Version July 2025
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What are discharge instructions? —
Discharge instructions are information about how to take care of yourself after getting medical care for a health problem.
What is surgery for stress urinary incontinence? —
Stress urinary incontinence is a condition where a person leaks urine when they laugh, cough, sneeze, or do anything that puts pressure on the belly.
Doctors can do surgery called "urethral suspension" to treat this condition in females.
Urethral suspension is usually done as a "minimally invasive" surgery. This means the doctor makes small cuts ("incisions") in the skin of the abdomen. They insert long, thin tools through the incisions to do the surgery.
Sometimes, doctors have to do "open" surgery instead. This means they make a larger incision in the abdomen and work directly inside the body.
There are 2 main types of urethral suspension surgery:
●"Sling procedure" – This is the more common procedure. The doctor puts a sling around the urethra. The sling gives the urethra support to help keep it from leaking urine.
●"Burch procedure," also called "retropubic colposuspension" – The doctor attaches the tissue around the urethra to strong bands of tissue inside the pelvis. This helps keep the urethra from leaking urine.
How long it will take you to recover, and what you need to do, depends on which type of surgery you had. If you had minimally invasive surgery, you should be able to return to your normal activities in a few days. With open surgery, it usually takes longer to recover.
How do I care for myself at home? —
Ask the doctor or nurse what you should do when you go home. Make sure you understand exactly what you need to do to care for yourself. Ask questions if there is anything you do not understand.
For the first 24 hours after surgery:
●Do not drive or operate heavy or dangerous machinery.
●Do not make any important decisions or sign any important papers.
●Do not drink alcohol of any kind.
You should also do the following:
●Take care of your urinary catheter, if you have one. The staff will teach you how to empty it and take care of it.
●Drink plenty of fluids, unless your doctor tells you otherwise. This helps flush out your bladder and prevent infection.
●You might have some blood in your urine for up to a week. You might also see blood in your urine if you have been active.
●You might have light vaginal bleeding or spotting for a few weeks. It might be pink to brown or yellow colored. You can use pads.
●Avoid straining to urinate or have a bowel movement.
●Do not put anything in your vagina until you are completely healed and your doctor says you can. Doing this can increase your risk of infection and slow healing. This includes tampons, douches, fingers, and all types of sexual activity involving the vagina.
●Take all your medicines as instructed.
•Take non-prescription medicines to relieve pain, such as acetaminophen (sample brand name: Tylenol), ibuprofen (sample brand names: Advil, Motrin), and naproxen (sample brand name: Aleve). You can take these instead of opioids.
•Use a stool softener to help prevent constipation, if needed. This is a common problem if you take opioid pain medicines.
●Take care of your incision – You might have stitches, skin staples, surgical glue, or a special skin tape on your incision. If you had minimally invasive surgery, you might have more than 1 incision. If you had a sling procedure, you might have small incisions on your low belly or inner thighs. You might also have stitches inside your vagina. They will dissolve on their own.
•Keep your incision dry and covered with a bandage for the first 1 to 2 days. Your doctor or nurse will tell you exactly how long to keep it dry.
•Once you no longer need to keep your incision dry, gently wash it with soap and water whenever you take a shower. Do not put it underwater, such as in a bath, pool, or lake. This can slow healing and raise your chance of getting an infection.
•After you wash your incision, pat it dry. Your doctor or nurse will tell you if you need to put an antibiotic ointment on it. They will also tell you if you need to cover it with a bandage or gauze.
•Always wash your hands before and after you touch your incision or bandage.
●Increase your activity as you feel ready – Start with short walks around your home, and walk a little more each day.
•Keep coughing and doing deep breathing exercises for 7 to 10 days. This helps prevent lung infections. If you had "open" surgery, press a pillow across your incision when you cough, sneeze, or do deep breathing exercises. This helps support the wound and ease pain.
•Avoid heavy lifting, sports, and swimming for at least a week or 2. (Your doctor or nurse will tell you exactly how long to avoid these or other activities.)
●Eat when you are hungry – If you have an upset stomach, it might help to start with clear liquids and foods that are easy to digest, like soup, pudding, toast, or eggs. You can eat other types of foods when you feel ready. If your doctor or nurse gave you specific instructions about what to eat or avoid, follow them.
●If you had minimally invasive surgery, you might have some pain in your shoulder. This is from gas the doctor put into your belly during surgery. Walking and moving around will help reduce the gas and ease pain.
What follow-up care do I need? —
The doctor will want to see you again after surgery to check on your progress. Go to these appointments.
If you have staples, you will need to have them taken out. Your doctor will usually want to do this in 1 to 2 weeks. Most stitches absorb on their own and do not need to be removed. If the doctor used skin glue or skin tape, it will fall off on its own. Do not pick at it or try to remove it yourself.
When should I call the doctor? —
Call for advice if you:
●Have a fever of 100.4°F (38°C) or higher, or chills
●Have redness or swelling around your incision
●Have clear, bloody, or foul-smelling fluid draining from your incision
●Still have blood in your urine after a week
●Have trouble urinating or burning when urinating
●Feel the urge to urinate but cannot go
●Still have urinary incontinence
●Have heavy vaginal bleeding
Patient education: Deciding about surgery for stress urinary incontinence in females (The Basics)
Patient education: Urinary incontinence in females (The Basics)
Patient education: Minimally invasive surgery (The Basics)
Patient education: How to care for a urinary catheter (The Basics)
Patient education: How to use a catheter to empty the bladder in females (The Basics)
Patient education: Urinary incontinence treatments for women (Beyond the Basics)
Patient education: Urinary incontinence in women (Beyond the Basics)
