doctor visit

Some Facts about Urinary Incontinence to Inspire You to Get Help

by General Urinary IncontinenceUrinary Incontinence

doctor visitAre you a woman suffering from urinary incontinence (UI)? Are you afraid to ask your doctor for help? If so, here are some facts and statistics about UI that may shock you, and give you the courage to ask for help.

You Are Not Alone
Between 13 and 18 million women are regularly affected by UI, and one in four women over the age of 18 has experienced UI. According to the American Association of Family Physicians (AAFP), the number of women affected by UI will only increase as baby boomers age (and there are currently about 79 million baby boomers). At the same time, studies show that about 50% of the women suffering from UI never ask for help. Women who do ask for help wait, on average, almost seven years before doing so.

You are not alone in dealing with UI or in hesitating to ask for help.

Doctors Are More Aware of the UI Problem
According to AAFP, primary care physicians are now seeing many patients complaining of UI. In fact, UI has now become a more prevalent issue than even diabetes or Alzheimer’s for these doctors. Urologists and ob/gyns are seeing the same rise in patients complaining of UI. As a result, UI is starting to become one of the issues to which doctors pay close attention. What does this mean for you?

Don’t be surprised if your doctor asks you about UI, and don’t be afraid to raise the issue if your doctor doesn’t ask.

UI is Not Normal at Any Age
An amazing 35% of the women who have never reported their UI symptoms to a doctor have not raised the issue because they assumed that UI was a normal part of aging. We’ve got news for you: UI is not normal at any age. While many aging women do experience UI, not all aging women do. More importantly, there are many treatments available for women experiencing UI at any age.

No matter your age, if you experience symptoms of UI you should get help.

Don’t run around with wet panties when you don’t have to. Arm yourself with knowledge by learning more about UI on this site, or ask for help from your doctor.

If you enjoyed this post, we invite you to check out our book, leave a comment, contact us, download our free ebook, or interact with us on Twitter and Facebook.

Image courtesy of imagerymajestic / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

panties

Women’s Urinary Incontinence: 5 Requirements for Bladder Health

by General Urinary IncontinenceKegelsPelvic Floor MusclesUrinary Incontinence

pantiesIf 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 your 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 check out our book, leave a comment, contact us, download our free ebook, or interact with us on Twitter and Facebook.

Image courtesy of marin / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Women’s Urinary Incontinence: What IS Normal? 7 Questions for You…

by Overactive BladderUrge IncontinenceUrge Urinary IncontinenceUrinary Incontinence

When it comes to women’s urinary incontinence, what IS normal? How do you know if you have urinary incontinence or just have to pee a lot? Is a little leakage OK?

These are common questions that women often wonder about. We have taken 7 of the most common questions regarding women’s urinary incontinence, and answered them! If you wonder… read on!

7 Questions to Ask Yourself About Women’s Urinary Incontinence
If you sometimes wonder what’s “normal” when it comes to your urinary habits, check out the answers to these 7 common questions.

How much urine can a healthy bladder hold?
If your bladder is healthy, it should be able to hold up to two cups of urine easily for two to five hours.

How often should you need to urinate?
If your urinary system is healthy, you should not experience the urge to urinate more than eight per day. In addition, you should not need to urinate shortly after you have emptied your bladder

Is urinating at night normal?
For women with a healthy urinary system, getting up at night to urinate should not be a normal occurrence. Exceptions can happen if you drink fluids too late in the day, drink excessive amounts of fluid, or have had any food or drink that irritate the bladder (including alcohol, caffeine, spicy food, or acidic food).

Is it normal for certain foods or drinks to cause you to urinate more?
Yes, certain foods and drinks are known as bladder irritants. While these classes of foods and beverages do not affect all women the same way, they can have an irritating effect on many a woman’s bladder. Which foods should you avoid? Check out the article HERE.

Is urinary leakage normal?
Urinary incontinence or leakage is not normal at any age. Acceptance of this health condition as a normal sign of aging is the second most common reason women don’t seek help from a physician. Embarrassment about talking to a doctor about urine leakage tops the list, followed by women thinking that urinary incontinence “wasn’t enough of a problem.” As a result, less than 50% of women with urinary incontinence seek medical help, and those who do get help wait almost seven years. Don’t become part of that statistic! If you leak urine, seek medical help right away!

Is defensive voiding (“urinating just in case”) normal?
If you go to the bathroom often, “just in case” you might need to later, then you are practicing what is called defensive voiding. Women practice defensive voiding so that they can sit through a movie or make it all way through dinner without jumping up to use the ladies room. Defensive voiding is a sign of overactive bladder (OAB) or urge urinary incontinence. It is not normal. If you practice defensive voiding, seek help from your doctor.

Is sudden urinary urgency normal?
If the sound of running water, sudden immersion in cold water, a change in body position, or smoking causes you to experience urinary urgency, you need to call your doctor. Chances are that you have overactive bladder or urge urinary incontinence. If your urinary system is healthy and normal–and you pay attention to your body’s needs–you should never have to run for the bathroom!

Get it? Got it? Good! If you still have questions, check out the rest of our blog or ask your question on Facebook … we will answer!

If you enjoyed this post, we invite you to check out our book, leave a comment, contact us, download our free ebook, or interact with us on Twitter and Facebook.