Shhhh..Am Embarrassed!!!

1 in 2 Women Suffer From Urinary Incontinence

Urinary incontinence is the loss of bladder control leading to unintentional passing of urine. Millions of people experience this problem of which more than 45% are women. These women feel ashamed, embarrassed or uncomfortable talking about this problem with only a few others shooting out their personal experiences openly. Rest of them silently suffer as they are too shy to express it. They even stop going out fearing accidental passing of urine, it affects their sex life and might lead to depression. We can see clearly that urinary incontinence is not just a medical problem but one that affects emotional, psychological and social life of people.
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The Process of Urine Flow
The urinary tract acts as the body’s drainage system to remove urine which is a combination of wastes and unwanted fluids. Urinary function is the synchronous coordination of brain and bladder. The urine is stored in the bladder until the brain sends a signal to it that you are ready to urinate. After this, the bladder muscles contract and force the urine out of the urethra (this is a tube that carries urine from the body).
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Types of Urinary Incontinence
This problem is of different types:

Stress incontinence: Urine leaks when the bladder is under pressure. Coughing, laughing, sneezing, sex, exercises like running and jumping or even sex can cause urine leakage. This is commonly seen in younger women who have given birth vaginally. Stress incontinence is the result of weakening of or damage to the muscles (pelvic floor muscle or urethral sphincter) used to prevent urination.

Urge Incontinence: Sometimes, we feel an urge to urinate and during every such feeling, urine leaks immediately or soon after. This is commonly seen in obese/overweight women, women with dementia, stroke or diabetes and is due to the overactivity of the detrusor muscles that control the bladder.

Overflow Incontinence: Individuals rarely are unable to fully empty their bladder and this might cause frequent leaks. There is a blockage or obstruction to the bladder that prevents it from emptying fully.

Total incontinence: This happens when the bladder can’t store any urine at all and this makes you pass urine constantly or have frequent leaking. This can be due to a bladder problem from birth, a spinal injury or a bladder fistula.

Some people have a mix of both, stress and urge urinary incontinence.

Common Causes of Urinary Incontinence
Certain reasons that increase the chances of urinary incontinence include:

• Obesity increases the risk of urinary incontinence. Weight loss can improve bladder function and decrease incontinence problem. Meet a registered dietitian nutritionist at www.firsteatright.com to lose weight in a healthy way naturally and come out of incontinence problems, if any.
• Men with prostate problems face an increased risk of urinary incontinence due to certain medications prescribed for the problem.
• Overall poor health increases the risk. Diabetes, high blood pressure and smoking are linked to this problem as well.
• Pregnant women who suffer from urinary incontinence are likelier to suffer from it later too.
• Menopause affects women with leaking bladder due to drop in estrogen hormone levels. Balancing hormone imbalance has no significant effect on the problem.
• Family history of incontinence
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Treating Urinary Incontinence

1. The first step is to talk to your healthcare provider as there are numerous factors such as bladder infections, uncontrolled diabetes, constipation and menopausal changes that can cause or worsen incontinence. If this is the case, your doctor can take precautionary steps to cure these problems.
2. Take care of your genitals as skin rashes and infections are common due to excess moisture. While people use menstrual pads or balled-up tissues, when moisture is not absorbed properly, it can damage the skin and cause problems. There are incontinence pads available in medical shops nowadays, but people are either reluctant to go for it or it is beyond the common man’s affordability.
3. Control/avoid consuming fluids such as coffee, tea, black tea, sodas and alcohol as these irritate the bladder. Control fluid intakes since evening to avoid frequent visits to the bathroom.
4. Excess abdominal fat can create pressure on the bladder and losing only 5% of the body weight initially can help control incontinence. Try behavioral, physical and lifestyle therapies before jumping over to medication or surgery. Kegel squeezes are extremely beneficial and women are mostly trainers for this. Get out of your inhibitions and act as per the trainer’s instructions to experience great benefits.
5. Physical exercise and staying active reduces the chances of incontinence. Do pelvic floor exercise and practice yoga for stronger pelvic floor muscles.
6. Time your bathroom visits to train yourself on an overactive bladder.
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If any of the above suggestions don’t work, talk again with your physician for other solutions such as medications.