Stress Urinary Incontinence

Did you know that millions of women suffer from stress urinary incontinence? It is characterized by loss of urine when you cough, laugh, sneeze, lift an object or even get up from a chair.

In women, it's caused by a weakening of, or damage to, pelvic muscles and tissue surrounding the urethra. The urethra is the canal that carries urine from the bladder.

It is estimated that 1 in 3 women suffer from some form of incontinence. So, it is likely that many women you know also have an incontinence problem of some sort. Imagine the sadness of so many women suffering in silence, afraid to discuss it amongst themselves or seek medical treatment.

One of the most important reasons women don't seek medical treatment for their incontinence is that they simply don't know what options are available to them. In our practice, we can't tell you how many times we have heard from patients that it's simply a "taboo" subject, and, as such, incontinence problems have existed and lingered for years and years.

"How do I know if I have incontinence?" is something to which everyone can discover by their answer to the following questions:

• Do you leak urine unexpectedly?
• Do you currently wear pads on liners to protect against unplanned leaks?
• Does the urine loss occur during coughing, sneezing, laughing, bending or lifting?
• Does the urine loss occur when you change from a sitting or lying position to a standing position?
• Do you leak urine continuously?
• Do you have trouble holding your urine as you hurry to the bathroom?
• Has this urine loss caused you to change your lifestyle?

When planning a trip or outing, does the availability of restroom facilities affect your decision?
If you answered yes to any of the questions above, please contact us for an appointment to be examined and either confirm or deny a diagnosis of incontinence.