Are You Like Jo?

Jo, age 40 and very fit, faces a complex situation: she has the same symptoms as Jane and Karen, meaning she leaks urine when she exercises or laughs as well as because of sudden urges. She’s had symptoms for only 11 months but is definitely going to ask her doctor for help, even though she feels embarrassed. Her symptoms are frequent and serious.  What Jo will learn when she talks to her doctor: Jo’s doctor will tell her that she has mixed urinary incontinence, which is a combination of stress incontinence and urge incontinence or overactive bladder. Women with this mixed form of incontinence are more likely to seek help earlier because their symptoms tend to be worse and more frequent than symptoms of women who experience only stress or urge incontinence / overactive bladder. Mixed incontinence has a much stronger negative effect on quality of life, and women with this condition spend much more on laundry bills and adult diapers.

What is Mixed Urinary Incontinence?

The majority of women suffer from some combination of Stress Urinary Incontinence (SUI) and Urge Urinary Incontinence (UUI). It’s important to make sure your treatment program is individualized for the type(s) you have. Frequently women with mixed incontinence will find that one or the other type is worse and should be treated first.

You Know You Have MUI if you experience the symptoms of both:

1. Stress Urinary Incontinence (SUI)
2. Urge Urinary Incontinence (UUI)

How the story ends

Jo is still considering her options. She now knows that SUI is the primary culprit of her MUI condition, and her physician has recommended that she start with medication and avoid food and drink choices that irritate the bladder.  Jo is happy to start the medication, which has about a 50% effectiveness for women with SUI, but isn’t sure she has the commitment to change her diet significantly.