Urinary incontinence? Help is available

Written by yvonnethornton on October 4th, 2011

Many women are too embarrassed to talk to their doctors about urinary incontinence—which means that they may be suffering needlessly for a common complaint that often has an easy fix.

You’d probably be surprised to learn that about half of all adult women share this problem.

What’s behind urinary incontinence? There are several possibilities, including certain medications, but the two most common culprits are the loss of pelvic floor muscle tone, causing stress incontinence (urine escapes during activities such as exercise, laughing, or coughing), and over-active bladder (you feel the need to “go” more often than normal).

Stress incontinence can often be successfully treated with pelvic floor strengthening techniques called Kegel exercises. These exercises are remarkably simple to do, once you have the hang of it, and you can do them anywhere: sitting in traffic, watching TV, even at your desk.

If incontinence is brought on by an over-active bladder, different re-training exercises, including biofeedback and behavioral therapy, may be helpful. And there are several medicines that your doctor may prescribe, depending on the underlying causes.

What’s most important to know is that help is available, and not just in the Depends aisle of your pharmacy. Remember that you’re not alone in dealing with incontinence. Chances are good that about half of the women you know are dealing with some form of this disorder.

Don’t let embarrassment keep you from discussing this all-too-common issue with your doctor.

– Yvonne S. Thornton, MD, MPH

 

1 Comments so far ↓

  1. Nice post, Would like to ask if this link would be helpful also? Learn about kegels for men and women with detail videos.

    Kegel Exercises
    Thank you

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