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Fecal Incontinence

About the Condition

Fecal incontinence often called accidental bowel leakage, is the inability to control bowel movements, resulting in leakage of solid or liquefied stool. Symptoms of this chronic condition – which affects about 6% of women under age 40, and 15% of older women in the United States – ranges from moderate to socially debilitating. While men also suffer from fecal incontinence, it’s more far common among women due to their reproductive anatomy and hormonal changes during menopause.

TREATMENT OPTIONS

  • Dietary modification
  • Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy
  • Medications
  • Medtronic Interstim Therapy This is a small device that’s implanted under the skin. It stimulates the sacral nerves with a mild electric current to help bowels and rectum function properly.
  • Bulking agents. These are gels injected into the anus to bulk up tissue around the anus, thereby narrowing the opening and facilitating better closure of the sphincter muscles.