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Urinary Incontinence
One Day You Have Urine Loss. The Next Day You Don't
More women than you might imagine - more than 3 million women in the UK of all ages - experience urinary incontinence at some point in their lives. It is twice as common in women as in men.
If that comes as a surprise, it's probably because urinary incontinence - the sudden, unintentional release of urine - is one of those things that no one finds particularly easy to talk about. It can be a nuisance. It can be embarrassing. It can be uncomfortable. And sometimes, it is much more - urinary incontinence can limit your life so that you end up restricting or avoiding physical activity, travel or social relationships because of it.
What is urinary incontinence?
Incontinence, simply defined, is as an uncontrolled release of urine from your bladder. Incontinence in women usually occurs because of problems with the muscles that help hold or release urine. Three sets of muscles are involved:
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Bladder muscles. The bladder, a balloon-like organ, is where the body stores urine (water and wastes removed by the kidneys). During urination, muscles in the wall of the bladder contract, forcing urine out of the bladder and into the urethra, the tube through which urine leaves the body.
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Sphincter muscles. Sphincter (sfingk-ter) muscles are located at the base of the bladder. They relax to open the urethra (yoo-ree-thrah), the tube that carries urine from the bladder to an opening in front of the vagina, and then they contract to close the urethra and stop urine flow.
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Pelvic floor muscles. These muscles support the uterus and organs of the lower urinary tract, including the bladder and rectum.
Incontinence can occur if your bladder muscles suddenly contract, if muscles surrounding the urethra suddenly relax, or if pelvic muscles weaken.
Illustration of female pelvic muscles (front view)
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Illustration of female pelvic muscles (side view)
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If you think you may have urinary incontinence, it's important to know that it can be treated - you don't have to "just live with it."
Diagnosis
The first step to treatment is accurate diagnosis of the condition. ETHICON Women's Health & Urology recently developed GYNECARE MONITORR* Urodynamic Measurement system, a patient- friendly diagnostic tool used to aid in the diagnosis of incontinence. It is a quick test and there may be less discomfort using GYNECARE MONITORR. Studies have also indicated that the GYNECARE MONITORR measurement of urethral function is reliable and consistent. Talk to your doctor to learn more.
Treatment
Today there are many minimally invasive treatment options that can help you gain control over this condition and improve the quality of your life. The information in this area of womenshealthsolutions.co.uk will provide you with basic facts and tools to help you understand urinary incontinence in women, consider your treatment options and make it easier to discuss them with your doctor or healthcare provider.
Learn more about urinary incontinence and how the condition is diagnosed
Learn more about treatment options for urinary incontinence.
View more details about urinary incontinence in women (PDF: 18 KB).
1 Nilsson et. al., 7 Year Follow-up on the Tension-free Vaginal Tape (TVT) Procedure; International Urology, IUGA Abstract #116 (89): October 2003.
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