Urinary Incontinence: Stopping the Runaway Weight Train

If think about it, the connection between female urinary incontinence and weight gain is obvious. A woman suffering with symptoms of urinary incontinence is likely to leak urine when she jogs, leading to that embarrassing “wet crotch” look. So she stops exercising.She starts to feel bad about herself so she reaches for the tub of ice cream in the freezer to calm her nerves, which makes her gain weight. Now her urinary incontinence symptoms are worse than ever, especially if she tries to exercise … and the runaway weight train has just left the station.

Does this sound familiar?

What You Should Do if You Are Riding the Runaway Weight Train
As a passenger on the runaway train, your first step is to put the ice cream (or chips or whatever) down. Just step away.

Next, go back to exercising. Exercise is so important because losing even just a few pounds can significantly ease urinary incontinence symptoms. In one study sponsored by the National Institutes of Health, women who lost 8 percent of their body weight, or about 17 pounds, reduced their leakage incidences by almost half. That’s a lot!

If you are concerned about leaking while you exercise, it’s time to consult a healthcare professional and research your options. There are many conservative therapies that can help you reduce or eliminate urinary incontinence symptoms. Even if you have sought help before to no avail, keep looking. Healthcare has come a long way in recent years when it comes to ways to ease urinary incontinence symptoms.

Finally, read up on urinary incontinence. Knowledge is power, and the more you know about urinary incontinence, the easier it will be for you to get the kind of help you want and need.

Here are some excellent resources from national institutions dedicated to solving the problem of incontinence.

Medline Plus on Urinary Incontinence 

National Association for Continence

National Kidney and Urologic Diseases Clearinghouse

Simon Foundation for Continence