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.
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
Common types of bladder and bowel problems
- Urinary urgency/frequency
- Non-obstructive urinary retention
- Urinary urge incontinence
- Fecal incontinence (FI)
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
Are you a candidate?
Answer a few quick questions to find out if the InterStim™ system may be a fit for you.
Restoration of function is defined as a 50 percent or greater reduction in your troublesome bladder or bowel symptoms from baseline.
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.
Whitehead WE, Borrud L, Goode PS, et al. Fecal incontinence in US adults: epidemiology and risk factors. Gastroenterol. 2009;137(2):512–517.
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.
Griffiths D, Derbyshire S, Stenger A, Resnick N. Brain control of normal and overactive bladder. J Urol. 2005;174:1862–1867.
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.
Leng WW, Morrisroe SN. Sacral nerve stimulation for the overactive bladder. Urol Clin N Am. 2006;33:491–501.
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.