Incontinence 101

Have you ever laughed or jumped up and down, only to have a little bit of urine leak from your body? If you have, this could be a sign of urinary incontinence. Women tend to joke about peeing a little when they sneeze after having kids, but their experience is real and they’re not alone. Urinary incontinence refers to the involuntary loss of urine, and it may occur in nearly half of all adult women.¹ 

Though urinary incontinence is extremely common, it is underdiagnosed and undertreated.² The lack of adequate interventions for women suffering from urinary continence is partly due to women refraining from sharing their incontinence symptoms with their healthcare providers because of embarrassment or misunderstandings about the nature of the condition or its treatment.^3,4 If this is you, know that you’re not alone. The more women who speak up and educate about this condition, the less taboo or shameful it will become. 

Understanding urinary incontinence and why it occurs may help to mitigate some of the embarrassment people feel if they experience incontinence. Recognizing that there are treatment options available that can improve the quality of life of those with urinary incontinence may help to motivate people to seek the care they need and deserve. 

Although it may feel embarrassing when you are experiencing urinary incontinence, you don’t have to continue suffering. With the information below, you can learn about some of the types, factors, and treatments for urinary incontinence, and then you can use that information to feel empowered to take care of you and your pelvic floor health because you are worth it. 

The Different Types of Incontinence

Incontinence comes in a few different forms, each categorized based on the causes and severity of symptoms.  Studies estimate that at least 300 million people worldwide experience some form of incontinence, while around 50% of people who experience incontinence don’t seek the help that they deserve. Understanding is often the first step towards awareness and taking action. 

1. Urge incontinence. The sudden urge to urinate due to involuntary contraction of the bladder muscles, also known as an overactive bladder, but also experience leaking at inappropriate times.
   
2. Stress incontinence. An increase in pressure is applied to the bladder due to weak pelvic floor muscles. This occurs with physical activities such as sneezing, laughing, coughing or heavy lifting.
   
3. Overflow incontinence. The bladder is not able to empty completely due to a blockage of the urethra, and results in small amounts of urine leaking after using the bathroom (Known as dribbling).

Factors that increase the chances of experiencing urinary incontinence

If you’re one of those laugh-until-you-accidentally-pee-your-pants people, know that you are not alone, and that this is a normal, and often treatable experience. Laughing is great medicine for the soul, and we want you to continue to laugh without having to worry about urine leakage during a time of joy. There are certain factors that can increase your chances of experiencing incontinence, as well as possible solutions to relieve your struggle. 

• Fluid intake. Drinking more than 2 liters of fluid each day can increase the risk for urinary incontinence.² There are certain types of drinks that may increase incontinence, such as:
• Alcohol
• Caffeinated beverages
• Diet beverages
• Carbonated beverages.⁵
• Smoking. Tobacco use has been shown to increase the risk of urinary incontinence.²
• Pregnancy & Childbirth. Pregnancy can weaken the pelvic floor muscles due to the increased pressure.
• Aging. The likelihood of urinary incontinence increases with age, and up to 77% of elderly women who live in nursing homes experience urinary incontinence.^6–11
• Medical conditions. Some medical conditions appear to contribute to urinary incontinence. These conditions include:
• Obesity
• Dementia
• Constipation
• Sleep apnea.²
• Certain medications. Some medications enhance the likelihood of urinary incontinence. The timing of these medications, such as diuretics, can sometimes prevent incontinence symptoms.²

Why and how to address urinary incontinence 

Though we may primarily think of urinary incontinence as an inconvenient nuisance that may cause shame or embarrassment, it is also associated with certain health risks. It is associated with depression, sleep disturbances, falls, fractures, and urinary tract infections.^12–14 Older women who suffer from lower urinary tract symptoms like urinary incontinence are up to 2.3 times more likely to fall.¹⁴ So it’s important that you prioritize yourself and your health, and seek the care that you deserve when you are experiencing any of these issues. 

Once a healthcare provider has confirmed that you suffer from urinary incontinence, there are several ways you can work together to treat your condition. These approaches include:

• Lifestyle modifications. Addressing lifestyle factors that could potentially contribute to urinary incontinence may help you to reduce the severity of your symptoms.^2,5 

• Exercises. Pelvic floor exercises may  be an effective way to combat mild urinary incontinence.^15–20

• Procedures. Procedures that may be undertaken to treat urinary incontinence include surgery, nerve stimulation techniques, and neuromodulation (alteration of nerve activity through targeted delivery of stimulus – electrical stimulation or chemical agent).²   

There are also products available to non-invasively treat incontinence. Gynesis FDA-cleared pelvic floor trainer shorts support women to take control of their pelvic health with a simple, effective, external, and accessible solution.  Using advanced Multipath Technology, Gynesis delivers targeted muscle stimulation with Kegel exercises that helps retrain and rebuild your pelvic floor—so you can achieve stronger bladder control and with confidence.

Takeaway

Urinary incontinence is common among millions of women around the globe, but too many  women who experience incontinence do not seek the care they need and deserve and more importantly get the treatment they need. It’s important to recognize that there are physiological reasons that incontinence happens and that the implications extend beyond its inconvenience. It can pose other health risks to those who suffer from it, so it’s important to work towards a solution. Given the many treatment options available you  and your healthcare provider should strive to address your incontinence  because you deserve to live your fullest life  without unnecessary suffering.  

[accordion][accordion_item title="Click for References"]

1. Minassian VA, Stewart WF, Wood GC. Urinary incontinence in women: variation in prevalence estimates and risk factors. Obstet Gynecol. 2008;111(2 Pt 1):324-331. doi:10.1097/01.AOG.0000267220.48987.17

2. Lukacz ES, Santiago-Lastra Y, Albo ME, Brubaker L. Urinary Incontinence in Women: A Review. JAMA. 2017;318(16):1592-1604. doi:10.1001/jama.2017.12137

3. Abrams P, Kelleher CJ, Kerr LA, Rogers RG. Overactive bladder significantly affects quality of life. Am J Manag Care. 2000;6(11 Suppl):S580-90.

4. Ricci JA, Baggish JS, Hunt TL, et al. Coping strategies and health care-seeking behavior in a US national sample of adults  with symptoms suggestive of overactive bladder. Clin Ther. 2001;23(8):1245-1259. doi:10.1016/s0149-2918(01)80104-1

5. Imamura M, Williams K, Wells M, McGrother C. Lifestyle interventions for the treatment of urinary incontinence in adults. Cochrane database Syst Rev. 2015;(12):CD003505. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD003505.pub5

6. Tennstedt SL, Link CL, Steers WD, McKinlay JB. Prevalence of and risk factors for urine leakage in a racially and ethnically  diverse population of adults: the Boston Area Community Health (BACH) Survey. Am J Epidemiol. 2008;167(4):390-399. doi:10.1093/aje/kwm356

7. Lawrence JM, Lukacz ES, Nager CW, Hsu J-WY, Luber KM. Prevalence and co-occurrence of pelvic floor disorders in community-dwelling women. Obstet Gynecol. 2008;111(3):678-685. doi:10.1097/AOG.0b013e3181660c1b

8. Nygaard I, Barber MD, Burgio KL, et al. Prevalence of symptomatic pelvic floor disorders in US women. JAMA. 2008;300(11):1311-1316. doi:10.1001/jama.300.11.1311

9. Wu JM, Vaughan CP, Goode PS, et al. Prevalence and trends of symptomatic pelvic floor disorders in U.S. women. Obstet Gynecol. 2014;123(1):141-148. doi:10.1097/AOG.0000000000000057

10. Offermans MPW, Du Moulin MFMT, Hamers JPH, Dassen T, Halfens RJG. Prevalence of urinary incontinence and associated risk factors in nursing home  residents: a systematic review. Neurourol Urodyn. 2009;28(4):288-294. doi:10.1002/nau.20668

11. Anger JT, Saigal CS, Litwin MS. The prevalence of urinary incontinence among community dwelling adult women: results  from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. J Urol. 2006;175(2):601-604. doi:10.1016/S0022-5347(05)00242-9

12. Brown JS, McGhan WF, Chokroverty S. Comorbidities associated with overactive bladder. Am J Manag Care. 2000;6(11 Suppl):S574-9.

13. Wagner TH, Hu T, Bentkover J, et al. Health-related consequences of overactive bladder. Am J Manag Care. 2002;8(19 Suppl):S598-607.

14. Gibson W, Hunter KF, Camicioli R, et al. The association between lower urinary tract symptoms and falls: Forming a  theoretical model for a research agenda. Neurourol Urodyn. 2018;37(1):501-509. doi:10.1002/nau.23295

15. Hay-Smith EJ, Bø Berghmans LC, Hendriks HJ, de Bie RA, van Waalwijk van Doorn ES. Pelvic floor muscle training for urinary incontinence in women. Cochrane database Syst Rev. 2001;(1):CD001407. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD001407

16. Hay-Smith EJC, Herderschee R, Dumoulin C, Herbison GP. Comparisons of approaches to pelvic floor muscle training for urinary incontinence  in women. Cochrane database Syst Rev. 2011;(12):CD009508. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD009508

17. Dumoulin C, Hay-Smith EJC, Mac Habée-Séguin G. Pelvic floor muscle training versus no treatment, or inactive control treatments,  for urinary incontinence in women. Cochrane database Syst Rev. 2014;(5):CD005654. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD005654.pub3

18. Herderschee R, Hay-Smith EJC, Herbison GP, Roovers JP, Heineman MJ. Feedback or biofeedback to augment pelvic floor muscle training for urinary  incontinence in women. Cochrane database Syst Rev. 2011;(7):CD009252. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD009252

19. Herbison GP, Dean N. Weighted vaginal cones for urinary incontinence. Cochrane database Syst Rev. 2013;2013(7):CD002114. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD002114.pub2

20. Ayeleke RO, Hay-Smith EJC, Omar MI. Pelvic floor muscle training added to another active treatment versus the same  active treatment alone for urinary incontinence in women. Cochrane database Syst Rev. 2015;2015(11):CD010551. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD010551.pub3

[/accordion_item][/accordion]