Women’s Urinary Incontinence as a Post-Partum Issue

by General Urinary IncontinenceWomen's Healthcare
When it comes to women’s urinary incontinence, possibly the most neglected segment of the population is the segment of post-partum women.

Millions of post-partum women are shocked when they return to their pre-delivery lifestyle and find themselves leaking during their morning jog or every time they pick up their baby. These women often have no idea that vaginal deliveries can damage the pelvic floor muscles, causing UI symptoms.

Get this:

Studies indicate that women who have given birth are two-and-a-half times as likely to suffer from urinary incontinence than women who have never given birth.

Lack of satisfying sex can be another unexpected result of having a baby, with 22-86 percent of post-partum women experiencing short term changes in sexual function. While most of these women love being mothers, they are often surprised by the UI and sexual issues that come with the baby.

Unfortunately many post-partum women are told to do Kegel exercises but are not necessarily instructed on how to do these exercises correctly. Of the women who are given written instructions on how to do Kegels, 50% of them are unable to do a correct pelvic floor contraction. They experience poor results and simply assume that Kegels are ineffective.

Luckily, there are steps any post-partum mother can take to ensure that not only is she doing a correct Kegel, but that the Kegels will be effective for her. One good place to start would be with our “What’s Up Down There?” ebook, which offers 2 simple home tests so you can discover the strength of your pelvic floor plus troubleshooting directions for how to do a correct Kegel!

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

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Women’s Urinary Incontinence: A Case of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell?

by General Urinary IncontinenceWomen's Healthcare
Women’s urinary incontinence is estimated to affect over 18 million women in the United States. We have to estimate that number because half the women who do have urinary incontinence never seek help, so the real numbers are hard to pin down.

Nevertheless, women’s urinary incontinence is becoming a very prevalent condition, as common as diabetes or arthritis, and it affects women of all ages, not just women of the baby boomer generation.

So why don’t more women seek help?

The Case of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”
A quick look at the statistics tells a powerful story of why more women suffering from urinary incontinence don’t get help.

  • Women’s urinary incontinence is rarely brought up during routine doctor visits.
  • 25% of women surveyed said they were too embarrassed to raise the issue.
  • 68% of doctors say it is difficult to treat patients who are too embarrassed to talk about their health problem.
  • Urinary incontinence tops of the list “embarrassing issues” women won’t raise with their doctor.
  • 64% surveyed felt that their urinary incontinence wasn’t enough of a problem, so they didn’t bring it up.
  • Only 30% of family practice doctors routinely raise the issue.
Are you starting to get the picture here? As a health condition that really needs to be addressed, urinary incontinence is stuck in the strange limbo between “Don’t ask” and “Don’t tell.”

What to Do About “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”
The person with the greatest power in this limbo of “don’t ask, don’t tell” is you, of course. If you have women’s urinary incontinence, then the best way to ensure that you get the help you need is to be a strong health advocate for yourself. Make an appointment with your doctor specifically to discuss this issue. Then prepare yourself to get the most out of your appointment. Here are some articles that might you do just that:

Find the Right Doctor
What Questions Will Your Doctor Ask?

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Women’s Urinary Incontinence: Risk Factors for SUI

by General Urinary IncontinenceStress Urinary IncontinenceWomen's Healthcare
Do you involuntarily leak urine when you put stress on your bladder by coughing, sneezing, standing, exercising, or engaging in any physical activity? If so, then you probably have stress urinary incontinence, or SUI.As the name suggests, SUI is the condition where you leak urine when you “stress” the bladder or increase the intra-abdominal pressure. Just standing up or stepping off a curb can cause leakage–which can be discouraging to even the most optimistic of women.

Recent studies show that 26% of women over the age of 18 have experienced SUI. Experts estimate that general urinary incontinence affects 18 million women in the U.S. Specifically it affects 33% of women ages 45 to 64, and 24% of women ages 25 to 44. Sixty percent of women who have urinary incontinence suffer from SUI, which is the most common form of incontinence.

Risk Factors for SUI
Certain factors can put you at risk for developing SUI. These include any activities that weaken the pelvic floor muscles, such as chronic coughing. Specifically, risk factors for SUI include:

  • Being female (twice as many women have SUI than men)
  • Childbirth
  • Chronic coughing (such as chronic bronchitis and asthma)
  • Aging
  • Obesity
  • Diabetes
  • Steroid Use
  • Smoking
The good news is that conservative therapies, such as medication and weight loss, often vastly improve SUI symptoms. For instance, 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!Want to learn more? Read up on SUI here:

Is This You?
About Stress Urinary Incontinence

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Women’s Urinary Incontinence: How to Minimize Odors

by General Urinary IncontinenceWomen's Healthcare
Do you have women’s urinary incontinence? If so, then minimizing the odor of urine is probably a main concern for you. Luckily, there are steps you can take to minimize odors if you do have a urine leakage accident.For instance, to reduce urine odors you can:

– Stay Hydrated: If you become dehydrated, your urine will become more concentrated and have a stronger smell.

– Take Urine Deodorizing Supplements: Supplements like Vitamin C contain ascorbic acid, which lower the pH of your urine and decrease its smell. Non-citrus juices such as cranberry, apple, pear, and cherry also work well. In addition, you can try deodorizing products such as Nullo.

– Avoid Certain Foods and Drinks: Certain foods and drinks, such as asparagus or coffee, can increase the odor of urine. Avoid these kinds of foods to lessen the odor of urine.

– Clean with Vinegar or Baking Soda: Clean your clothing or mattress with either baking soda or vinegar to eliminate odors. Use two parts water with one part white vinegar, or two parts water with one part baking soda. Avoid using bleach, which is harsh and does not dissolve urine crystals well.

– Use Good Hygiene: One of the best ways to avoid urine odor is to practice good hygiene. Keep yourself and your clothes clean.

– Use Scented Pads or Liners: Scented absorbent products can often combat the odor of urine after a leakage accident.

All of these steps can help you feel more confident as you go about your day, in spite of urinary incontinence. Since urine odor tops the list of “embarrassing situations” for women with urinary incontinence, knowing that you smell fresh is important, and hopefully these tips will help!

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Women’s Urinary Incontinence: Getting the Word Out

by General Urinary IncontinenceWomen's Healthcare

Good news for women with urinary incontinence: the Agency of Healthcare Research and Policy reports that eight out of ten cases of urinary incontinence can be improved, plus there are many conservative and surgical approaches available for treating this condition.

With all that good news, doctors are saying that there remains one giant hurdle for treating women’s urinary incontinence:

Getting the word out so that women will seek help.

Women Don’t Seek Help for Urinary Incontinence
The truth of the matter is that there are twice as many women who suffer from urinary incontinence as there are women who actually seek help. Many who do seek help wait an average of almost 7 years before doing so. The top two reasons women give for not seeking help are:

“I’m too embarrassed to talk about it.”

“It’s not enough of a problem. I don’t need help.”

While these could be considered valid reasons for not seeking help, those women who don’t seek help might also want to consider these factors:

  • Life is stressful enough without having to deal with urine leakage.
  • The earlier urinary incontinence is treated, the more successful the therapy.
  • Early treatment often means that conservative (non-surgical) methods will be successful.
  • Women are twice as prone to some forms of urinary incontinence (such as stress incontinence) than men. That gives women twice the reason to seek help.

Are those enough reasons to seek help? We hope so. There is a wealth of help out there for women suffering from urinary incontinence. You just have to ask. Need help with the words? Here are some ways to get you the help you need:

What Questions Will Your Doctor Ask?
3 Steps to Prepare for Your Doctor’s Appointment

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Women’s Urinary Incontinence: Use the Right Absorbent Products

by General Urinary IncontinenceWomen's Healthcare
When it comes to coping with women’s urinary incontinence, choosing the right absorbent products can be very important. Having the right products can help you deal with urine leakage accident without embarrassment or extra hassle.Absorbent Products for Women’s Urinary Incontinence
Choosing the right absorbent products to deal with urinary incontinence depends on the severity of your leakage. For instance, if you only leak light amounts of urine, up to ¾ of a cup, then panty liners or sanitary pads will usually do the job.

For more moderate to heavy leakage, more than ¾ of a cup, you will be better off using specific products designed for urinary incontinence. These include open-sided undergarments, protective underwear, fitted briefs, and refastenable underwear. These are the typical kinds of products that fall into the category of “adult diapers.”

Luckily, today’s adult diapers are much more streamlined and comfortable than baby diapers. Many of the products are made of soft cloth-like material, and feel similar to regular underwear.

There are also re-usable versions of urinary incontinence products, which usually consist of a plastic or rubber outer protective layer, and replaceable pads on the inside. While these re-usable products cost less to use than disposable products (which can cost $200-$400 per month and are usually not covered by insurance), many women find these products uncomfortable to wear because they do not “breathe.”

Products for Women’s Urinary Incontinence
The bottom line for choosing the right absorbent product to deal with your urinary incontinence is that you will probably have to try several different products and brands before you find a solution that fits. Your choice needs to do three things:

1. Handle your urinary leakage issues
2. Fit your budget
3. Meet your comfort needs

There is, of course, always the option of exploring treatment options for women’s urinary incontinence with your doctor. Coping with urine leakage is one thing … curing it is a whole different approach. Even if you have already tried a conservative therapy or two for urine leakage, you shouldn’t be discouraged if they didn’t cure your problem right away. Sometimes a combination of multiple conservative therapies may be needed, or even minor surgery, to correct your urinary incontinence.

If you still seek more solutions for your urinary incontinence, these resources may help:

Find the Right Doctor
Discreet Online Resources for Women’s Urinary Incontinence

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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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Women’s Urinary Incontinence: When You Gotta Go at Night

by Mixed Urinary IncontinenceUrge Urinary IncontinenceUrinary IncontinenceWomen's Healthcare
Women with urinary incontinence have enough difficult staying dry during the day, when they are awake and conscious, but what do you do if you leak urine at night when you are sleeping?This is a symptom of urge urinary incontinence (UUI) or mixed urinary incontinence (MUI). It is also, according to the women who suffer from this problem, downright frustrating!

What Can You Do About Urinary Incontinence at Night?
Luckily, depending on the severity of symptoms, you can take steps to decrease urine leakage at night, or limit the amount of cleanup necessary. Here are three do-it-yourself steps you might want to try.

1. Bladder Retraining
Bladder retraining involves urinating at regular intervals during the day, whether you feel like you need to go or not. The goal is the increase the interval of time so that you urinate less and less frequently during the day. This will often relieve symptoms of nighttime urine leakage.

To assist you with bladder retraining, you may need to program your cell phone or a small timer to “beep” at certain intervals, reminding you to go to the bathroom. For instance, during the first week you may want to set the timer for an hour or 90 minutes. If you feel the urge to urinate before your timer has beeped, breathe deeply and relax. Do a Kegel or pelvic floor contraction or two or suppress the urge. Then urinate at the appointed time.

Each week gradually increase the interval between bathroom visits until you have reached a 3 hour interval. At this point you should definitely see improvement in your nighttime urine leakage symptoms.

2. Strengthen Your Pelvic Floor Muscles
When you strengthen your pelvic floor muscles with Kegels, they will help hold everything in place “down there” both during the day and at night. The key is to do “correct” Kegels. Many women think they are tightening the correct pelvic floor muscles during a Kegel, but in fact are squeezing their thighs or buttocks instead.

To learn how to do a correct Kegel, download our ebook, which has step-by-step instructions on how to perform a correct Kegel. The ebook also gives offers two great tests to help you measure the strength of your pelvic floor muscles.

3. Stop Fluid Intake before Bed
While you definitely need to stay hydrated during the day, since not drinking enough water can worsen symptoms of urinary incontinence, you can decrease night time leakage by stopping your fluid intake 3 hours before bed. Most women report that this 3-hour interval works well to decrease urine leakage at night.

Finally, to prevent messy cleanups or having the change your linens, consider sleeping on a waterproof pad or wearing an adult brief to bed. It can save a lot of hassle during the night so you can rest easy and have sweet dreams!

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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: What Questions Will Your Doctor Ask?

by Women's Healthcare
Have you finally taken the big step of calling your doctor and setting an appointment to deal with your urinary incontinence symptoms?If so, good for you.To prepare yourself for your appointment, you might like to know what kinds of questions your doctor will ask you. Well, we can give you the list of questions, straight from the horse’s mouth, so to speak.

Most physicians in the U.S. will follow the guidelines issued by the Agency for Policy and Research, a branch of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

According to these guidelines, physicians are encouraged to ask the following questions:

– Can you tell me about the problems you are having with your bladder?
– Can you tell me about the trouble you are having holding your urine?
– How often do you lose urine when you don’t want to?
– When do you lose urine when you don’t want to? 
– What activities or situations are linked with leakage? 
– Is it associated with laughing, coughing or getting to the bathroom?
– How often do you wear a pad for protection?
– Do you use other protective devices to collect your urine?
– How long have you been having a problem with urine?

There you have it. Now that you know what questions your doctor is likely to ask, you can prepare your answers ahead of time, so you get the most from your appointment. In addition you may want to check out our three suggested steps for preparing for your appointment:

Three Steps to Prepare for Your Doctor’s Appointment

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