Urinary incontinence in women: treatment with CO2 laser
Medical Review (Med. pregled), 2025, 61(2), 32-37.
D. Davidova1,2, E. Ismail3,4
1 “Prof. Asen Zlatarov” University – Burgas
2 New Life Clinic – Burgas
3 Health Care Department – Shumen, Medical University – Varna
4 SHOGAT “Prof. Dr. Stamatov” – Varna
Abstract. Introduction. The term urinary incontinence refers to the involuntary leakage of urine as a result of increased intra-abdominal pressure. Aim. To prove the effectiveness of the application of CO2 laser vaginal procedures in the treatment of urinary incontinence, without the need for hospitalization and anesthesia. Material and Methods. The study includes 107 women with stress urinary incontinence. The patients received the same CO2 laser therapy of three consecutive procedures at an interval of 4 weeks. The results were compared with 27 patients in a control group who received conventional surgical treatment for stress urinary incontinence. The incidence of walk incontinence and sanitary napkin use were analyzed. To prove the purpose in the present paper, we used a survey with a short questionnaire prepared, which the patients of the study and control groups filled in before and after treatment. Results and Discussion. The survey data showed that 30.8% (33 women) of the clinical group had walking incontinence before starting treatment. Their proportion decreased to 9.34% after the first laser procedure, continued to decrease to 2.8% after the second procedure, and reached 0.9% after three treatments. We compared the survey results in the two groups. After treatment, persistent walking incontinence was reported by 7.41% (2 women) of the control group and 0.93% (1 woman) of the laser treatment patients after the third treatment. The effectiveness of CO2 laser treatment is comparable to the achievements of conventional surgical treatment, in the absence of the need for hospitalization and recovery period. Regarding the use of sanitary napkins in everyday life, the results show that the proportion of women who do not wear sanitary napkins before starting CO2 laser treatment is only 1.8%. After the first procedure, it increases to 5.6%, as the same proportion remains after the second procedure (5.6%) and increases significantly after 3 consecutive CO2 laser procedures to 68.2%. We found a trend of maintaining the need for daily use of sanitary napkins in the control group of operated women, 85.19% of them. Conversely, the observed trend in those treated with CO2 laser is cessation of the use of sanitary napkins. Conclusion. CO2 laser therapy is established as an effective and safe method for the treatment of urinary incontinence, especially in women with mild and moderate symptoms. Due to its minimal invasiveness, rapid recovery and high success rate, this method represents a promising alternative to traditional therapeutic options.
Key words: urinary incontinence, CO2 laser treatment, quality of life, minimally invasive proceduress
Address for correspondence: Assoc. Prof. Elis Ismail, PhD, e-mail: