et al. Prevalence and burden of overactive bladder in the United States. World J Urol. 2003;20(6):327–336.

2

Whitehead WE, Borrud L, Goode PS, et al. Fecal incontinence in US adults: epidemiology and risk factors. Gastroenterol. 2009;137(2):512–517.

3

Ditah I, Devaki P, Luma HN et al. Prevalence, trends, and risk factors for fecal incontinence in United States adults, 2005-2010. Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2014;12:636–643.

4

Griffiths D, Derbyshire S, Stenger A, Resnick N. Brain control of normal and overactive bladder. J Urol. 2005;174:1862–1867.

5

Patton V, Wiklendt L, Arkwright JW, et al. The effect of sacral nerve stimulation on distal colonic motility in patients with fecal incontinence. Br J Surg. 2013;100(7):959–968.

6

Leng WW, Morrisroe SN. Sacral nerve stimulation for the overactive bladder. Urol Clin N Am. 2006;33:491–501.

7

Chancellor MB, Chartier-Kastler EJ. Principles of sacral nerve stimulation (SNS) for the treatment of bladder and urethral sphincter dysfunctions. Neuromod. 2000;3(1):15–26.