Women should not ignore incontinence, it has a solution

“Women should not ignore incontinence, it has a solution”

Dr Rekha Hammarstrom, native of  Nagpur but now in Sweden since the past 30 years, performs TVT procedure

By Vikas Vaidya

Urinaryincontinence (UI) is any involuntary leakage of urine. Huge number of women (between 5 – 65% depending on different age groups, race and other factors) suffer from incontinence. They feel ashamed as it can happen both at home or in public. It is a social taboo because of which the women do not talk or seek help and thus isolate themselves. It is a common and distressing problem, which may have a profound impact on quality of life. There is a solution to it. Originally from Nagpur, now settled in Sweden, Dr Rekha Hammarstrom does Tension-free Vaginal Tape (TVT) procedure.Dr Rekha Hammarstrom nee Dr Rekha Job did her MBBS, DGO from Government Medical College (GMC), Nagpur. She worked in a Missionary hospital in Raipur with her uncle. She started conducting surgeries immediately after her internship so she has become habitual of all surgical procedures at very early age. In 1981 she interupted her MD and went to Sweden as she got married to the eminent businessman Yoran Hammarstrom. There she took her specialist degree in Gynecology and Obstetrics. For nearly last two decades, she has been doing this TVT procedure. Earlier the procedure for incontinens – Burch-plastic lasted long for over one hour. Now it takes 10-15 minutes. There are risks like, bladder or intestines can be injured. She says, it should not be done by inexperienced persons. The global cure rate of the patient becoming continent i.e. not leaking urine, after the operation is between 95 to 98% inexperienced hands. Dr Rekha has a lot of experience and her success rate is 97 to 98%.
The TVT procedure was first described by Professor Dr. Ulf Ulmsten, (Uppsala Academic Hospital, Sweden) in 1994. Dr Rekha Hammarstrom learned this procedure from Professor Ulmten himself and has been doing the operation since then.Dr Rekha said, “I do not want to cast an aspersion on any doctor but when a woman with complaint of incontinence approaches doctors, or general practitioners, they tell her that there is no need to worry as it is common amongst women after child birth or after menopause. If this problem is left untreated, it becomes worse and these women can not lead a normal social life properly. When they go out, the first thing they do is to localise the nearest toilets! They keep themselves away from nearly everything. This isolation affects their mental health too making them depressed and frustrated as this condition is like a social handicap.”
There are different types of incontinence of which stress incontinence and overactive bladder (OAB) are the most common types.Stress incontinence, also known as Effort incontinence which is more common in women, causes urine to leak on effort or exhertion, like sneezeing, laughing, or coughing.
Urgeincontinens, ,also called overactive bladder, is caused by urinary muscle spasms that causes the person to urinate of ten and/or an urgency to urinate.
Mixed incontinens,where both stress and urge incontinens are present in the same patient.
Nocturia,urge to urinate more than once in the night or even bed wetting.

Incontinence can be caused by genetic weakness, over weight, multiple child birth, lifestyle, menopausal changes and aging, amongst others.


Symptoms of stress incontinence: ·Involuntary release of urine, especially when you cough, sneeze, or laugh or do certain physical activities.·Leaking a small to moderate amount of urine·Symptoms of urge incontinence: ·Frequent and sudden uncontrollable need to urinate·May leak a small to large amount of urine or frequent urge without the leakage of urine.


Most common methods of treatment available. Surgery is the treatment of choice for stress incontinence, if pelvic floor exercises do not help.
Medicines help as long as you take them. Bulk material injections or collagen injections (help reinforce and support the tissue surrounding the urethra) Used in very few selected patients.
For urgency incontinens, treatments use dare: change of lifestyle, pelvic floor muscles exercises, bladder training and if these do not help, medicines are recommended.

points to remember

Avoid lifting heavy weights, chronic cough as in bronchitis or astma and obesity. One may find that losing weight can make a positive difference. During the menopausal changes one can experience this type of problem. Use of local hormones after consulting your gynecologist, can help. It is important to avoid drinking too much fluid, as that can aggravate incontinence and make one go moreoftento the toilet. However, it is also important to ensure one drink enough fluid on a daily basis to remain properly hydrated.


Stress UrinaryIncontinence
Until recently, gynecologists and urologists approached stress urinary incontinence differently. Gynecologists were champions of retropubiccolpopexy procedures, while urologists performed sling procedures. Though Dr. Ulf Ulmsten's (UAS-Uppsala University Hospital, Sweden) landmark work on stress urinaryincontinence, culminating in the useof tension-free vaginal tape (TVT) in 1994, gynecologists and urologists throughout the world came to agree on a common procedure.

Dr. Rekha Hammarström has already performed TVT operation in Nagpur at Avanti Clinic, Dhantoli, with great success. ”It is wonderful to treat these patients as they are so grateful and happy because they get back their high quality of life. It is like meeting an entirely new person!” says Dr. Rekha.

Dr. Rekha Hammarström has decided to come to Nagpur a few times a year to operate patients within continens problems.

If anyone need help regarding all types of incontinens, they can contact for the first consultation:

1.      Dr CharuMahorkar, Avanti Clinic, Dhantoli, Nagpur

Tel: 9922427812

2.      Dr. Charu Ranade, Prestige Clinic, Chhaoni, Nagpur

Tel: 9370998949