Stress Incontinence
What is stress incontinence?
Stress incontinence is when urine leaks when there is a sudden extra pressure ('stress') on the bladder. Urine leaks because your pelvic floor muscles and urethra cannot withstand the extra pressure. (The diagram below shows how the pelvic floor muscles support the bladder and nearby structures.) The incontinence develops because the pelvic floor muscles are weakened. Small amounts of urine may leak, but sometimes it may be quite a lot and cause embarrassment.Urine tends to leak most when you cough, laugh, or when you exercise (like jump or run). In these situations there is sudden extra pressure within the abdomen and on the bladder.
How common is stress incontinence?
Stress incontinence is the most common form of urinary incontinence. It is estimated that about 3 million people in the UK are regularly incontinent. Overall this is about 4 in 100 adults, and well over half of these are due to stress incontinence. However, stress incontinence becomes more common in older women and as many as 1 in 5 women over the age of 40 have some degree of stress incontinence.
Solutions
|
