Bulkamid Hydrogel Treatment for Female Stress Urinary Incontinence

Helping Women Living with Stress Urinary Incontinence Live Life Dry & Confident

Any woman living with stress urinary incontinence (SUI) will tell you that one sneeze, cough, or laugh can lead to uncomfortable urinary leakage. The female pelvic health specialists at Chesapeake Urology now offer an exciting new, minimally invasive, and effective treatment for female SUI called Bulkamid®.

92% of patients are either cured of stress urinary incontinence or experience vast, long-term improvement in their symptoms with Bulkamid.

Stress incontinence affects 1 in 3 adult American women. This involuntary leakage of urine often occurs when a woman sneezes, coughs, laughs, or even performs exercises or other strenuous activities. It’s a common condition that can interfere with a woman’s daily life. First-line therapy for SUI usually includes pelvic floor muscle therapy; however, if this therapy is unsuccessful in managing urinary symptoms, urethral bulking agents such as Bulkamid hydrogel treatment offer a minimally invasive alternative to surgical procedures including mid-urethral slings.

What is Bulkamid?

Bulkamid is a soft hydrogel, also known as a urethral bulking agent, that acts as a barrier to prevent urine leakage. Consisting of 97.5% water, the hydrogel is natural and safe for the body. Delivered to the urethral opening by injection, Bulkamid provides additional volume to the urethra (the tube that carries urinary from the bladder to the outside of the body) to help prevent urine leakage from the bladder.

Bulkamid has been used for more than 15 years and in more than 45 countries worldwide for the effective treatment of SUI.

How it Works

Bulkamid is injected into the soft tissue of your urethra using a syringe. The minimally invasive procedure is performed in your urologist’s office or in an Ambulatory Surgery Center and typically takes only 10 to 15 minutes to perform. Your urologist will discuss whether you will be given local or general anesthesia to ensure your comfort. Most patients undergo the procedure under local anesthesia and feel no more than a slight scratch as the syringe needle enters the urethral wall.

A small cystoscope with a tiny camera is inserted into the urethra. The entire injection is performed under constant visualization.

• Three or four deposits of the Bulkamid hydrogel are placed into the urethral tissue until the opposite walls are touching in the center of the urethral opening.
• After the injection of the hydrogel, the cystoscope is gently removed and the procedure is complete.

Benefits of Bulkamid – Freedom From Unwanted Leakage

The majority of women treated with Bulkamid report symptom improvement as soon as the procedure is completed. This improvement includes freedom from unwanted leakage as well as a decrease in the amount and frequency of urine leakage.

• A quick, minimally invasive procedure that takes about 10 to 15 minutes in your doctor’s office.
• No incisions, only a series of small injections.
• Quick recovery – most patients return to their normal daily activities immediately following the procedure.

More than 70,000 patients have been successfully treated with Bulkamid world-wide.

Bulkamid Vs. Other Urethral Bulking Agents

Unlike other bulking agents (particulate bulking agents) which consist of solid microparticles suspended in a gel, Bulkamid is a smooth hydrogel consisting of 97.5% water and 2.5% polyacrylamide. Particulate agents achieve their bulking effect through reactive changes (an inflammatory response in the patient’s body) and as such, the final volume of the cushion in the urethral wall cannot be accurately predicted.

Bulkamid is a non-particulate bulking agent whose bulking effect is directly linked to the volume of gel injected into the urethral wall. Bulkamid maintains its size in the body’s tissues as it is resistant to absorption and degradation. Once injected, the host cells enter the hydrogel and form a lasting network of fine fibers holding it in place in the urethral wall, and making the final cushions created predictable, controllable, and precise.