Solving Urinary Incontinence: Avoid Doorknob Conversations with Your Doctor

by General Urinary IncontinenceWomen's Healthcare

When it comes to female urinary incontinence, many women are doorknob conversationalists.

What’s a “doorknob conversation”? 

It’s where you avoid talking about urinary incontinence during the entire doctor’s appointment because you are too embarrassed to bring it up. Then, at the last moment, literally when your hand is on the doorknob and you are walking out the door, you raise the issue.

Those conversations usually start with, “By the way …” or “I forgot the mention this, but …”

You know what we’re talking about, right? We’ve all done it, and it’s nothing to be ashamed of.

Unfortunately, these kinds of conversations prevent you from getting the help you need. Your doctor isn’t likely to have time at the end of your appointment to fully discuss your urinary incontinence issues, so you’ll end up having to come back for another appointment.

Three Steps to Avoiding Doorknob Conversations
Instead of waiting until you are walking out the door to ask your doc for help, get right to the heart of the issue at the beginning of the appointment. Here are three tips to help you avoid doorknob conversations.

1. Be Clear About the Purpose of Your Appointment
When you call to schedule your appointment, be sure to tell the staff at your doctor’s office that the purpose of your appointment is to discuss urinary incontinence. Be sure to use the words “urinary incontinence” so that your meaning isn’t lost in translation. Be firm with yourself about this!

2. Jot Down Your Symptoms and Questions
To be sure you get exactly the help you need, make a list of all of your symptoms. Include items like when you leak urine, how much urine you leak, triggers for urine leakage, and any other related symptoms. Make a list of all the medications you currently take, as some of these could be related to your symptoms. Finally, jot down any questions you want your doctor to answer.

3. Grab a Buddy
If you are afraid that you will chicken out at the last moment, either by skipping your appointment or failing to actually discuss your symptoms, take a buddy with you to your appointment. Ask your buddy to remind you of the purpose of your appointment, and ensure that you cover every item on your list during your appointment. A trusted friend can offer a lot of moral support and courage.

Need more tips? Check out these resources:

Using the Right Words – Don’t Let Your Symptoms Get Lost in Translation
Learn About the Different Types of Urinary Incontinence 

 

Urinary Incontinence: Does the Sound of Water Make You “Go”?

by General Urinary IncontinenceMixed Urinary IncontinenceUrinary Incontinence

When it comes to urinary incontinence, most women just know that they have to deal with wet panties and endless inconvenience. What a lot of women don’t know is that there are actually three kinds of urinary incontinence:

– Stress Urinary Incontinence
– Urge Urinary Incontinence
– Mixed Urinary Incontinence

If the sound of water makes you leak urine, then you most likely have urge urinary incontinence, which is also called overactive bladder. If you also leak urine when you cough or sneeze, then you have mixed urinary incontinence, which is a combination of stress and urge urinary incontinence. Finally, if you only have urine leakage when you put pressure on your abdominal cavity, like when you step off a curb or jump around, then you have stress urinary incontinence.

It’s important to know what kind of urinary incontinence you have so you can get the right treatment. Each kind of urinary incontinence is treated differently.

To learn more about each of the different kinds of women’s urinary incontinence, check out the links below. Knowledge is power. If you are tired of dealing with wet panties and adult diapers, the first step in changing your life is to learn more. Start learning here:

Stress Urinary Incontinence
Urge Urinary Incontinence
Mixed Urinary Incontinence

And then, visit a doctor to get a true diagnosis of your condition. Need help finding a doctor? Here are some tips to get you started:

Find the Right Doctor

 

American Women Shy When Discussing Urinary Incontinence

by General Urinary IncontinenceWomen's Healthcare

American women are usually known for their directness, forthrightness, and brashness. 

We live in a society where sex sells everything from cars to television shows. We climb corporate ladders with ease and are not afraid to challenge corporate glass ceilings.

But we American women have one area where we are very shy. According to women’s health experts, American women are very hesitant to discuss urinary incontinence.

Why Urinary Incontinence is Taboo for American Women
According to Caryn Antos of the National Association for Continence (NAFC), our culture is partially responsible for women’s reluctance to discuss urinary incontinence. She says, “The United States is one of the more reserved countries when it comes to this topic. In Europe, tons of organizations band together for educational purposes–and there’s no privacy barrier to break through.” She adds that at trade shows and other educational events, most women are afraid to approach the NAFC booth to pick up brochures, concerned that they’ll be pinned with a “scarlet letter.”

Missy Lavender, executive director of the Women’s Health Foundation, experienced a similar sense of cultural reserve. Having published educational material about women’s urinary incontinence, Missy was asked by the editor of a local women’s magazine: “Why is a nice girl like you talking about things like this?”

If this is the kind of reception being given to advocates of education about women’s urinary incontinence, is it any wonder that the average woman feels shy about asking for help with her bladder control issues?

Additional Reasons Women Don’t Ask for Help
In addition to the general reserve in this country surrounding women’s urinary incontinence, experts point out numerous other reasons that women are hesitant to seek help. Two of the most prominent are age and lack of information.

Age
A large percentage of older women suffer from urinary incontinence, and women in this population are less comfortable than younger women discussing this area of their anatomy. They may also be unaware of the progress that has been in made in the last 30 years in treating urinary incontinence. Finally, they may simply feel that urine leakage is a normal part of aging.

Lack of Information
Some women know that “something is wrong,” but lack knowledge about their own anatomy and feel uncomfortable discussing their problem with a male doctor. This is where seeking help from a female urologist, gynecologist, or physical therapist can help.

Don’t Be Shy – Get Help for Your Urinary Incontinence
Urinary incontinence, while not life-threatening, can definitely affect the quality of your life. It can also be a symptom of other health conditions, so it’s important to raise the issue with your healthcare provider. Here are some resources to help you get started on the road to recovery … and drier panties:

Lost in Translation? Getting Treatment for Urinary Incontinence

Dealing with Urinary Incontinence? Be Your Own Healthcare Advocate

How to Find the Right Doctor to Treat Your Urinary Incontinence

 

Female Urinary Incontinence – Is It a “Good Girl-Bad Girl” Problem?

by General Urinary IncontinenceWomen's Healthcare
Get this: urinary incontinence affects more people than diabetes or Alzheimer’s, yet 50% of women who have urinary incontinence never seek help.Now get this: The Agency of Healthcare Research and Policy reports that 8 out of 10 cases of urinary incontinence can be improved.So why don’t more women get help?

Female Urinary Incontinence and the “Good Girl-Bad Girl” Problem
For many women, the simple answer is, “embarrassment,” which is understandable. However, it turns out that there is often a deeper issue involved. Some call it the “Good Girl-Bad Girl” syndrome. This syndrome is basically associated with the cultural taboos we pick up early in life, usually during potty training.

In a recent seminar co-sponsored by the National Association for Continence, experts explained how shame is associated with bathroom issues from an early age, during the potty-training stage. Young children are taught that they are either “good girls” or “bad girls,” depending on whether they “performed” well in potty training.

Later in life, these subliminal messages of “good girl” or “bad girl” still haunt many women, even if they are not conscious of these thoughts. As a result, these women feel embarrassed to discuss bathroom-related issues, so don’t seek the help they need for their urinary incontinence symptoms.

The Good News About Female Urinary Incontinence
Luckily, once you become aware of these subliminal messages or your embarrassment about discussing urinary incontinence, you can start to overcome those feelings. For more on how to overcome embarrassment, or to find out more about female urinary incontinence, click the links below.

Women’s Urinary Incontinence: Overcoming Embarrassment
Is This You? The Different Kinds of Urinary Incontinence

 

Is Urinary Incontinence Ruining Your Fashion Sense?

by General Urinary IncontinenceWomen's Healthcare
We all like to look our best. Nothing makes us feel prettier than a sexy dress, a slimming pair of designer jeans, or just a good-looking outfit.But if you suffer from urinary incontinence, then you know how it can really interfere with your fashion sense!

If you have urinary incontinence, then fashion may have less to do with the way you dress than it used to. Instead, you choose clothes based on other factors.

Here are some examples:

– Pants that are easy to get on and off for those times when you just “have to go.” Forget fancy button-down jeans … think elastic waistbands!

– Tights instead of pantyhose. Pantyhose rip way too easily when you’ve got to go, whereas tights are much more resilient

– Clothes that don’t wrinkle. When you have to pack a change of clothes everywhere you go, you need clothes that can be stuffed into a shoulder bag, not clothes that have to be hung on hangers
.
– Baggy pants that accommodate pads and diapers. Forget those slimming tight jeans!

Yuck!

Want to Retrieve Your Fashion Sense?
If baggy pants, wrinkle-free clothes, and pants with elastic waistbands really offend your sense of fashion, then maybe it’s time to stop dressing down to accommodate your urinary incontinence symptoms. Maybe it’s time to address your urinary incontinence.

Here’s a question for you: 

Would you rather go around embarrassed for the rest of your life because you have to wear clothes you hate, or would you rather be embarrassed for 30 minutes … the time it takes to tell your doctor about your urinary incontinence and get help?

Amazingly enough, 50% of women suffering urinary incontinence choose the first option. They never seek help, and choose to simply “cope” with their urine leakage rather than getting help from a healthcare provider.

But that doesn’t have to be you. According to the Agency of Healthcare Research and Policy, urinary incontinence can be improved in 8 out of 10 cases, many times with conservative therapy.
Isn’t it time to stop committing fashion suicide? Get help now.

 

Urinary Incontinence: Not How Much but What You Drink That Matters

by General Urinary IncontinenceMixed Urinary IncontinenceStress Urinary IncontinenceUrge Urinary IncontinenceWomen's Healthcare

The first reaction many women have to urinary leakage is to cut back significantly on their fluid intake. After all, it does make sense that what goes into your body must come out. That means the less fluid you take in, the less likely you are to leak urine, right?

Not necessarily.

Actually, decreasing your fluid intake too much may actually irritate your bladder, which can cause more urine leakage, not less. To avoid this you need to drink enough fluid to stay hydrated, usually between four and nine cups of water per day. To improve symptoms of urinary incontinence, focus on what and when you drink. This applies to stress, urge, and mixed urinary incontinence.

What Should You Drink to Avoid Urine Leakage?
It turns out that what you drink, along with when you drink, has more effect on symptoms of urinary incontinence than how much you drink. Any fluids that irritate your bladder should be avoided, while water is always a good choice.

It may surprise you how often you drink fluids that may irritate your bladder. For instance, do you chug a couple cups of coffee or tea to wake yourself up in the morning? Or maybe you slurp down a soda with lunch, and drink another in the late afternoon to help yourself stay awake. Finally, you drink a glass of wine with dinner to relax at the end of a long day.

Unfortunately, all of these are on the “do not drink” list for women with urinary incontinence. Coffee, tea, and most sodas have caffeine, which irritate the bladder. Ditto for the carbonation in the soda and the arylalkylamines in the wine. You might be surprised at how much your urinary incontinence symptoms will improve just by cutting these drinks from your daily menu. Choose water or decaffeinated teas instead.

When Should Your Drink Fluids to Avoid Urine Leakage?
When you drink fluids can also significantly impact urinary incontinence symptoms. To reduce urine leakage, drink the majority of your water in the morning. Reduce fluid intake after 6 p.m. (or two to three hours before bedtime) to decrease nighttime voiding and incontinence.

Making just a few simple changes in what and when you drink fluids can significantly improve your symptoms of urinary incontinence. If you don’t believe it, keep track of your leakage accidents for a week before making any changes. Then, change your fluid intake habits and track your results. You will surprise yourself!

 

What Moms Don’t Know About Kegels: Myths and Facts

by General Urinary Incontinence
Are you a new mom? Or maybe you are the proud mother of a large happy family.

Either way, there is a good chance that your doctor may not have fully informed you about Kegels, or even mentioned them. That’s a shame, and can lead to some real health issues.

Moms really need to know about Kegels, and how to do them correctly, if they want to prevent post-partum issue like urinary incontinence and decreased sexual sensation.

Unfortunately, in a study from the International Urogynecology Journal, 46% of pregnant women reported receiving no information about Kegels. Moms who do learn about Kegels from their doctors, usually through a handout or pamphlet, often do these exercises incorrectly.

Did You Know …?
A reported 50% of women cannot locate and engage the correct pelvic floor muscles to do a Kegel just by reading written instructions. So these women try do Kegels, but incorrectly, and the results are less than satisfactory. Then they think Kegels don’t work!

Kegels do work … if you work the right pelvic floor muscles. Since 30% of post-partum women have urinary incontinence, and Kegels are effective in relieving symptoms in 80% of urinary incontinence cases, this stuff is important! If you are a mom or a mother-to-be, then you need to know about Kegels.

Get the full scoop on moms and Kegels by clicking the link below.
New Moms and Kegels: Myths and Facts

Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jaaronfarr/ / CC BY 2.0

Can Stress at the Office be Causing Your Stress Urinary Incontinence?

by General Urinary IncontinenceStress Urinary IncontinenceWomen's Healthcare
Nope. Not really.As logical as it might seem that stress at work could lead tostress urinary incontinence, that’s not how it really works. Even so, one-fourth of women surveyed believed this myth to be true.Stress at work is one thing. With urinary incontinence, the word “stress” refers to a different kind of stress – basically any stress on the abdominal cavity.

For instance, you place stress on your abdominal area when you cough, sneeze, or lean down to pick up your toddler. In short, any increase in abdominal pressure equals stress, which causes you to leak urine.

What does all of this mean to you if you have stress urinary incontinence? It means that a bad day at the office won’t cause your symptoms to get worse. That’s pretty reassuring, since most of us are under a lot of stress these days!

Want to know more? Separate the facts from the myths about female urinary incontinence by clicking the links below. In these articles, we tell you what is factual and what is merely an “old wives tale.” You might be surprised by what you read!

Debunking Myths About Stress Urinary Incontinence
Debunking Yet More Funky Myths About Urinary Incontinence

 

Urinary Incontinence: Stopping the Runaway Weight Train

by General Urinary IncontinenceWomen's Healthcare
If think about it, the connection between female urinary incontinence and weight gain is obvious. A woman suffering with symptoms of urinary incontinence is likely to leak urine when she jogs, leading to that embarrassing “wet crotch” look. So she stops exercising.She starts to feel bad about herself so she reaches for the tub of ice cream in the freezer to calm her nerves, which makes her gain weight. Now her urinary incontinence symptoms are worse than ever, especially if she tries to exercise … and the runaway weight train has just left the station.

Does this sound familiar?

What You Should Do if You Are Riding the Runaway Weight Train
As a passenger on the runaway train, your first step is to put the ice cream (or chips or whatever) down. Just step away.

Next, go back to exercising. Exercise is so important because losing even just a few pounds can significantly ease urinary incontinence symptoms. In one study sponsored by the National Institutes of Health, women who lost 8 percent of their body weight, or about 17 pounds, reduced their leakage incidences by almost half. That’s a lot!

If you are concerned about leaking while you exercise, it’s time to consult a healthcare professional and research your options. There are many conservative therapies that can help you reduce or eliminate urinary incontinence symptoms. Even if you have sought help before to no avail, keep looking. Healthcare has come a long way in recent years when it comes to ways to ease urinary incontinence symptoms.

Finally, read up on urinary incontinence. Knowledge is power, and the more you know about urinary incontinence, the easier it will be for you to get the kind of help you want and need.

Here are some excellent resources from national institutions dedicated to solving the problem of incontinence.

Medline Plus on Urinary Incontinence 

National Association for Continence

National Kidney and Urologic Diseases Clearinghouse

Simon Foundation for Continence

 

Triggers for Women’s Urinary Incontinence

by General Urinary IncontinenceMixed Urinary IncontinenceStress Urinary IncontinenceUrge Urinary IncontinenceUrinary IncontinenceWomen's Healthcare
If you suffer from symptoms of urinary incontinence then knowing how to prevent leakage accidents probably tops your list of important things to know.There are many ways to treat the various types of urinary incontinence–stress, urge, and mixed–and sometimes knowing what triggers your incontinence symptoms can help you prevent accidents.

Triggers for Urinary Incontinence
Depending on what form of urinary incontinence you have, the events that trigger urine leakage will vary. With stress urinary incontinence, triggers include anything that increases pressure on or inside your abdomen, usually some form of physical activity or exercise. For some women the trigger can be as slight as stepping off a curb or walking vigorously. For others, the trigger may be more extreme, such as sneezing, picking up a heavy object, or doing aerobic exercise.

If you have urge urinary incontinence, your triggers are different. For most women, hearing the sound of running water or feeling the sensation of water on their hand can trigger the uncontrollable urge to urinate. Spicy foods, carbonated beverages, caffeine, and other foods and drinks that irritate the bladder can also trigger urge urinary incontinence.

For women with mixed urinary incontinence, any of the above triggers may bring on a leakage accident.

Finding Your Triggers for Urinary Incontinence
If you are not sure what triggers your urinary incontinence, keep a journal for a week or so. Track your food and water intake, as well as any events that seem to trigger urine leakage. You can also experiment with some lifestyle habits to see whether they improve or worsen your symptoms. Some good places to start experimenting include:

– decreasing your intake of caffeinated, alcoholic, and carbonated beverages
– stopping or decreasing smoking
– increasing your fiber intake to reduce constipation

You will also want to record the times and amounts of urine leakage, as well as how often you make it to the bathroom to urinate. All of this information will help your doctor determine your type of urinary incontinence and the best ways to treat it.

The more you know about your urinary incontinence, the more empowered you will be as an advocate for your own health and well-being. No matter how long you have dealt with urinary incontinence, it’s never too late to start improving your situation. So get some pen and paper, and start tracking your triggers!

 

How a Woman’s Urinary Incontinence Can Affect Her Man

by General Urinary IncontinenceWomen's Healthcare
Women with urinary incontinence can be quite preoccupied. They have to worry about wet panties. They keep track of the location of the nearest bathroom. A majority of these women, 78%, worry about smelling like urine. And that’s only a short list of issues these women grapple with on a regular basis.In short, many women with urinary incontinence are deeply affected by their condition. Unfortunately, so are the men in their lives. Together, the dynamic between how women deal with their condition and how their men handle the situation create a vicious cycle that can cause even the most stable relationships to deteriorate.It’s all about sex.

Urinary Incontinence: The Woman’s Story
Urinary incontinence and sex often don’t mix, since many women are afraid that their spouses or lovers will be “turned off” by urinary leakage during sex. The woman is too embarrassed to discuss it with her spouse, so she avoids sex. Her spouse, unaware of the situation, feels hurt and rejected.

Says one woman, Riesa Gusewelle, suffering from urinary incontinence:

“I felt unattractive and unappealing. It stressed my sexual relationship with my husband, even though he reassured me that everything was fine. I was depressed and always felt that I could smell urine.”

That’s the woman’s story … now let’s take a look at the man’s side of the story.

Urinary Incontinence: The Man’s Side of the Story
The spouse or significant other of a woman with urinary incontinence can consider himself lucky if he even knows about her condition, since almost half of all women with this condition don’t discuss their situation with anyone.

But knowing about the situation doesn’t always help. Even if a man repeatedly assures his wife that her urinary incontinence does not “turn him off,” his wife may not be able to hear him. One man described the situation this way:

“I’ve never found her urinary incontinence to be offensive but it affected our sex life anyway. I’m not sure how much her incontinence affected our sex life, but I know it had a definite effect.”

Breaking the Vicious Cycle
Can you see how a vicious cycle starts to form around the issue of a woman’s urinary incontinence? The woman is embarrassed about her condition, despite reassurance from her spouse, so she avoids sex. The man does his best to reassure his wife, to no avail, and becomes frustrated with the situation. Relationship issues arise, and when the couple does have sex, the encounter is less than enjoyable.

 

Think Wet Panties are Just a Sign of Aging? Think Again!

by General Urinary IncontinenceStress Urinary IncontinenceWomen's Healthcare

A lot of mature women are walking around with wet panties when they shouldn’t be.

And we’re not talking about the “sexy” kind of wet panties; we’re talking about the wet panties you get from urinary incontinence.

Why are these women walking around with wet panties?

Because many of them (34%) think it’s a normal sign of aging, so they just shrug it off rather than getting help from a health care professional.

Well we’ve got news for you: urinary incontinence is not normal or healthy at any age.

The idea that female urinary incontinence “just happens” as we age is one of the biggest myths about this condition. For instance, many women believe that the average age at which women experience stress urinary incontinence symptoms is 50 and older.

That simply isn’t true.

In fact, 40% of women first experience stress urinary incontinence symptoms before they are 40, and 23% had symptoms before they were 30.

Still think that urinary incontinence automatically goes hand in hand with aging? It doesn’t. So much for that myth!

Want to know more about urinary incontinence? Click the links below to get the facts about female urinary incontinence, debunk the myths, and learn where to get help for your wet panties!

Debunking Myths About Stress Urinary Incontinence (SUI)
Debunking Yet More Funky Myths about Urinary Incontinence
Urinary Incontinence – Not Just a Problem for Mature Women
How to Find the Right Doctor to Treat Your Urinary Incontinence

 

Stress Urinary Incontinence Symptoms Improved by Kegels, Really!

by Stress Urinary Incontinence

Many women suffering from symptoms of stress urinary incontinence are told to do Kegels, which are exercises designed to tone your pelvic floor muscles.

Many of these women actually do their Kegels, which is great news, since these exercises have been shown to be effective in reducing stress urinary incontinence symptoms.

At the same time, many of these women are doing their Kegels incorrectly, which is bad news. Here’s why:

1. These women don’t get any relief from their urinary incontinence symptoms. 

2. This gives Kegels and other pelvic floor retraining techniques a bad name, since these women claim Kegels “just don’t work.” 

3. Many of these women could experience relief from their symptoms if they learned to do Kegels correctly.

So let’s see if we can shed some light on this situation. First, let’s review the statistics about the effectiveness of Kegels.

Kegels Do Work, Really!
Studies show that women with stress urinary incontinence strongly benefit from doing Kegels. For instance, a review of recent studies on the effects of Kegel exercises indicates that women who did the exercises were anywhere from 2.5 to 17 times more likely to be cured of symptoms.

In addition, in another study 70% of women with urinary incontinence who used vaginal weights saw improvement in their symptoms after four to six weeks of using them. The Mayo Clinic supports this data, indicating that many women experience relief from their stress urinary incontinence symptoms 8 to 12 weeks after starting to do Kegels.

So Why Don’t Kegels Work for Many Women?
That’s a good question. If Kegels and other pelvic floor retraining methods are so effective for women participating in these studies, what’s going on with the other women for whom Kegels achieve “don’t work”?

Two factors: correctness and consistency

Although doing a Kegel, which involves contracting the pelvic floor muscles, can seem like a “no brainer,” a staggering 50% of women do this exercise incorrectly, usually because they cannot locate and engage the right muscles. Instead they contract their buttock or thigh muscles. Some women may need to seek some “hands on help” from a physical therapist before they can engage the right muscles.

Consistency is the other issue. Many women think, “Oh, I should do my Kegels!” but then forget to actually do them. For Kegels to work, they should be done daily. Many physicians suggest women do Kegels for life, especially if they have experienced stress urinary incontinence.

Kegels and pelvic floor retraining exercises, when done correctly and consistently, can and do relieve symptoms of stress urinary incontinence. Plus, they are so subtle that you can do them while your car is idling at a stoplight or while you are waiting in line for some fast food (some of the women in the picture above may be doing Kegels … who could tell?).

If you suffer from symptoms of stress urinary incontinence, doing correct and consistent Kegels should definitely be on your “To Do” list … don’t you think?

Read more about Kegels and New Moms

New Year’s Resolutions for Urinary Incontinence

by General
Are you tired of dealing with wet panties from urinary incontinence?You’re not the only one. 

One in four women over the age of 18 has suffered from urinary incontinence. The good news is that the New Year is just around the corner, which makes it the perfect time to set your New Year’s Resolution.

Resolve to solve your urinary incontinence this coming year! Instead of waiting the epic seven years it takes the average woman to seek help, do it now. Pronounce this New Year your year for getting help.

Seven Steps Towards a New Year of Dry Panties
To fulfill your New Year’s resolution, you are going to need some help. Can’t figure out what to do? Here are seven steps to get you from wet panties to dry ones. You may have already taken a few of these steps, but faltered before you fully solved your urinary incontinence issues. Read through these steps and see which ones you need to get help for your urinary incontinence.

#1: Know Thyself
No one knows your symptoms of urinary incontinence better than you. If you are going to get help this coming year, you need to be able to “tell your story” to your doctor. One of the best ways to do this is to keep what is called a “voiding journal.” For a few days, jot down the following:

– when, how much, and what kinds of fluids you drink
– when and how many times you urinate during the day
– how many times a day you experience leakage, how much you leak, and under what conditions (such as coughing or sneezing, or during the night)

Also keep track of any other health issues and symptoms, even if you don’t think they are related to your urinary incontinence.

#2: Find a Doctor and Schedule an Appointment
A staggering number of women get stuck here … staring at the phone, unable to make the call. Just thinking about discussing their urinary incontinence with a doctor embarrasses many women. Don’t let embarrassment (or anything else) stop you. First, find a doctor (click here for the best way to do that), and then schedule an appointment. Most importantly, be sure to specify that your appointment is for urinary incontinence. That will ensure that you will actually discuss urinary incontinence when you go to your appointment.

#3: Get a Diagnosis and Get Your Questions Answered
Once you have committed yourself to getting help by scheduling an appointment, make the most of it. To ensure that you get the help you need drag a gal pal with you to your appointment if you have to. Answer the doctor as honestly and fully as you can, and get a true diagnosis of your condition (read about the different kinds of urinary incontinence here). Plus be sure to get every one of your own questions answered.

#4: Try Conservative Therapy
This resolution is for those of you who think conservative therapy is like trying to plug a leaking dam with your thumb: ineffective. You might be surprised at how far medicine has come, and how many conservative therapy options are available. Ask your doctor about the latest and greatest in conservative therapy, and try one. If it doesn’t improve your symptoms, ask for more help. For instance, you may be doing your Kegels faithfully but incorrectly. Hands-on help from a physical therapist can help you learn to engage the correct muscles, making this therapy much more effective.

#5: Combine Conservative Therapies
Sometimes one type of therapy alone isn’t enough to improve your symptoms. If you have tried single therapies, like doing Kegels or using medication, with little result, your doctor may recommend combining therapies. Not every therapy works for every woman or every type of urinary incontinence, but often combining therapies can vastly improve your symptoms. For instance, watching what you eat and drink, taking medication, and doing Kegels consistently may help where a single therapy will not.

#6: Consider Surgery
Going under the knife can be a scary thought, but these days many kinds of surgery for urinary incontinence are minimally-invasive outpatient procedures with short recovery periods. More importantly, the results are effective.

#7: Do Something, Darn It!
Last but not least, whichever of these steps applies to you and your urinary incontinence, the most important step is to take action. Don’t suffer through another year of wet panties. Take action. Do something. Get help. Be a strong advocate for your own healthcare. If nothing else, start by learning about urinary incontinence in the privacy of your own home:

Is This You?

Photo credit:http://www.flickr.com/photos/crystalflickr/ / CC BY 2.0

What Do Orange Juice, Bananas, and Urine Have in Common?

by General Urinary IncontinenceWomen's Healthcare
Aside from the fact that all of these items are yellowish in color, they also share a common link to a condition that affects 1 in 4 women:Female urinary incontinence.

Orange juice and bananas, like coffee and cheese, should be avoided by women suffering from urinary incontinence symptoms. Why? Orange juice and coffee are both acidic, while bananas and cheese contain arylalkylamines. Food and drink that are either acidic or have arylalkylamines can worsen urinary incontinence symptoms in women.

That’s bad news unless you want to walk around with wet panties all the time. 

But don’t worry. This doesn’t mean that a chunk of cheese can never cross your lips again. It just means that if you suffer from urinary incontinence, you need to pay attention to what you eat and drink.

You don’t have to avoid foods and drinks that are acidic or contain arylalkylamines, altogether. Just eat or drink these items in moderation.

Want to know more? Get a list of foods and drinks to avoid, and learn what you can do to ease urinary incontinence symptoms if you go overboard. Read the full article about this topic by clicking the link below:

Healthy Bladder: Foods and Drinks to Avoid

 

Healthy Bladder: Foods and Drinks to Avoid this Holiday Season

by General Urinary IncontinenceMixed Urinary IncontinenceStress Urinary IncontinenceUrge Urinary Incontinence

Healthy Bladder: Foods and Drinks to Avoid This Holiday Season

The holidays are just around the corner, and for women dealing with urinary incontinence, all that holiday food can look like a minefield rather than a tasty buffet! They spend their time wondering which foods and drinks are going to bring on a leakage accident, and which are “safe.”

If you have suffered from urinary incontinence for a while, then you probably already know that certain foods and drinks can irritate the bladder and cause urine leakage—definitely not something you want to happen at the big Christmas party.

Have a Healthy Bladder This Holiday Season
The key to preventing urine leakage accidents this holiday season is to stay away from two categories of food and drink. Avoid foods and drinks that:

– are acidic
– contain arylalkylamines (tyrosine, tyramine, tryptophan, aspirate, and phenylalamine)

Foods and drinks in these two categories both tend to irritate inflamed areas of the bladder and urethra, and cause leakage.

Acidic Foods and Drinks to Avoid
There are lots of acidic foods and drinks out there, but during the holiday season these are the ones that you are most likely to encounter:

– alcoholic or carbonated drinks
– spicy food
– citrus fruits or juices
– other fruits including apples, cranberries, grapes, pineapples, strawberries and plums
– tomatoes
– anything that contains vinegar
– caffeinated drinks

Foods and Drinks Containing Arylalkylamines to Avoid
Don’t even bother trying to pronounce the word “arylalkylamines.” Just try to avoid eating or drinking the following at holiday parties:

– Drinks: champagne, beer, wine
– Vegetables: avocados, fava and lima beans, onions
– Fruits: bananas, figs, cranberries, pineapple, prunes, raisins
– Other Goodies: cheese, chicken livers, chocolate, corned beef, mayonnaise, nuts, sour cream, soy sauce, and yogurt

Everything in Moderation
If the list of food and drink to avoid this holiday season looks horrible, don’t panic. Your holiday food doesn’t have to be limited to bread and water. Just avoid overdoing when it comes to eating or drinking the items on the lists above.

Plus, there is help if you overdo it. If you find yourself stuffing down Christmas chocolates because they are too good to avoid, you can dilute the effects of your overindulgence by drinking plenty of water. Drinking plenty of water may reduce urine acidity and dilute any effects of these specific irritants. Another option you can try is an over-the-counter supplement called Prelief. Taking Prelief at mealtime may help reduce bladder irritation and leakage accidents.

The bottom line is this: having dry panties this holiday season just means being a little choosier when it comes to what you eat and drink. You should definitely eat, drink, and be merry during the holidays. If you do all of that with a little discretion, you’ll see more of your friends and less of the bathroom!

Women’s Urinary Incontinence: Overcoming Embarrassment

by General Urinary IncontinenceWomen's Healthcare

If you are a woman suffering from urinary incontinence, here are three things you should know:

1. Only about 50% of women with urinary incontinence ever seek help
2. Embarrassment is one of the primary reasons preventing these women from asking for help
3. According to the Agency of Healthcare Research and Policy, urinary incontinence can be improved in 8 out of 10 cases

Does this sound crazy to you?

Why Urinary Incontinence is Embarrassing
Despite the fact that urinary incontinence affects more people than conditions like diabetes or Alzheimer’s, half of all women with urinary incontinence won’t seek help. Those who do seek help wait, on average, almost seven years. Why?

In a recent seminar co-sponsored by the National Association for Continence, experts discussed how cultural taboos prevent people from talking about this topic. These experts explained how shame is associated with bathroom issues from an early age, during the potty-training stage. Young children are taught that they are either “good girls” or “bad girls,” depending on whether they “performed” well in potty training.

Years later, the same “good girl” and “bad girl” language subconsciously haunts women, and keeps them from discussing their problems of urinary incontinence with healthcare providers.

How to Overcome the Embarrassment
While discussing urinary incontinence is embarrassing for many women, there are ways to overcome that emotion. After all, most of us have learned to overcome embarrassment about other situations in our life, why not about urinary incontinence? If you are ready to get over your embarrassment and get help, here are two simple steps you can take:

Discuss Your Situation with the Right Person
Chat with a close woman friend who has had urinary incontinence and sought help. Not only will she understand and sympathize with your situation, but she will be able to offer you guidance and advice based on her own experiences. You need not feel embarrassed talking to someone who has had the same experiences as you.

Learn More About Your Condition
Knowledge is power. Learning more about urinary incontinence gives you the knowledge and power you need to ask for help from a healthcare provider. Learn more about the different kinds of urinary incontinence and the available treatment options. Knowledge about your condition helps you understand that there are solutions available, and gives you the words you need to comfortably discuss your condition with your doctor.

People say that it’s never too late to have a happy childhood. We say that it’s never too early to seek help for your urinary incontinence. The earlier you address your condition, the faster you will see positive results with the right treatment.

Stress Urinary Incontinence: Is Transobturator Tape Surgery Right for You?

by General Urinary IncontinenceWomen's Healthcare

“Don’t touch me with that knife!”

That is the instinctive response many women suffering from urinary incontinence have when they think about surgery to correct their symptoms. But for women with stress urinary incontinence, minimally-invasive surgery can be a real boon when conservative therapies are not enough to significantly relieve or cure their symptoms.

The Transobturator Tape and Urinary Incontinence
One of the most common surgeries to correct stress urinary incontinence is the transobturator tape. With this surgery a mesh tape is inserted around the urethra to support it like a hammock. This hammock helps the urethra close more tightly during times of stress, such as when you cough or sneeze. The tape is permanent, and the body’s natural healing process anchors it into place.

This surgery requires only three tiny incisions, and can be performed as a day surgery. Success rates are high with the transobturator tape. A recent study published in a urology journal reported that 90% of women who had this surgery to correct stress urinary incontinence were completely cured. A further 5% reported that their symptoms were improved.

One Woman’s Experience with the Transobturator Tape
If you’re not sure whether conservative surgery, such as the transobturator tape, is right for you, discuss your concerns in detail with your healthcare specialist. Also, consider the interview below with a patient who has recently undergone this procedure for her stress urinary incontinence. Her experience and excellent results may help you feel more comfortable about exploring this procedure for yourself.

Are you pleased with the results of your TOT?
Oh, yes, this has changed my life.

How so?
I can exercise again without fear of leakage, and I am losing some weight. I can sit through a movie and through church. Maybe best of all, I can have sex with my husband without fear of peeing on him.

Are you sorry you waited so long to have the surgery?
Absolutely. I tell all my friends to go see their doctors if they share this embarrassing problem. 

How was your recovery?
It was virtually painless. I think I took two pain pills the first night, and after that, only Tylenol.

What else would you like to tell the women out there who are still leaking urine? 
Get help! You don’t have to live this way. Do it now. Life’s too short to be running around with wet underwear.

Words of Wisdom and Resources for Urinary Incontinence
We hope the words of wisdom and experience above help you better consider your treatment options for urinary incontinence

Urinary Incontinence: 3 Steps to Prepare for Your Doctor’s Appointment

by General Urinary IncontinenceWomen's Healthcare

The big day is just around the corner: your doctor’s appointment to evaluate and discuss treatment options for your urinary incontinence. Now that you have actually worked up the nerve to make the appointment, a little preparatory work will ensure that you walk away from your appointment with the solutions you seek.

Preparing for your appointment doesn’t have to be complicated, but you should take the time to do so. Good preparation leads to good communication during the appointment. Your doctor gets all the information he or she needs to accurately evaluate your condition. You get answers to your questions and can explore your treatment options. You can prepare for your appointment in three easy steps.

Step 1: Observe Your Symptoms
If you have been dealing with symptoms of urinary incontinence, this may seem odd, since no doubt you are quite familiar with your symptoms. However, your doctor will probably ask you some very specific questions, so you will need to observe your symptoms closely for a few days, and jot down some notes. In fact, some healthcare providers even ask their patients, when they schedule their appointment, to keep a voiding diary prior to the appointment.

Keeping a voiding diary is a good idea whether your doctor’s office requests it or not, and will help your doctor assess your situation more accurately. To keep a voiding diary, simply track of the following for a few days:

– when, how much, and what kinds of fluids you drink
–  when and how many times you urinate during the day
– how many times a day you experience leakage, how much you leak, and under what conditions (such as coughing or sneezing, or during the night)

Also jot down any other health issues you experience, even if you think they are not related to your urinary incontinence.

Step 2: Make Your List
In addition to keeping a voiding diary, jot down a list of supplements and medications you are taking, and write a list of questions you have for your doctor. The list will come in handy during your appointment and remind you to ask all of your questions. For urinary incontinence, you may wish to ask your doctor the following:

– what kind of urinary incontinence you have (stress, urge, mixed, or pelvic organ prolapse)
– whether your urinary incontinence symptoms can be improved or cured
– what kinds of tests you might need to assess your situation
– whether lifestyle changes or diet modification might help
– what kinds of conservative therapies might improve your symptoms
– whether your medications could be aggravating your condition
– whether there are medications that would help your condition
– whether surgery is necessary

Step 3: Gather Your Stuff and Prepare Yourself
On the day of your appointment, gather up all of your “stuff.” You’ll want to take your voiding diary, your list of questions, as well as a notepad and pen so you can write down important information during your appointment. If you were not able to list all of the medications and supplements you are taking in the step above, simply gather all the bottles and pills into a bag and bring them with you to your appointment. If you have difficulty seeing or hearing, be sure to bring your glasses or hearing aids.

You may also want to ask a close friend or family member come with you to your appointment. Your companion can help you remember to ask all of your questions, and remember important information. Finally, your doctor may want to do a pelvic exam, especially if you have scheduled an appointment with a urologist or urogynecologist, so you may want to take special care with your personal hygiene before your appointment.

Then, having thoroughly prepared yourself for your appointment, you are ready to fully explore the many available treatment options for solving your urinary incontinence issues.

Are You Coping With Rather Than Curing Your Urinary Incontinence?

by General Urinary IncontinenceWomen's Healthcare

They say the road to hell is paved with good intentions. We say the road to wet panties is paved with coping mechanisms. Women with urinary incontinence demonstrate extraordinary powers of coping—coping skills that start with baby steps. Unfortunately, while coping can help women deal with symptoms of urinary incontinence, it can also prevent these women from seeking real cure.

Does This Sound Like You?
You don’t have time to run to the bathroom at the grocery store so you try to “hold it” until you get home, only to discover that you don’t quite make it. Instead, you find yourself digging through your purse for your house keys while urine streams down your leg.

You decide you are never going to allow this situation to happen again, so you start scouting out and using bathrooms at various stores as you run errands. Maybe you carry an absorbent pad with you in your purse, or start wearing pants that are easy to pull down.

If your condition worsens, you might even start carrying a change of clothing with you or stop going to the gym for your morning workout to avoid the embarrassing “wet panty” look that sometimes happens. Before long, “girls night out” and dating fall by the wayside, not to mention sex.

Does this sound like you?

The Shrinking World of Urinary Incontinence
If you are coping with rather than curing your urinary incontinence, you are living in a shrinking world, whether you realize it or not. You live in a world confined to locations with convenient bathrooms. You are tethered to your purse, in which you carry absorbent pads and maybe a change of clothes. Perhaps even your fashion sense is now dictated by clothing that you can get off in a hurry. Plus, your social life diminishes as your fear of a public accident increases.

What you may not realize is that when you cope with urinary leakage instead of focusing on cure, you deny the effect it has on the quality of your life. Did you know that 40% of women experience urinary incontinence before they reach age 40? And 23% of women have urinary leakage before age 30. Are you prepared to “cope” with urine leakage for half of your life or longer?

Focus on Curing Rather Than Coping with Urinary Incontinence
It’s never too early to seek cure for your urinary incontinence symptoms because the earlier you seek help, the faster you will see positive results. According to the Agency of Healthcare Research and Policy, urinary incontinence can be improved in 8 out of 10 cases. Those are pretty strong odds in your favor.

So what are you waiting for? Isn’t it time to stop living a shrinking world where you just cope with your urine leakage? Isn’t it time to start living your life to the fullest by focusing on cure instead?