Forty percent of women in the US suffer from incontinence. There are four different types of urinary incontinence.
- Stress urinary incontinence--the unintentional release or leakage uf urine during sudden movements such as coughing, sneezing, laughing, and exercising.
- Urge incontinence--the sudden, intense urge to urinate, followed by a loss of urine.
- Mixed incontinence--occurs when women have symptoms of both stress and urge incontinence.
- Overflow incontinence--occurs when the bladder doesn't completely empty. It may be caused by dysfunctional nerves or a blockage in the urethra that prevents the flow of urine.
Stress urinary incontinence, or SUI, is a sudden, unintentional release of urine during normal, everyday activities. You may have SUI if you lose urine when you cough, sneeze or laugh, walk, exercise or lift something, or get up from a seated or lying position. You may also go to the bathroom frequently during the day to avoid accidents.
If you are experiencing sudden urine loss, it means your urethra (the tube from the blader through which urine exits the body) does not stay closed until it's time to urinate. There are 2 primary reasons why the urethra tube fails to maintain its seal during stress activity. Most commonly is the poor support of the urethra normally provided by the underlying muscles and connective tissue of the vagina. Less commonly, the urethral sphincter could be deficient.
A common misconception is that SUI is expected to occur with aging. This is not true, and in reality, it can affect women of any age. Weakened pelvic floor, connective tissues and muscles can happen as a result of:
- pregnancy and childbirth,
- chronic heavy lifting or straining,
- menopause, and
- obesity.
Ask yourself these questions:
Do you experience unplanned, sudden urine loss while laughing, sneezing, coughing or exercising?
Do you need to wear pads to absorb urine leaks?
Do you limit your activities for fear of leaking urine?
Do the availability of bathroom facilities determine your decision to go on trips, outings or events?
If you answered 'yes' to any of these scenarios, Dr. Grover would like to talk to you.
