Women’s Urinary Incontinence Linked to Depression

by General Urinary IncontinenceMixed Urinary IncontinenceStress Urinary IncontinenceUrge Urinary IncontinenceWomen's Healthcare
When it comes to urinary incontinence, what goes on in your head could be related to what goes on “down there”! According to a study published by obstetrician/gynecologist Dr. Jennifer Melville of the University of Washington:Depressed women are 148% more likely to be affected by women’s urinary incontinence than women who were not depressed.

So what’s going on here … or down there?

Which Comes First: Urinary Incontinence or Depression?
When it comes to women’s urinary incontinence and depression, the question of which condition shows up first may be akin to the question about chickens and eggs. Either condition could trigger the other.

Dr. Melville points out that neurotransmitters like serotonin, which are affected by depression, may also affect the brain chemicals that control the bladder. This means that chemical changes in the brain brought on by depression may also contribute to the onset of women’s urinary incontinence.

For instance, in one study, conducted by researchers from the University of Virginia and University of Michigan, it was reported that women who were depressed after giving birth had a higher incidence of urge urinary incontinence than new mothers who were not depressed. This study, presented at the 2005 meeting of the American Urogynecologic Society in Atlanta, clearly links post-partum depression with women’s urinary incontinence.

On the other hand, as Dr. Melville states, women’s urinary incontinence is a difficult chronic condition to deal with, and can lead to depression. Specifically, she says, “Incontinence so severely affects some women’s quality of life that they may become socially isolated and embarrassed. And, over time, that could lead to depression.”

So what comes first: women’s urinary incontinence or depression? Researchers are not clear yet, but there is a definite condition between the two conditions. Luckily, both conditions are treatable.

For resources on women’s urinary incontinence, we suggest you start with our no-frills free ebook on women’s pelvic floor health:

Download the “What’s Up Down There?” Ebook

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Women’s Urinary Incontinence and Pelvic Floor Stimulation

by General Urinary IncontinencePelvic Floor WeaknessStress Urinary IncontinenceWomen's Healthcare
In our last blog post we talked about the use of biofeedback as a way to resolve symptoms of women’s urinary incontinence. In this blog post, we discuss another similar kind of therapy called pelvic floor stimulation.

As the name implies, pelvic floor stimulation involves the use of very light electrical impulses to stimulate the pelvic floor muscles into contracting. Before you freak out, know that the stimulation is neither painful nor scary. It is effective for many women who have weakened pelvic floor muscles.

How Pelvic Floor Stimulation Works
As with biofeedback, the stimulation is delivered through either a tampon-like device inserted into the vagina, or stick-on electrodes placed around the anus. The electrodes are then connected to a machine that delivers a very controlled amount of electrical stimulation.

Many women describe the sensation of pelvic floor stimulation as a tightening and lifting of the pelvic floor muscles. Others find the sensation more like a tingling or tapping sensation, and it is never painful.

Pelvic floor stimulation is an effective conservative therapy for women’s urinary incontinence, andstress urinary incontinence in particular. This therapy treats the nerves which control the pelvic floor muscles, and can help women strengthen these muscles. While home pelvic floor stimulation machines are available, for the most part this therapy is done under the supervision of a physical therapist, nurse specialist, or physician specializing in urinary incontinence.

If you feel that this kind of therapy would help you resolve your urinary incontinence issues, ask your physician or urologist. If they are not knowledgeable about this kind of therapy, chances are that they can refer you to a specialist who can help you.

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Kegels: Are You Doing Them Correctly and Could Biofeedback Help?

by Decreased Sexual SensationGeneral Urinary IncontinencePelvic Floor WeaknessWomen's Healthcare
Get this: studies show that 50% of women cannot do a correct Kegel (or pelvic floor muscle contraction) when guided only by written instructions.It’s true. Sad, but true.

There are lots of women out there earnestly doing Kegels, but incorrectly. Many women mistakenly tighten their buttock, thigh, or abdominal muscles instead of their pelvic floor muscles when doing a Kegel. While this may get them in shape for bikini weather, it won’t tone the muscles needed to prevent urinary incontinence … or increase sexual satisfaction.

Biofeedback: One Way to Ensure a Correct Kegel
If you are not sure whether you are doing your Kegel exercises correctly, or you are not getting the desired results, then you may want to consider biofeedback. Biofeedback uses a computerized device which tells you, with pictures and/or sounds, whether you are tightening the right muscles during a Kegel contraction.

There are several types of biofeedback machines available, and most are used as part of a therapy session guided by a nurse specialist or physical therapist. Usually, one of two types of sensors is used in biofeedback therapy. One is a tampon-like sensor that is placed inside the vagina. The other is an external sensor that is placed just outside the anus.

These sensors are then connected to a computer, which converts the electrical activity from your muscles (as you do a Kegel) into either pictures or sounds that are “fed back” to you. You will actually see and/or hear when you are tightening the correct pelvic floor muscles, and when you are not.

The job of the physical therapist or nurse specialist is to guide you in using the biofeedback machine until you can properly locate and contract your pelvic floor muscles. You then become much more aware of your pelvic floor muscles, and eventually can do correct Kegel contractions without the biofeedback machine. This kind of biofeedback therapy has been shown to be effective in resolving symptoms of women’s urinary incontinence.

So, if you aren’t sure whether you are doing Kegels correctly, or your results are less than satisfactory, consider seeking the help of a physical therapist offering biofeedback therapy.

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Stress Urinary Incontinence: Did You Know There are Two Types?

by General Urinary IncontinenceStress Urinary IncontinenceWomen's Healthcare
Women’s urinary incontinence is a real pain in the panties! Luckily, if you are a woman who has urinary incontinence, you are not powerless because knowledge is power.The more you know about urinary incontinence, the more you can act as your own powerful healthcare advocate.

If you have stress urinary incontinence, then here’s some information you’ll want to know: there are actually two types of stress urinary incontinence.

The Two Types of Stress Urinary Incontinence
As the name suggests, with stress urinary incontinence you leak urine when you put stress on your abdominal cavity. This can happen when you sneeze, cough, step off a curb, or jump around during aerobics class. Depending on the severity of your case, “stress” can range from something as powerful as a high kick in a karate class to something as low-key as standing up.

So why does “stress” to the abdominal cavity cause urine leakage? There are two reasons, hence two types of stress urinary incontinence. The two types are:

  • urethral hypermobility
  • intrinsic sphincteric deficiency (ISD)

With urethral hypermobility, when the abdominal pressure increases, the urethra shifts position, allowing urine to leak out. With ISD, the urethra doesn’t move but the ring of muscles that seal the bladder and keep it from leaking does not seal properly, which also allows urine leakage.

Most physicians believe that the majority of women with stress urinary incontinence have at least some degree of ISD.

What You Can Do About Stress Urinary Incontinence
There are many conservative therapies that you can try to alleviate your urinary leakage problems. For instance, many physicians recommend one or more of the following:

Even if you have tried one of these therapies with little or no success, it’s worth your while to combine two or more of therapies to see if you get a better result. Many women cannot resolve their urine leakage with a single approach, but have good results when they combine conservative treatments. Give it a try!
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Women’s Urinary Incontinence Twice as Likely Occur as Men’s

by General Urinary IncontinencePelvic Floor WeaknessWomen's Healthcare
Did you know that women are twice as likely as men to suffer from urinary incontinence? What’s up with that?

Unfortunately, ladies, it is true-sad, but true. 

Women experience urinary incontinence two times more often than men … and that’s because women go through all kinds of life experiences that men never do.

Women’s Urinary Incontinence and Life Experiences
What experiences do women have that men never do? Here’s a list:

– pregnancy
– childbirth
– menopause
– the structure of the female urinary tract

Pregnancy and Childbirth
Pregnancy and childbirth are “no brainers” when it comes to causing women’s urinary incontinence. Both of these events, though joyous, can stretch and strain muscles, tendons, and ligaments “down there.” The result is a weakened pelvic floor, and an increased chance of urine leakage.

Menopause
Menopause, another life experience unique to women, brings about many hormonal changes that can lead to urinary incontinence. For instance, at the onset of menopause, estrogen levels in a woman’s body tend to drop. Estrogen is important for keeping the bladder strong, maintaining the health of the urinary tract lining, and keeping the vaginal wall thick. When the levels of estrogen drop, all of these organs suffer, and the result is often urinary incontinence.

The Structure of the Female Urinary Tract
Finally, as if pregnancy, childbirth, and menopause were not enough to deal with, women are also endowed with a urinary tract that is anatomically more likely to leak urine. It turns out that men have a longer urethra, and their entire anatomy for handling urine is much better for preventing urine leakage. Says Jean Fourcroy, MD, a Washington D.C. urologist, a consultant to Walter Reed Army Hospital, and former Food and Drug Administration medical examiner, “[Men are] in an anatomically better position to control [urine] until they get to the bathroom.”

How Can Women Beat the Odds?
While it is true that women are twice as likely to suffer from urinary incontinence, for all the reasons listed above, there is no reason to allow yourself to become just another statistic. Instead, take action now to beat the odds. Whether or not you currently have urinary incontinence, now is the time to begin strengthening your pelvic floor muscles to prevent and/or decrease urine leakage.

Don’t know how? Our handy dandy step-by-step ebook will walk you through not only how to test the strength of your pelvic floor muscles, but also how to do correct Kegels to strengthen your muscles “down there.”

The ebook is free and knowledge is power, so what are you waiting for?

Download the ebook “What’s Up Down There?” here

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Women’s Urinary Incontinence Affected by Mental Changes

by General Urinary IncontinencePelvic Floor WeaknessWomen's Healthcare
It turns out that if you have urinary incontinence it could be “all in your head!” Of course, we don’t mean that urine leakage isn’t real, or that you don’t have to deal with adult diapers, finding bathrooms, and all the other problems associated with women’s urinary incontinence.

What we do mean is that mental changes can often be the triggering factor that either causes women to start having urinary incontinence or worsens existing symptoms.

Mental Changes and Women’s Urinary Incontinence
It turns out that there are three major mental changes that can contribute to women’s urinary incontinence. These are:

  • Severe depression
  • Confusion or delirium
  • Severe memory loss
Severe depression contributes to urinary incontinence because often a severely depressed woman lacks the motivation to get up and go to the bathroom. With this level of depression, a woman lacks the incentive to take daily care of herself, including attending to bathroom needs.

Confusion or delirium, which can be caused by illness or medications, often results in urinary incontinence. In these cases, the person either is not aware of the urge to urinate, or cannot find the bathroom in time.

Finally, severe memory loss can affect a person’s ability to find a bathroom, or remember toileting procedures. Whether because of an accident or illness, such as a stroke, a woman who was previously continent may now become incontinent because she cannot remember where to go when she has to urinate, or what to do once she finds the bathroom.

Depending on whether these three types of mental changes-depression, confusion, or memory loss-are permanent, chances are that when the mental issue is resolved, the urinary incontinence issues will also be resolved.

To learn more about the different kinds of women’s urinary incontinence, click the link below:

Is This You?

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Women’s Urinary Incontinence: Medications Causing Trouble?

by General Urinary IncontinenceWomen's Healthcare
If you suffer from women’s urinary incontinence, you may want to examine the medications you are taking. Some of them may be contributing to your urine leakage. Diuretic Drugs Can Worsen Urinary Incontinence
For example, any medications that are diuretics or “water pills” greatly increase urine output, which can make your urinary incontinence symptoms worse than ever. Many medications prescribed for high blood pressure are diuretics, as are some over-the-counter pills such as Dramamine and some PMS-medications.

Any of these diuretic drugs can overwhelm your bladder’s ability to “hold” urine, so you end up with urine leakage. This is especially true if your pelvic floor muscles are already weakened.

Other Drugs that Worsen Women’s Urinary Incontinence
Sedative or tranquilizer drugs can also worsen symptoms of urinary incontinence because they slow your reflexes, and reduce your awareness of the urge to urinate. In other words, your brain might get the signal that you need to urinate, but is too slow to respond before you have an accident.

Anti-seizure medications such as thioridazine and haloperidol, which are known to have an alpha-blocker effect, can cause night time urine leakage. Anti-Parkinsonism drugs are also known to cause urinary incontinence.

In addition, any medications that cause chronic constipation or a constant cough can worsen urine leakage, since both of these situations tend to increase abdominal pressure. Constipation and chronic coughing are both factors that contribute to stress urinary incontinence symptoms.

What’s a Woman with Urinary Incontinence to Do?
As you can see, any number of medications can affect your body’s ability to control urine flow. If you suffer from women’s urinary incontinence and are struggling to resolve your symptoms, check with your doctor whether any of the medications you are currently taking may be contributing to your symptoms.

If so, your doctor can often prescribe a different medication that will not cause or worsen urinary incontinence symptoms. Don’t be afraid to discuss this situation with your doctor. Medications affect different people in different ways. Find out if your medications are making your urine leakage symptoms worse.

As always, being a strong health advocate for your own health is the best way to ensure you get the help you want and need for your urinary incontinence. So don’t be shy … keep asking until you get the answers you seek!

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Do High Impact Exercises Cause Women’s Urinary Incontinence?

by General Urinary IncontinenceStress Urinary Incontinence
This is question often asked by women who participate in high-impact sports like gymnastics, track-and-field, and aerobics … and it’s a great question. So what’s the answer?No … but there’s more to the story than a simple one-word answer.

According to a study by Ingrid E. Nygaard, M.D., prolonged high-impact activity does not contribute to women’s urinary incontinence later in life. Nygaard’s study compared women Olympic athletes who participated in high-impact sports, such as gymnastics and track-and-field, with female Olympian swimmers (low-impact).

In the study, there was no significant difference in the prevalence of urinary incontinence symptoms between the women who did high-impact sports and the women who participated in low-impact sports.

In other words, participation in high-impact sports does not cause women’s urinary incontinence later in life.

The Exception to the Rule …
However, women who already have urinary incontinence will find that participation in high-impact sports may worsen their existing symptoms. Studies indicate that women who experience urine leakage, especially from stress urinary incontinence (SUI), leak less when they participate in lower-impact exercises, such as swimming or walking.

Luckily, any woman who experiences urinary incontinence can use a variety of conservative approaches to reduce symptoms, and can often return to a regular exercise routine.

If you leak urine and would like to return to your regular exercise program, a great place to start is to test the strength of your pelvic floor muscles, and then learn to do a correct pelvic floor contraction, also called a Kegel. It’s all in our free ebook called “What’s Up Down There?”

Download the Ebook Here

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Women’s Urinary Incontinence and Menopause Don’t Always Go Hand-in-Hand

by General Urinary IncontinenceStress Urinary IncontinenceUrge Urinary IncontinenceWomen's Healthcare

Really, no kidding. 

Women’s urinary incontinence can and does regularly occur when mature women reach menopause, but it doesn’t have to.

Despite the popular belief that urinary incontinence is “natural” or “normal” when a woman reaches menopause, it simply isn’t true for all women … especially women who have been exercising their pelvic floor muscles.

Why Does Urinary Incontinence Occur with Menopause?
Like almost everything associated with menopause, urinary incontinence occurs because of the hormonal shifts in a woman’s body during this phase of life. Primarily, levels of the female hormone estrogen drop significantly during and after the process of menopause.

This is significant because estrogen is important for keeping the bladder and urethra healthy. Also, lower levels of estrogen in the body contribute to thinning of the urethral, vaginal, and bladder lining. With a thinner lining, the pelvic floor muscles responsible for keeping urine from leaking tend to weaken, which can lead to urinary incontinence.

What Kinds of Urinary Incontinence are Common Post-Menopause?
Women going through menopause or who are post-menopausal most commonly experience eitherstress urinary incontinence (SUI) or urge urinary incontinence (UUI).

With SUI, urine leaks when you put any pressure on your abdominal cavity, such as when you sneeze, laugh, or step off a curb. This happens because the weakened pelvic floor muscles that are supposed to keep urine in the bladder can’t withstand the sudden increase in abdominal pressure, and allow urine to leak.

With UUI, you experience a sudden and urgent need to urinate, often before you have time to reach the bathroom. This occurs because the bladder muscles squeeze at the wrong time. Many women with UUI feel the urge to go when they hear the sound of running water.

What Should Menopausal Women Do?
If you are experiencing urinary incontinence during or after the process of menopause, seek help from your doctor, whether it be your regular family doctor, your gynecologist, or your urologist.

One of the common conservative medications prescribed for your situation is transvaginal hormones, specifically estrogen. Estrogen, has been shown to increase blood flow, improve nerve function, and rejuvenate the tissues in the urethra and vagina.

Transvaginal hormones have been shown to prevent urinary tract infections in post-menopausal women. These hormones are available in the form of creams, tablets, or a time-release intravaginal ring.

Note that transvaginal hormones are different than oral hormone replacement, which may actually worsen incontinence symptoms for some women.

Ready to Get Help?
Here are some resources to help you get help you want and need for your urinary incontinence:

How to Find the Right Doctor for You
Discreet Online Resources 
Learn More about Urge Urinary Incontinence
Learn More about Stress Urinary Incontinence

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Women’s Urinary Incontinence: Post-Partum Statistics You Should Know

by General Urinary IncontinenceUrinary IncontinenceWomen's Healthcare
Did you know that women who have given birth are 2.5 times more likely to have urinary incontinence than women who have not?

It’s sad, but true. During pregnancy, a woman’s body undergoes many physical and hormonal changes. These changes can result in urinary urgency, urge urinary incontinence, and incomplete emptying of the bladder during pregnancy.

While some women who experience urinary incontinence during pregnancy do not have urine leakage after delivery, many do. The opposite is also true: women who were continent during their pregnancy may discover that they leak urine post-partum.

Some Statistics about Women’s Urinary Incontinence Post-Partum
What’s a mom-to-be or a new mom to think? Well, here are some statistics which may offer you some guidance on what to expect (according to Carolyn Sampselle as reported in the American Journal of Nursing):

  • Vaginal delivery is linked to a high rate of urinary incontinence in the period directly after birth
  • 21% of women experience urinary incontinence after their first vaginal delivery with spontaneous birth
  • 36% of women experience urinary incontinence after their first vaginal delivery with forceps delivery
Now zoom into the future about five years and you get this statistic: 

Women who experience urinary incontinence for a period of time post-partum are three times as likely to have urinary incontinence five years later.

In addition, in a study by Brown and Lumley (2000), urinary incontinence was one of the three major health factors associated with poor emotional well-being post-partum. The other two factors were tiredness and a higher than usual number of minor illnesses. Ultimately, if left untreated, these factors can lead to long-term depression.

So What is a Post-Partum Mom to Do?
If you suffered from urinary incontinence during your pregnancy, or post-partum, then you should take definite and immediate action. Make an appointment and speak honestly with your doctor about your condition. Find out what conservative measures you can take to improve your symptoms.

Then take charge and be your own best health advocate! Browse through the various posts on this blog to learn how to find the best doctor, talk to your doctor, prepare for your appointment, and more. Or, download our free ebook, “What’s Up Down There” and do a quick self-assessment of your situation “down there.” The ebook also gives you step-by-step instructions on how to do a correct pelvic floor contraction, or Kegel, which helps alleviate many symptoms of urinary incontinence.

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Women’s Urinary Incontinence: Peeing by the Clock Can Help

by General Urinary IncontinenceMixed Urinary IncontinenceStress Urinary IncontinenceUrge Urinary IncontinenceUrinary IncontinenceWomen's Healthcare
If you are a woman with urinary incontinence, you can actually take steps to prevent or decrease urine leakage accidents. One of these steps is called “timed voiding.” As the name suggests, it means you urinate according to a schedule … or pee by the clock.Timed Voiding Alleviates Urinary Incontinence Symptoms
Timed voiding is one of the conservative therapies that doctors often recommend for women suffering from urge and mixed urinary incontinence. Timed voiding is part of the therapy called bladder retraining. There are two ways to practice timed voiding, or peeing by the clock.

Timed Voiding Method #1 for Women’s Urinary Incontinence
The whole point of timed voiding is to retrain your bladder so that you urinate when you choose to, not when your bladder decides to “let go.” The first way to practice timed voiding is by delaying urination by 10 minutes when you feel the need to “go.”

Although this may be difficult at first, there are two ways to help you create this delay. One way is to focus your attention elsewhere for 10 minutes. Read a book, watch television, or otherwise distract yourself.

The other way is to do some Kegels, if possible, to buy yourself some time. This also strengthens your pelvic floor muscles.

Once you have been able to delay urination for 10 minutes, work on extending the delay to 20 minutes. This may take a while, but keep working at it. This “retrains” your bladder in a mind over matter kind of way.

Timed Voiding Method #2 for Women’s Urinary Incontinence
The second method to “pee by the clock” is to actually set a schedule for your urination. This usually means scheduling bathroom breaks every 2-3 hours. By setting and following this kind of schedule, you are retraining your bladder. Now you are in control of your bladder rather than the other way around.

As with the first method, this will take a little bit of practice. You may have to adjust your fluid intake as well to accommodate your schedule. However, this method does work for many women with urinary incontinence, especially if you are strict about following your set schedule. This method also means that your voiding more closely mimics that of a healthy bladder. Women with healthy bladders urinate six to eight times per day, rather than 10 or more times.

Timed Voiding Takes Practice
As with all conservative approaches to managing women’s urinary incontinence, consistency is the key. Practicing one or both timed voiding approaches above will, over time, change the way your bladder works. When added to other conservative therapies, including medications and pelvic floor muscle rehabilitation, timed voiding can be especially effective.

Give it a try. This method is discreet and can be practiced in the privacy of your home. What have you got to lose other than your wet panties?

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Women’s Urinary Incontinence: Check out SitOrSquat.com for the Nearest Toilet

by General Urinary IncontinenceMixed Urinary IncontinenceStress Urinary IncontinenceUrinary IncontinenceWomen's Healthcare
Women’s urinary incontinence is a pain in the … panties! The wet panties, that is. If you are a woman suffering from urinary incontinence, then knowing the location of the nearest bathroom is always a priority.In your local area, that’s probably not an issue since you are familiar with the territory. But what if you have to take a business trip or are going on a family vacation? Are you then up a creek without a toilet?

Nope. Because technology will come to the rescue!

SitOrSquat.com is Help for Women’s Urinary Incontinence
If you can use a computer, then you’ve got a lot of resources at hand if you have to travel, and don’t know where to find bathrooms. Just visit this website, designed especially for people with incontinence:

http://www.sitorsquat.com

The website has three major features:

  • Helps you find a toilet near you (just type in your location)
  • Offers an online support community
  • Provides mobile applications for iPhone, iPod Touch, Blackberry, Android, or via text messaging
The website is amazingly simple to use. We put in our location (Austin, Texas) and immediately got a map filled with literally dozens and dozens of toilets. It also tells you whether the toilet is open or closed (if possible), and the name of the location where the toilet is located (like Starbuck’s).If you know of a toilet in your area that does not show up on the map, you can also use their “Add a Toilet” function to add it to the map.

Women with urinary incontinence need all the help they can get when traveling … so if you are planning a trip soon, be sure to check out the website before you leave home. You might also want to check out these additional travel tips to help your trip go more smoothly:

Travel Tips for Women with Urinary Incontinence

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Women’s Urinary Incontinence: Better Get Mad Not Sad

by General Urinary IncontinenceMixed Urinary IncontinenceStress Urinary IncontinenceUrinary IncontinenceWomen's Healthcare

If you suffer from women’s urinary incontinence, chances are that you will experience one of two emotions about your situation: you’ll be mad or you’ll be sad.

Well guess what? It’s better to be mad rather than sad. 

Why Being Mad is Better than Being Sad
When it comes to women’s urinary incontinence, you are far better to get angry about your situation than to feel sad or depressed.

Why? Because studies show that women who feel sad or depressed about their situation are less likely to see help.

In addition, women who are sad or depressed are more likely to:

  • Overeat, which only contribute to urine leakage
  • Abuse alcohol or sedatives, both of which dull the senses and can interfere with the awareness of the need to urinate
  • Lack the incentive to get up and go to the bathroom

While getting angry isn’t necessarily the healthiest emotional response, anger is a more active emotional response. The woman who is angry or frustrated enough about her urine leakage is more likely to pick up the phone and make an appointment with her doctor to get help.

The Bottom Line about Urinary Incontinence
The bottom line, literally, is that when it comes to urine leakage and wet panties, you are far better served if you get mad about your situation than if you just feel sad. Sadness and depression are stagnant emotions, and tend to keep you stuck in the status quo.

If you feel sad or depressed about your urinary incontinence, then stop it. Get mad instead! Think about all the parts of your life that you are missing out on because of your urine leakage problem. Think about all the social situations you no longer attend, all the friends you no longer see, and all the sex you might be missing out on.

Then get mad … and get help! Here are some tips to help you choose the right doctor, prepare for your visit, and use the right words at your appointment:

Find the Right Doctor
3 Step to Prepare for Your Doctor’s Visit
Use the Right Words at Your Appointment

 

Women’s Urinary Incontinence: 5 Requirements for Bladder Health

by General Urinary IncontinenceMixed Urinary IncontinenceUrge Urinary Incontinence
If you suffer from women’s urinary incontinence, you may be feeling quite frustrated about your wet panties, especially if you haven’t been able to solve your symptoms quickly.But hold on … the human anatomy is a complicated system, and everything has to work just right for you to avoid urinary incontinence.Did you know that your urinary system has to meet 5 requirements for you to urinate properly?

Really.

The 5 Requirements for Bladder Health
Having a healthy bladder, and resolving your urinary incontinence, means you urinate every three to six hours, which is typical for a healthy person. Unfortunately, if you have women’s urinary incontinence, you probably run for the bathroom far more frequently.

Why is that? One or more of these five functions may not be working well in your body, preventing you from going when you want to … rather than when your body forces you to go.

Requirement #1 for Bladder Health: A Big Enough Bladder
A healthy bladder can hold up to 2 cups of urine before it needs to be emptied. If, for some reason, the walls of your bladder don’t stretch enough to accommodate this amount of urine, you’ll either have urine leakage or need to visit the bathroom often.

Requirement #2 for Bladder Health: Feel the Urge
When your bladder is full, it sends a signal through your nervous system to your brain, which gives you the urge to go. That means that your nervous system has to be functioning properly, and your brain has to interpret the signal correctly. Due to injury, illness, or neurological conditions, some women do not get the sensation of a full bladder and end up instead with wet panties.

Requirement #3 for Bladder Health: Get a Move On
Once your brain sends you the message that you need to urinate, the next impediment is finding a bathroom quickly enough. Hence the “bathroom radar” many women with urinary incontinence develop. For some seniors, speed of movement is a difficulty. For other women, getting their clothes off quickly enough can be a problem. For this reason, many women end up wearing pants with elastic waistbands or other “easy off” clothing. This can definitely ruin a gal’s fashion sense!

Requirement #4 for Bladder Health: Control Those Bladder Muscles
To control your urination and prevent urine leakage, you need strong pelvic floor muscles, especially the muscle called the bladder sphincter. To improve the tone of your pelvic floor muscles, consider doing Kegels and other toning exercises specifically for your muscles “down there.” Many women do Kegels, but incorrectly, so they see very few results. To discover how to do a correct pelvic floor contraction and more, download our free ebook, which gives you step-by-step instructions.

Requirement #5 for Bladder Health: Empty the Bladder Completely
If you are able to get to a bathroom in time to avoid a leakage accident, but then can’t empty your bladder completely, then you’ll feel the urge to urinate soon. The inability to empty your bladder completely not only increases the frequency of your urge to urinate, but can also increase your risk of urinary tract infections. If you feel that your bladder is not emptying completely each time you urinate, check with an urologist. A quick test will confirm whether this is one of the causes of your urinary incontinence.

Steps You Can Take for Bladder Health
Hopefully this snapshot of the different requirements necessary for bladder health gives you an idea of where you body’s urinary system may be breaking down. Armed with this knowledge, you can better communicate with your healthcare providers about your situation.

In addition, check out these resources for women’s urinary incontinence:

Free Ebook: What’s Up Down There?
Online Resources for Women’s Urinary Incontinence

If you enjoyed this post, we invite you to leave a comment, contact us, download our ebook, or follow us on Twitter.

 

Kegels: How Long Should You Keep Doing Them?

by General Urinary IncontinenceWomen's Healthcare

This is a question that many women have, especially women who are doing Kegels as a conservative therapy for resolving symptoms of urinary incontinence.

It’s a good question.

Does forever sound too long? It does to a lot of women, especially since many of them can’t remember to do them daily. But think about it this way: your pelvic floor muscles are like any other muscle in your body … use ’em or lose ’em.

If you currently work out and are in great shape, and then suddenly stop going to the gym, do you think your body is going to stay fit and toned? Probably not.

The same is true of your pelvic floor muscles. If you have been doing Kegels to alleviate your urinary incontinence symptoms, and your symptoms are better, does that mean you should stop doing Kegels?

Nope.

Why not? Because your pelvic floor muscles, like the other more visible muscles in your body, are subject to aging and gravity over time. Unless you exercise your pelvic floor muscles, then they will begin to lose tone and sag over time, and flabby muscles are no good. In fact, saggy pelvic floor muscles may even encourage the return of your urinary incontinence symptoms.

According to Women’s Studies expert Susun Weed, “Every part of your body will age more gracefully if you work it out regularly … daily pelvic floor exercises tonify the vaginal tissues.” And who doesn’t want to age gracefully, inside or out?

Kegels and Women’s Urinary Incontinence
The good news about doing Kegels for the rest of your life is that you can do these exercises while you are doing other things … and who doesn’t love to multi-task? Once you have learned to do correct pelvic floor contractions, you can do them while chatting on the phone, gardening, or even sitting at your desk. No one will know and you won’t even break a sweat. Plus, there’s no need to go to the gym.

Doing Kegels for the rest of your life isn’t a big deal. You just have to remember to do them … and do them correctly. If you aren’t sure whether you are doing these exercises correctly, check out our free ebook for a quickie guide.

Otherwise, just incorporate Kegels into your daily routine and be done with it. If you stop at your local coffee shop to pick up a latte every day, add a set of Kegels while you wait for your coffee. Do Kegels while you read the morning paper. Or do ’em in the bedroom. Whatever floats your boat!

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Photo credit: Free Digital Photos

Women’s Urinary Incontinence: How Much Does it Really Cost?

by General Urinary IncontinenceWomen's Healthcare

Did you know that less than half of all women who suffer from urinary incontinence seek help?

This is according to Stacey Brewer, director of marketing and education for the National Association for Continence. When surveyed as to why they didn’t seek help, many women offered answers along the lines of: “It’s not a big enough problem. My quality of life isn’t that affected.”

OK, but how about your checkbook? 

It turns out that the cost of dealing with women’s urinary incontinence can be wickedly expensive in terms of out-of-pocket costs.

How Much Does it Cost to Deal with Urinary Incontinence?
Most studies indicate that women who don’t seek help for their urinary incontinence symptoms can spend upwards of $1,200 or more per year on adult pads and diapers alone. That expense can add up year after year, not to mention increasing one’s carbon butt print by a lot.

It is also silly, when there are less expensive options available … if you ask.

For instance, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Policy estimates that the average woman with urinary incontinence might spend the following amounts annually for these treatment options:

Doing Kegels: $0
Pelvic floor rehabilitation using pelvic cones: $100
Medication prescribed by a physician: $435-$500
Pelvic floor stimulation: $695

All of these options are easily available for women with urinary incontinence, and they cost less than using pads and diapers. Pads and diapers are like bandaids for women’s urinary incontinence; they help cover up the symptoms but they don’t solve the underlying health condition.

The above four options not only can help many women with urinary incontinence improve or resolve their urinary leakage, but also cost less in the long run. What’s more, according to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Policy, physicians are most likely to recommend Kegels, the least expensive therapy, as a first-line conservative treatment for women’s urinary incontinence.

Kegels Really Do Work
Add to that the fact that Kegels, done correctly, have been shown to improve women’s urinary incontinence symptoms. A review of recent studies on the effects of Kegel exercises indicates that women who did the exercises were anywhere from 2.5 to 17 times more likely to be cured of symptoms. Now you get an equation that now looks better for your checkbook than pads and diapers.

The same is true of pelvic floor stimulation, which is also a less expensive option than diapers and pads. The American Urogynecologic Society stated that in studies, this kind of stimulation cured 22% of women with urinary incontinence, and significantly decreased symptoms for a further 43% of the women.

Is getting help for your urinary incontinence symptoms sounding better than a long dreary future of adult diapers and pads? We hope so! We want all women suffering from urinary incontinence to reach out and get help. Be your own best health advocate. Educate yourself about your condition, and call your doctor to get help. You deserve it … and so does your checkbook!

If you enjoyed this post, we invite you to leave a comment, contact us, download our ebook, or follow us on Twitter.

 

Women’s Urinary Incontinence: Can You Reduce Your Carbon “Butt Print”?

by General Urinary IncontinenceWomen's Healthcare
These days people and companies alike starting to take care action to erase their carbon “foot print,” whether that means driving a hybrid car or going vegetarian.But if you have women’s urinary incontinence and you use adult diapers or pads, you have to worry about more than your carbon foot print. You have to consider your carbon “butt print.”

What is a Carbon Butt Print?
Your carbon butt print is the amount of waste that you create by using adult diapers. Like many other consumer products that include plastic, diapers take a long, long time to break down in land fills. Hence, every diaper you use and throw away contributes to your carbon butt print.

Consider this:
– Adult diapers and briefs currently make up 7% of our nation’s landfill
– Baby diapers currently contribute just 2-3% of landfill waste
– Diapers are the third largest type of landfill waste
– The average adult diaper or brief will take up to 200 years to decompose (the same amount of time as an aluminum can)

Yowza … that’s a lot of carbon. And the number of adult diapers being thrown into landfills will only increase as baby boomers age.

What You Can Do to Reduce Your Carbon Butt Print
Naturally, the best thing for both you and the environment is to get out of adult diapers if at all possible. If you haven’t actually sought help for your women’s urinary incontinence (and about half of all women who have this condition have not), now is the time to do it.

Aside from that, you can reduce your carbon butt print by following the guidelines here:

Startling Facts about Adult Diapers and Briefs

Good luck and thanks for considering “going green” when dealing with your urinary incontinence!

 

Ladies: When are Wet Panties Good and When are They Bad?

by General Urinary IncontinenceMixed Urinary IncontinenceStress Urinary IncontinenceUrge Urinary IncontinenceWomen's Healthcare
Wet panties can be good … under the right circumstances, like when things are about to heat up the bedroom. Wet panties can also be bad, especially for women who suffer from urinary incontinence.

When we panties are a good thing, women have no worries. It’s when wet panties are a bad thing, due to urine leakage, that the situation starts to go downhill.

Wet Panties and Women’s Urinary Incontinence: A Bad Thing
When women have the “bad” kind of wet panties, they start worrying about things like:

– whether they smell like urine
– when the next “accident” might happen
– where the nearest bathrooms are located
– whether to start buying pads, diapers, or other incontinence products
– how to keep their urinary incontinence a secret

Wow, that’s a lot of stuff to worry about. Luckily, for many women, conservative treatment can transform the “bad” kind of wet panties to the “good” kind.

Kegels: One Way to Go from “Bad” to “Good” Wet Panties
Did you know that according to the Agency of Healthcare Research and Policy, 8 out of 10 cases of urinary incontinence can be improved? What’s more, a review of recent studies on the effects of Kegel exercises indicates that women who did the exercises were anywhere from 2.5 to 17 times more likely to be cured of stress urinary incontinence symptoms.

Toning your pelvic floor muscles with exercises like Kegels (pelvic floor muscle contractions) is a great way to transition from the icky form of wet panties to the sexy kind of wet panties.

Add to that the fact that studies indicate increased pelvic floor strength leads to more satisfying sexual sensation for many women, and you have more reason than ever to do Kegels. To top it off, having a healthy sex life can actually increase the tone of a woman’s pelvic floor, which decreases the risk for stress urinary incontinence.

Talk about things getting better and better! You do Kegels, which leads to better sex and decreased symptoms of urinary incontinence. More sex tones your pelvic floor muscles even more, which further decreases risks for stress urinary incontinence.

You can’t lose, right?

How to Get Started with Kegels
Right, except here’s the problem: many women do Kegels, but incorrectly. Instead of contracting their pelvic floor muscles, many women tighten their buttocks or other parts of their body. Some women even push down on their bladder while doing what they think are Kegels. None of these approaches will strengthen the pelvic floor muscles.

To ensure that you are doing Kegels correctly, and to assess the actual strength of your pelvic floor muscles, download our free ebook. This ebook gives you specific step-by-step instructions for doing a correct pelvic floor contraction, and troubleshoots all the problem areas that most women encounter. Plus, the ebook has two great “quickie” tests to help you assess the strength of your pelvic floor right now. You can get the ebook here:

Download the “What’s Up Down There?” ebook here

If you enjoyed this post, we invite you to leave a comment, contact us, download our ebook, or follow us on Twitter.

 

Female Urinary Incontinence: Are You Afraid to Sit on Your Friend’s Couch?

by General Urinary IncontinenceMixed Urinary IncontinencePelvic Floor MusclesStress Urinary IncontinenceUrge Urinary IncontinenceWomen's Healthcare

Although this may seem silly to women who don’t have urinary incontinence,it is nevertheless true.

According to a landmark study conducted by the National Association for Continence (NAFC) the fear of soiling a friend’s furniture with urine leakage ranks as one of the top fears for women with urinary incontinence.

Here are the top fears of women who have urinary incontinence:

– 78% of women surveyed said that one of their greatest sources of potential embarrassment would be leaking urine on a friend’s upholstered furniture

– 78% said they feared that they smelled like urine

– 76% were afraid that other people would know they had urinary incontinence

Is it any wonder that women with urinary incontinence become more and more isolated? Is it any surprise that these women cut off social contact and refuse to venture out?

More importantly, do these fears resonate with you?

What to Do If You are Afraid to Sit on a Friend’s Couch
If you are one of the women who share the fears listed above, here are some tips to help you feel safer about sitting on your friend’s couch. If you haven’t already, you need to seek help from a qualified health professional to get a correct diagnosis and explore your treatment options. In addition, here are some conservative steps you can take on your own to prevent urine leakage while sitting on your friend’s couch.

1. Avoid Bladder Irritant Food and Drinks
Although your friend is likely to offer you everything from coffee to wine during a social visit, both of these are bladder irritants, and are likely to increase your chances of a urine leakage accident. Stay away from acidic food and drinks, as well as caffeinated and alcoholic beverages. Ask for plain water or herbal tea instead. Learn more about the food and drink to avoid here.

2. Strengthen Your Pelvic Floor Muscles
Doing exercises like Kegels, which are pelvic floor muscle contractions, can strengthen your pelvic floor and prevent leakage accidents. If you are not sure how to do a Kegel (or are not sure you are doing Kegels correctly), download our ebook for some quick instructions. 

Start by doing Kegels at home. Once you are proficient at doing them, take then on the road with you. Practice Kegels while waiting in line at a fast food joint or while idling in your car at a stoplight. More importantly, if you feel a urine leakage accident about to happen, do a couple of quick Kegels. This often buys you some time so you can make it to the bathroom before the accident.

3. Limit Fluid Intake and Practice Bladder Training
If you know you are going to visiting with friends, limit your fluid intake before you leave your house. You might need to experiment with this to find out how long before you leave the house you need to decrease fluid intake. Don’t stop drinking fluids altogether, as this can actual worsen urinary incontinence symptoms, but do learn your body’s reaction to fluids so you can time your fluid intake correctly.

Also, you can practice bladder training, starting at home. When you feel the urge to urinate, hold off visiting the bathroom for a few minutes. Work you way up to a 10 minute delay. This bladder delay technique will serve you well if you are visiting friends and feel the sudden urge to urinate.

Stay Social to Avoid Isolation and Depression
The whole point here is that you shouldn’t be afraid to sit on your friend’s couch, even if you do suffer from symptoms of urinary incontinence. With a little planning and some practice at home, you should be able visit all of your friends. In fact, it is important to stay socially connected with your friends and family.

Women with urinary incontinence typically decrease their social connections over time, and begin isolating themselves. This can often lead to depression, weight gain, and worsening urine leakage … it’s a vicious cycle. Staying socially and physically active are major factors in helping you keep your urinary incontinence symptoms at bay.

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Photo credit: Free Digital Photos

Travel Tips for Women with Urinary Incontinence

by General Urinary IncontinenceWomen's Healthcare

Ladies … just because you have urinary incontinence doesn’t mean you have to be home-bound. In fact, with a little careful planning, traveling can be a pleasure rather than a chore. Here are some travel tips to help you get from home to your destination, all while staying high and try.

Travel Tip#1: Scope Out Bathrooms and Carry Spare Change
If you have urinary incontinence, chances are that you are accustomed to noting the location of restrooms. When you’re traveling, just be sure to carry some spare change with you because some establishments only allow paying customers to use their restrooms. Being able to buy a pack of gum can often mean the difference between quick access to a restroom and having to wait until the next rest stop.

Travel Tip #2: Opt for Easy Access
If you are traveling by plane, train, or bus, choose an aisle seat close to the bathroom. This way, you avoid having to climb over and around your traveling companions every time you need to use the restroom. Also, wear clothes that are easy to get on and off … that will save you time in case you need to go in a hurry.

Travel Tip #3: Be Aware of What You Eat and Drink
You know best the triggers for your urinary incontinence, including what foods and drinks can cause urine leakage. While traveling, completely avoid all food and drink that you know irritate your bladder. Limit your fluid intake before getting on a plane, bus, or train. If you experience dry mouth, suck on mints or hard candy.

Travel Tip #4: Pack Backup Supplies
To avoid an accident while on the road, pack plenty of absorbent pads and liners in your carry-on. Also pack an extra change of clothes that are easy slip into in close quarters. Airplane bathrooms are notoriously small. Finally, depending on your mode of travel, you may want to bring a scented plastic bag for wet clothing or pads.

Travel Tip #5: Don’t Think About Your Urinary Incontinence
Pack plenty of books and magazines to keep your mind off your bladder. While you want to be prepared to handle any symptoms of urinary incontinence, you don’t want to dwell on your condition. If you feel a sudden urge to go, try to relax and do a Kegel or two. This sometimes helps to delay the urge.

Women with urinary incontinence shouldn’t have to stay home just because they are afraid of having an accident while traveling. With a little planning and some careful packing, there’s no reason you shouldn’t be able to travel anywhere you want, despite your symptoms. You might also consider speaking with your doctor before you travel to see if she has any additional suggestions or options to ease your travels.

Happy trails!

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Photo credit: Free Digital Photos