Women’s Urinary Incontinence: What if Your Diagnosis is Unclear?

So you have finally worked up the courage to talk to your doctor about your women’s urinary incontinence symptoms. You have showed up at your appointment, discussed your symptoms (such as urinary urgency or leakage), and had some generalized tests. That’s all good.

But what do you do if your diagnosis is unclear? Yikes! You worked up all that courage to show up at the appointment, only to have an unclear diagnosis. What should you do?

Don’t panic. Check out the following tips, which may help you and your doctor find a clear diagnosis for your condition. After all, there are three types of urinary incontinence, not to mention multiple other possible causes for urinary issues. So you and your doctor may need to do a bit of sleuthing to come up with a final diagnosis.

What to Do if Your Diagnosis is Unclear
It is not uncommon for your doctor to be unable to pin down an exact diagnosis on your first visit. This is because the generalized tests he or she will probably perform are meant to exclude certain conditions while not necessarily generating specific diagnostic answers.

For instance, your discussion with your doctor may give him or her a general idea of your symptoms, such as urinary urgency, leakage, or frequency. However, these symptoms alone will not necessarily reveal what is causing your urinary issues. Your doctor may perform a urinalysis to rule out infection and discover whether you have blood or other substances in your urine. He or she may also run a blood test to find out whether medications or other chemicals and substances are present that could be causing your incontinence symptoms. These generalized tests help your doctor rule out temporary causes of urinary incontinence, including urinary tract infections or diuretic medications, which could cause urinary urgency and frequency.

If these generalized tests are inconclusive, then your doctor may not have a definitive diagnosis for you after your first visit. But don’t panic. Instead consider the following options:

1. More Tests
Ask your doctor whether more tests will help clarify your diagnosis. Chances are that your doctor will raise this issue anyway. Further tests can include postvoid residual measurements, stress tests, urodynamic testing, pelvic ultrasounds, pelvic exam, cystograms, and cystoscopies. All of these tests reveal more specific information about the health, position, and function of your urinary system. With these tests, your doctor will very likely be able to offer a specific diagnosis, as well as multiple therapies to address your condition.

2. Ask Questions
It is possible that your doctor may not have a specific diagnosis, but instead have several possible options. He or she may suggest that you try one or more therapies to address the most likely diagnosis. If the therapy is effective, then the diagnosis is confirmed. If the therapy does not alleviate your symptoms, then your doctor may suggest other therapies. The use of therapies to confirm a diagnosis is not uncommon. However, if you feel uncomfortable with the vagueness of this approach, do not hesitate to ask questions. You may wish to ask which diagnosis the suggested therapy is meant to confirm. Or ask which diagnosis is most likely and why.

No questions are ever “stupid,” and you are visiting your doctor because he or she has expertise and information relevant to your condition. So avail yourself of that expertise. Keep asking questions until you are satisfied. If you run out of time during the appointment, ask whether you can discuss your remaining questions with another member of the staff, or request a follow-up email or phone consultation. A question that is never asked might never be answered. Your doctor cannot read your mind, so it is up to you to raise any issues not covered in your discussion.

3. Get Another Opinion
If you are unable to get satisfactory answers and information from your doctor about your condition, there is absolutely nothing wrong with seeking the opinion of another doctor. You may even wish to ask for a referral to a new or different kind of specialist.

For instance, if your urinary incontinence symptoms did not start until menopause, you may want to ask your doctor for a referral to a healthcare provider who specializes in problems associated specifically with menopause. If your doctor is a man and you would feel more comfortable with a woman, ask for a referral for a female physician, either within the same practice or in a different practice. Other referral options include urologists, ob/gyns, and gerontologists. There is no point in continuing to see the same doctor if you are not getting the help you need. If you have asked your doctor for information and assistance more than once, and do not get the help you seek, look elsewhere.

Persistence Pays
When it comes to women’s urinary incontinence, persistence always pays. The women who are most successful at alleviating or even curing their symptoms are the ones who are most persistent. These women are not afraid to keep asking questions until they get the answers they seek. These women are willing to try multiple therapies, either singly or in combination, until they find a solution that works. These women will ask for referrals or will follow up via phone or email after appointments until their problems are solved. These women are, in short, persistent!

The question is, are you willing to be that persistent to gain relief from your urinary incontinence symptoms? We hope so! If you are not yet ready to visit your doctor but have questions, ask us on our Facebook page… you ask and we will answer!
If you enjoyed this post, we invite you to check out our book, leave a comment, contact us, download our free ebook, or interact with us on Twitter and Facebook.

 

5 Simple Ways to Speed Weight Loss and Reduce Women’s Urinary Incontinence

In our past two articles on our blog we have discussed ways women can lose weight as a conservative therapy to alleviate symptoms of urinary incontinence, such as urinary urgency, frequency, and leakage. These weight loss tips are useful for any woman who is carrying even a few extra pounds and who has urinary incontinence symptoms. Being even 5% overweight can worsen these types of symptoms, so dropping just 5 or 10 pounds could equal a lot of relief!

Be sure to read our last few blog posts if you are unsure why extra weight contributes to and worsens symptoms of women’s urinary incontinence. The short version is that extra weight between your collarbone and your pelvis puts pressure on your bladder and urinary system, which equals urinary urgency and possible leakage. This is true whether you are a new mom or a menopausal woman!

How to Slim Down Fast – 5 Simple Ways
Assuming that you have already committed to losing weight as a way to reduce or even stop your urinary incontinence symptoms, we have 5 simple tips on how you can slim down even faster. These tips enhance what you are already doing by eating healthy, staying hydrated, and getting some moderate exercise. These tips are designed to maximize the effectiveness of your weight loss plan by making a few tweaks.

Tip #1: Intensify Workouts
Whether you walk or visit the gym or do yoga at home, you can always take steps to make each workout a little more intense. Studies in exercise science show that short intense workouts burn fat faster than longer workouts that are slower and less intense. While you still need to get enough cardiovascular workouts to ensure heart and circulatory health, aim to intensify at least one or two of your weekly workouts.

For instance, if walking is your workout of choice, you can intensify each session by climbing a hill or two as part of your route. You can also take longer strides, walk off-road, or carry light weights to burn fat faster. By the same token, yoga does not have to be all about serene music and slow movements. Moving through certain poses–such as some forms of the Sun Salutation–can be quite intense. Or hold the Down Dog position for three to five minutes to really work your arms, core, and legs. If you are not sure which poses will work best for you, join a yoga class for a few weeks or months until you find a workout plan that is effective for you.

Tip #2: Eat Breakfast
While this tip is a no-brainer, a surprising number of women skip breakfast anyway. Nutritional studies demonstrate that eating a healthy breakfast keeps you full throughout the morning, and helps you avoid food cravings and snacking before lunch. A healthy breakfast, eaten within one hour of getting out of bed, also stabilizes your blood sugar, which provides you with plenty of energy all morning.

Tip #3: Sneak In Workouts
Instead of spending your energy figuring out how to sneak snack foods into your diet plan, focus on sneaking quick workouts into your day. Intense workouts do not have to be long in order to be effective. Spending just 15 minutes on your spin bike at home or speed-walking around the block between coming home from work and spending time with your family is all you need for your daily workout. You know your workout is intense if you are able to build up a sweat during that 15-minute period.

Tip #4: Eat a Bite Before Your Workout
If you find yourself fading fast during workouts–especially during evening sessions after work–try eating a small snack before you workout. Try eating a heaping spoonful of peanut butter or a few healthy crackers. Your snack will give your body some extra calories to fuel your workout, not to mention stabilizing your blood sugar so you feel enthusiastic about your exercise session.

Tip #5: Setup Rewards for Yourself
Without rewards, exercising and dieting can feel like one long jog down a dark tunnel–with no visible light at the end! Choose a reward that will really motivate you to stick with your dietary and exercise goals. For instance, if you absolutely adore Rocky Road ice cream, promise yourself a bowl of it when you have stuck with your program for 30 days in a row. Or if massage is more your style, buy yourself some time on the table when you have lost 7 pounds. Studies show that reward is an extremely effective motivational tool, so use it to boost your commitment to your weight loss program!

Beat the Leak with Weight Loss
While weight loss continues to be the most popular New Year’s Resolution, this goal is especially important for women who experience urinary urgency, leakage, or frequency. If you are overweight, shedding a few pounds will go a long way toward helping you “beat the leak”! Plus, you will be contributing to your overall health–and you will LOVE the way you look. Hopefully the five tips in this article will enhance your weight loss plan and help you slim down faster while getting healthier.

If you enjoyed this post, we invite you to check out our book, leave a comment, contact us, download our free ebook, or interact with us on Twitter and Facebook.

 

How to Lose Your “Mommy Middle Muffin-Top”

In our previous article  we discussed guidelines for healthy weight gain during pregnancy, and healthy weight loss after delivery. One of the main benefits of losing the extra baby weight post-partum is reducing the risk of women’s urinary incontinence. The joy of welcoming your new baby can be marred by always having to run for the bathroom, so making a plan to lose extra baby weight post-partum is a really good idea.

Unfortunately, a lot of women don’t receive the information they need from their healthcare providers on losing baby weight. A recent study (http://huff.to/13pfqxT) indicated that up to 85% of women had not received post-partum weight loss information 4 months after they had given birth!

If you are looking for ways to lose your “mommy middle muffin-top” hopefully the following tips will give you some good ideas.

How to Slim Down Post-Partum
The good news is that the delivery process itself pretty much guarantees you a 10-pound weight loss (the baby’s weight plus placenta and amniotic fluid). You can also expect to lose another 3 to 5 pounds of water weight in the first week after delivery.

To continue that weight loss trend–with every pound loss reducing your risk of women’s urinary incontinence–consider some of these tips.

1. Eat Right
Let your body tell you when you should eat. Another way to put it is, “Eat only when you are hungry.” Women who breastfeed will need more calories, as babies who are exclusively breastfed require between 500 and 800 calories per day. Focus on whole grains, fresh fruits and vegetables, and lean meats. Eat small portions and consume small meals more frequently during the day. If you are not sure you can stick to a diet, consider joining a recognized weight loss program to support you through the process.

2. Return to Gentle Exercise
Check with your healthcare provider about when you can safely return to gentle exercise. Women who have straightforward vaginal deliveries can expect to return to light exercise within days of giving birth. Women with more complicated deliveries (including C-sections) will need to follow guidelines offered by their doctors. Of course, women can and should do pelvic floor muscle exercises during pregnancy and after delivery to keep those muscles toned and fit. Focusing on pelvic floor muscle exercises significantly decreases your risk of women’s urinary incontinence during and after pregnancy.

3. Sleep When Your Baby Sleeps
In other words, get as much beauty rest as your baby allows. Studies show that women who got adequate rest were more likely to lose baby weight more quickly than women who had less pillow time.

4. Hydrate Regularly
Getting plenty of pure water is important post-partum, especially if you are breast-feeding. Hydration is also important as you return to your exercises program. As a bonus, water can also help you feel more full so you avoid snacking on unhealthy foods. Finally, if you don’t get enough water your urine will become more acid, which can irritate your bladder and worsen symptoms such as urinary urgency and frequency.

5. Set Realistic Goals
When slimming down after delivery, a healthy rate of weight loss is about one pound per week. This may seem slow to you, yet this rate of weight loss is healthy and tends to be more permanent. Be gentle with yourself, acknowledge that pregnancy and delivery equal major body changes, and be patient with the weight loss process. Trying to fit into your skinny jeans a few weeks after delivery isn’t realistic for many women. Often, healthy post-partum weight loss can take up to six months so set realistic weight loss goals so you don’t end up judging yourself too harshly.

Hopefully these simple tips on getting rid of your “Mommy Middle,” which definitely decreases your risk of urinary incontinence, will help you lose weight in a healthy manner post-partum. Most importantly, if you are able to avoid or minimize symptoms of women’s urinary incontinence, you will be able to devote your full attention to your new baby!

If you enjoyed this post, we invite you to check out our book, leave a comment, contact us, download our free ebook, or interact with us on Twitter and Facebook.

 

Is Your Pregnancy Weight Gain Contributing to Your Urinary Incontinence?

Almost every expectant mother has been warned to expect some symptoms of urinary incontinence during pregnancy–everything from urinary urgency and frequency to actual urinary leakage. As the baby grows and takes up more room in the abdomen, internal organs, such as the bladder, are pushed into an increasingly smaller space. The result? Urinary incontinence issues.

But new studies show that it’s not just baby who contributes to women’s urinary incontinence during pregnancy. Excessive weight gain during pregnancy is another issue to consider. Whether a woman is pregnant or not, she is at risk for urinary incontinence if she carries too much extra weight. Every extra pound below the collarbone and above the pelvis puts downward pressure on the bladder and urinary system, causing symptoms of urinary incontinence.

Gain the Right Amount to Reduce Risk of Urinary Incontinence
During pregnancy many women fall prey to the idea that they are “eating for two,” mistakenly believing that this means they can eat twice as much as they normally do. Not so.

In fact, women who have a normal body mass index (BMI), or who started at a normal weight before pregnancy do not need to increase their caloric intake during the first trimester according to the American Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. The same organization recommends that women at a healthy weight increase calories by 350 calories per day during the second trimester, and 450 calories per day during the last trimester. Women who start out under or overweight should work with their healthcare providers to adjust these calorie guidelines accordingly.

Eating the right number of calories during each trimester should result in healthy rather than excess weight gain, which decreases a woman’s chance of urinary incontinence symptoms both during pregnancy and after delivery. According to the Institute of Medicine, underweight women (with a BMI of 18.5 or less) should gain between 28 and 40 pounds. Normal weight women (BMI between 18.6 and 24.9) should strive for an overall weight gain of 25 to 35 pounds, while overweight women (BMI between 25 and 29.9) need to gain only 15-25 pounds. Obese women (BMI of 30 or higher) are encouraged to gain just 11 to 20 pounds.

Studies show that women who gain more than the weight recommended by the Institute of Medicine tend to have more trouble losing weight post-partum (http://bit.ly/15o3ait). Again, the excess weight is a definite contributing risk factor to women’s urinary incontinence.

The Importance of Shedding Baby Weight
If you don’t think that a few extra pounds of baby weight puts you at risk for urinary urgency, frequency, or leakage, consider these studies. In one study, overweight women with urinary incontinence who lost 8 percent of their body weight saw a 47 percent decrease in leakage accidents. Other studies demonstrate that losing 5 to 10 percent of excess weight is as effective for alleviating urinary incontinence symptoms as any other form of conservative treatment.

If you are unsure of how much weight you should gain during pregnancy, and how much weight you should lose after delivery, ask your healthcare provider. We stress that you may need to ask your healthcare provider because some may not volunteer that information.

In one recent study, only 42% of women received information on appropriate weight gain from their healthcare providers, while 22% of overweight women were advised to gain more than the recommended amount of weight (http://huff.to/13pfqxT). According to Glenn D. Braunstein, M.D., many healthcare professionals may be hesitant to broach the subject of weight gain because of the sensitivity of the topic. Others may simply feel ill-equipped to handle the conversation. That is why it is important for you to ask for the weight gain and post-partum weight loss information that is appropriate for your situation.

Dr. Braunstein points out that asking for this information before your baby is born is important because chances are that you will be too busy or tired to raise the subject after delivery. Yet, excess weight is a significant risk factor for women’s urinary incontinence. If you don’t want urinary urgency, frequency, and leakage to interfere with the joy of mothering your new baby, get your weight gain and weight loss facts straight before delivery. Then, have a plan that will help you achieve a healthy level of weight gain during pregnancy, and lose the excess baby weight at a healthy rate post-partum.

Stay tuned for upcoming articles on how to shed the “Mommy middle” after delivery to reduce your risk of post-partum urinary incontinence.

If you enjoyed this post, we invite you to check out our book, leave a comment, contact us, download our free ebook, or interact with us on Twitter and Facebook.

Actually Talking to Your Partner About Women’s Urinary Incontinence

In the previous two articles, we have discussed why you should talk to your partner about your women’s urinary incontinence, and how to prepare for “the talk.” This article is all about having “the talk.”

Gather Your Stuff for The Talk
If you have read our previous two articles on talking to your partner about your urinary incontinence, then by now you have probably armed yourself with some materials to help you with the conversation. To prepare for your conversation, you may wish to gather the following items (plus any others you feel will help your partner understand your condition):

  • outline of what you want to say
  • educational materials about urinary incontinence or women’s pelvic health in general
  • list of your symptoms
  • list of how you are coping with your condition, including any therapies

Once you have your stuff, you are ready for the talk. Assuming that you have already set a time to have the discussion with your partner, you just need to bring the relevant stuff and talk!

Starting the Discussion About Women’s Urinary Incontinence
Talking about women’s urinary incontinence and its symptoms is never easy. Whether you are talking to your doctor or to your loved ones, the issue is sensitive and potentially embarrassing. Just know that going into the conversation.

To start the discussion with your partner about urinary incontinence, first thank them for making the time to have the discussion with you. If you feel nervous, tell your partner that you want to discuss a sensitive issue, and that you do feel nervous. It is definitely a good idea to share how you feel.

Then start the conversation wherever you feel is most relevant. For instance, if your partner has recently looked quite baffled or been irritated by your sudden and frequent trips to the bathroom, start the discussion with those events. Talk about urinary urgency and frequency, and talk about how your behavior may have been bewildering to your partner.

Start the discussion slowly and allow your partner to fully digest each piece of information. Allow room in the conversation for your partner to ask questions. Don’t just run full tilt through your list. Explain your condition slowly and clearly, and cover the ways you are coping with urinary incontinence. Also explain how your condition may be affecting the relationship.

At an appropriate moment–perhaps at the close of the conversation–you may wish to hand your partner some educational materials so he or she can learn more about urinary incontinence (and how it affects so many women, not just older women). Our book is a good resource, as are printable downloads from organizations listed on our Resources page.

Allow the conversation to follow its own pace and direction. Remain calm at all times. In most cases, women are surprised at their partners’ responses. Most are very understanding, and many partners are quite relieved to finally understand the motivation behind some potentially odd behaviors.

Once you have the initial conversation, give yourself a pat on the back! This may not be the only conversation you have with your partner, but it is certainly a great beginning. Once your partner learns more about your condition, he or she may have more questions. No worries… knowledge is power. The important thing is that you have opened the door to greater understanding and a deeper relationship with your partner.

If you enjoyed this post, we invite you to check out our book, leave a comment, contact us, download our free ebook, or interact with us on Twitter and Facebook.

How Do You Talk to Your Partner About Women’s Urinary Incontinence?

In our previous article  we discussed when you might want to discuss your urinary incontinence issues with your partner–such as when your partner begins wondering whether your coping behaviors signal that you are heading for a breakup! Hopefully that article gave you some motivation and encouragement to raise this sticky subject with your partner, before he or she gets the wrong idea about your relationship.

Yet, women’s urinary incontinence is an embarrassing topic at the best of times. In fact, talking about symptoms such as urinary urgency or urinary leakage can feel so humiliating that almost half of all women never seek medical help. But don’t worry. With the right preparation, you can definitely have a successful conversation with your partner about your urinary incontinence issues. You don’t have to be humiliated or embarrassed. Plus, hopefully you and your partner will emerge on the other side of the conversation with more clarity and understanding about this health issue.

Preparing for “The Talk”
Once you have committed to having “the talk” with your partner, you don’t simply want to dive into the conversation at will. Instead, take the time to prepare yourself for the conversation. You will want to consider:

  • when to raise the issue
  • the exact points you want to raise during the conversation
  • whether you will give your partner brochures or other educational materials to read
  • the questions your partner may raise, and how you want to answer those questions

The above points are all crucial to having a successful conversation with your partner about your women’s urinary incontinence. In this article, we will focus on choosing a good time to talk to your partner. In future articles, we will cover other preparations for your talk, including making a list of points you wish to cover and how to educate your partner about your condition.

Choosing the Right Time to Discuss Your Urinary Incontinence
Choosing the right moment to discuss your urinary incontinence issues with your partner can have a big impact on the outcome of the conversation. For instance, you definitely don’t want to raise the issue if both of you are already in bed or perhaps headed toward an intimate moment. Talk about the wrong time to raise the issue of urinary incontinence.

Instead, when thinking of potential “good” moments to raise the issue, look for moments where you will have:

  • guaranteed privacy
  • plenty of time
  • one-on-one time that is face-to-face
  • a neutral setting that is neither too romantic nor too sterile

Using the points above, you probably won’t choose to talk about urinary urgency or leakage at your local bar, where friends or wait staff are likely to “pop in” on your conversation at any given time. By the same token, avoid having the conversation over the phone. While your partner will probably be much more accepting of the conversation than you expect, phone conversations make it difficult to interpret silences. You won’t know whether a moment of silence simply means your spouse is digesting the information or is truly horrified by the news. Having the conversation face-to-face is crucial so you can read your partner’s reactions, and respond accordingly.

Be sure to schedule enough time to not only convey your information, but also to allow your partner to fully understand the information and ask as many questions as necessary. In addition, choose a moment when you are both in neutral territory. A romantic dinner isn’t really a logical place to have this conversation, but neither is a business office. Instead, schedule a hike or picnic in a quiet location. This allows you privacy and closeness with your partner, but without the overtones of romance.

Just Remember…
If you start to feel anxious as you prepare for “the talk” with your partner, just remember this: your partner is likely to be much happier knowing what is happening with you than guessing why you are acting oddly. If your partner knows that you have urinary urgency and often need to rush to the bathroom, he or she will be less likely to feel hurt when you abruptly terminate a conversation to do so.  The fact of the matter is that both of you will feel better after the talk. You will no longer carry the burden of constantly trying to “act normal,” and your partner will no longer have to wonder what’s happening with your relationship.

Start planning the “when” of your talk now. Then stay tuned because in upcoming articles we will talk about the actual nuts and bolts of the conversation itself, including offering you a number of tools that can make the conversation go more smoothly!

If you enjoyed this post, we invite you to check out our book, leave a comment, contact us, download our free ebook, or interact with us on Twitter and Facebook.

When Should You Talk to Your Partner About Women’s Urinary Incontinence?

If you are a woman with urinary incontinence, then you have a lot on your mind, such as bathrooms, urinary urgency, possible leakage accidents and so forth. Since you are so preoccupied, chances are that you may not be thinking about your spouse or partner. At the same time, chances are good that your spouse is wondering about you.

Your Urinary Incontinence and Your Partner
We understand that you have bathrooms on the brain, but your spouse or partner may not. If you are constantly hurrying out of events, jumping up in the middle of a movie to run to the bathroom, or avoiding sex because you are afraid of a leakage accident, your spouse may start to wonder what is happening.

While your behavior makes perfect sense to you, given your symptoms of urinary urgency, frequency, or leakage, your spouse may interpret your actions different. Your partner may wonder if your avoidance of sex means you no longer find him or her attractive. He or she may wonder if your strange behavior is a prelude to a breakup. Your partner may even initiate a breakup based on your behavior, fearing a breakup and not wanting to be the one being dumped first.

Signs That It Is Time to Talk to Your Partner
Obviously if your partner is starting to make noises about breaking up, you definitely need to have a discussion about your urinary incontinence. Most women are amazed that their partners are unaware of just how much urinary incontinence affects behavior, but if you rarely or never raise the issue, your partner will remain ignorant. You should definitely initiate a discussion about your urinary issues if:

  • urinary urgency or frequency constantly interrupts quality time with your partner
  • you avoid sex because you leak urine during intercourse, or are afraid that you will leak urine
  • you have planned an upcoming trip with your partner and you are worried about how you will cope
  • anxiety about urinary incontinence issues makes you uncomfortable with your partner
  • you keep cancelling dates and plans with your partner because of your urinary incontinence symptoms

If any of these issues, or similar ones, occur with regularity in your life, now is definitely the time to talk to your partner about your women’s urinary incontinence symptoms. A simple straightforward conversation at the right time can ease your partner’s mind, and also increase his or her understanding of your condition. Don’t wait for your partner to become so uncomfortable with the relationship that he or she brings up the issue. Raise the issue yourself… you and your partner will both benefit.

Not sure how to talk about women’s urinary incontinence? Stay tuned. In future articles we will outline simple ways to raise this complex issue.

If you enjoyed this post, we invite you to check out our book, leave a comment, contact us, download our free ebook, or interact with us on Twitter and Facebook.

Do You Have These 5 Problems Associated with Women’s Urinary Incontinence?

Women who have symptoms of urinary incontinence–such as urinary urgency, frequency, and leakage–already know all about the embarrassment of always looking for a bathroom or trying to avoid a leakage accident. Sadly, there are other problems associated with women’s urinary incontinence that go beyond the embarrassment. In this article, we talk about the five most common problems women with urinary incontinence face, and some simple strategies for coping.

Five Common Problems for Women with Urinary Incontinence
Because urinary incontinence is one of the least-discussed health issues, due to the embarrassment factor, women with urinary incontinence probably don’t have a clue how to cope with the five common problems associated with urinary incontinence. No one talks about it, so no one knows the answer. It’s a vicious cycle. Hopefully, this article will help shed some light on these issues, and offer common-sense solutions to cope with the situation.

1. Lack of Understanding
The fact that women with urinary incontinence are often humiliated with leakage accidents is bad enough, but the problem often goes beyond accidents themselves. The coping strategies employed by affected women are often misunderstood or even openly criticized. For instance, family members may not understand why their mother or daughter or sister, or wife always needs to go to the bathroom. Husbands may become frustrated when a women refuses to have sex because of a potential leakage accident. Even friends may become sarcastic when a women refuses to go out on “Girls’ Night Out” because she has difficulty enjoying socializing when all she can think of is how to get to the bathroom–again! Thus women with urinary incontinence often fall prey to depression and anxiety because this condition is neither socially understood nor well-tolerated.

2. Lack of Exercise and Weight Gain
Another vicious cycle perpetuated by symptoms such as urinary urgency or leakage is lack of exercise, leading to weight gain, leading to more lack of exercise. If a woman leaks urine when she exercises (or has urinary urgency and needs to run to the bathroom multiple times during an exercise class), chances are that she will stop exercising altogether. The hassle is just too much. As a result, she gains weight. Every pound of added weight above the pelvis puts more pressure on the bladder, which only increases the chance of leakage. The woman feels even less like exercising. She gains more weight, and so on and so forth. This vicious cycle can also lead to anxiety and/or depression.

3. Skin Problems
To make matters even worse, a woman who experiences frequent urinary leakage is prone to skin problems. Because the skin in the pelvic area is constantly damp due to leakage, affected women are prone to skin ulcers, rashes, or infections. Skin problems in the pelvic area can cause even sitting to be uncomfortable, never mind exercise or sex.

4. Urinary Tract Infections
Incontinence puts a woman at higher risk for urinary tract infections (UTIs) than women who are not subject to urinary urgency, frequency, and leakage. As with the skin problems, UTIs simply make affected women uncomfortable on a physical level, in addition to any mental or emotional discomfort they already experience.

5. Trouble at Work
Because women affected by urinary incontinence are reluctant to discuss their condition with their doctors, they are far less likely to discuss the condition with their bosses or co-workers. Yet symptoms like urinary urgency and frequency may cause affected women to jump up in the middle of meetings to run for the bathroom, or disrupt a conversation at the water cooler for the same reason. Co-workers may become confused and take the disruptions the wrong way. Bosses may feel that affected women are not doing their jobs. This can lead to all kinds of communication issues and trouble at work.

Five Solutions for Coping with Problems Caused by Women’s Urinary Incontinence
So what is an affected woman to do? How does she cope with these five common problems that result from urinary incontinence? We have some common sense solutions that address all of these problems. Some of these solutions are easier to achieve than others, but even the difficult ones are not impossible. In the long run, integrating some of these solutions into daily life will alleviate the stress and burden that comes with coping with symptoms of urinary incontinence. We hope affected women will take this list seriously, and use what they can. These are tried and true methods that have helped thousands of women cope with or even overcome urinary incontinence symptoms.

1. Get Educated About Women’s Urinary Incontinence
Knowledge is power. The more affected women know about urinary incontinence, the more power they will have to cope with the associated problems. There are many online resources that women can browse on the internet to discreetly add to their knowledge of this condition. Or read our book, “A Woman’s Guide to Pelvic Health,” which was written specifically so affected women can become knowledgeable while learning in the privacy of their own homes.

2. Get a Medical Diagnosis
While this is often the common sense solution that affected women have the most trouble with, having a correct medical diagnosis is the starting point of call coping and possibly cure. Here is a short list of reasons to obtain a correct medical diagnosis:

  • affected women know for certain “what’s up down there”
  • appropriate therapies can be recommended rather than the affected woman coping as best she can with home solutions
  • physicians can write letters to employers explaining the situation, possibly defusing trouble at work
  • women who bring their spouses to the appointment can educate their spouses at the same time
  • physicians can recommend other resources for affected women, including support groups for weight loss, etc.

3. Follow Through on Recommended Therapies
There is no point in experiencing the embarrassment of discussing the situation with a medical professional if no action is taken afterwards. While 50% of affected women are courageous enough seek help for urinary incontinence, many then fail to follow through on recommended therapies. These therapies can include pelvic floor retraining, pelvic floor physical therapy, medication, lifestyle changes, and/or surgery. As the Nike slogan goes, “Just do it.” Once the diagnosis has been obtained, the difficult step is already complete.

4. Educate Key People
Lack of knowledge leads to lack of understanding. For affected women, this means that spouses, children, friends, and people at work may not understand what is happening and why these women behave as they do. To reduce the emotional and mental stress of this situation, affected women may wish to discuss their situation with the key people in their lives. If discussion proves too difficult, a note from the doctor may suffice. Alternately, women can suggest their friends and spouses read the book suggested above. The people who really care will take the time to listen, learn, and understand.

5. Persistence
None of these solutions work all the time for all affected women. At the same time, many of these solutions will be useful to many affected women. If you are affected by women’s urinary incontinence, your main job is to look through and try as many of these solutions as seem reasonable to you. And then keep trying until you DO find solutions that work for you. For many women, this can mean trying several conservative therapies, serially or at the same time. This might mean handing their spouses and friends a book or pamphlet to read. This might mean getting a note from their doctor to hand to their employer. All of these steps are potentially humiliating or embarrassing in the moment, yet in the long run will pay off. What’s the payoff? Freedom from worry, misunderstanding, depression, anxiety, isolation, and–best of all–symptoms of women’s urinary incontinence. It doesn’t get much better than that, does it?

If you enjoyed this post, we invite you to check out our book, leave a comment, contact us, download our free ebook, or interact with us on Twitter and Facebook.

 

Women’s Urinary Incontinence: What IS Normal? 7 Questions for You…

When it comes to women’s urinary incontinence, what IS normal? How do you know if you have urinary incontinence or just have to pee a lot? Is a little leakage OK?

These are common questions that women often wonder about. We have taken 7 of the most common questions regarding women’s urinary incontinence, and answered them! If you wonder… read on!

7 Questions to Ask Yourself About Women’s Urinary Incontinence
If you sometimes wonder what’s “normal” when it comes to your urinary habits, check out the answers to these 7 common questions.

How much urine can a healthy bladder hold?
If your bladder is healthy, it should be able to hold up to two cups of urine easily for two to five hours.

How often should you need to urinate?
If your urinary system is healthy, you should not experience the urge to urinate more than eight per day. In addition, you should not need to urinate shortly after you have emptied your bladder

Is urinating at night normal?
For women with a healthy urinary system, getting up at night to urinate should not be a normal occurrence. Exceptions can happen if you drink fluids too late in the day, drink excessive amounts of fluid, or have had any food or drink that irritate the bladder (including alcohol, caffeine, spicy food, or acidic food).

Is it normal for certain foods or drinks to cause you to urinate more?
Yes, certain foods and drinks are known as bladder irritants. While these classes of foods and beverages do not affect all women the same way, they can have an irritating effect on many a woman’s bladder. Which foods should you avoid? Check out the article HERE.

Is urinary leakage normal?
Urinary incontinence or leakage is not normal at any age. Acceptance of this health condition as a normal sign of aging is the second most common reason women don’t seek help from a physician. Embarrassment about talking to a doctor about urine leakage tops the list, followed by women thinking that urinary incontinence “wasn’t enough of a problem.” As a result, less than 50% of women with urinary incontinence seek medical help, and those who do get help wait almost seven years. Don’t become part of that statistic! If you leak urine, seek medical help right away!

Is defensive voiding (“urinating just in case”) normal?
If you go to the bathroom often, “just in case” you might need to later, then you are practicing what is called defensive voiding. Women practice defensive voiding so that they can sit through a movie or make it all way through dinner without jumping up to use the ladies room. Defensive voiding is a sign of overactive bladder (OAB) or urge urinary incontinence. It is not normal. If you practice defensive voiding, seek help from your doctor.

Is sudden urinary urgency normal?
If the sound of running water, sudden immersion in cold water, a change in body position, or smoking causes you to experience urinary urgency, you need to call your doctor. Chances are that you have overactive bladder or urge urinary incontinence. If your urinary system is healthy and normal–and you pay attention to your body’s needs–you should never have to run for the bathroom!

Get it? Got it? Good! If you still have questions, check out the rest of our blog or ask your question on Facebook … we will answer!

If you enjoyed this post, we invite you to check out our book, leave a comment, contact us, download our free ebook, or interact with us on Twitter and Facebook.

11 Reasons to Focus on Your Pelvic Health

While some women wonder, “What’s the big deal with pelvic health?” other women worry over the question, “What’s up down there?” Women at both ends of the spectrum are wondering whether pelvic health is a problem that should concern them or not. The answer? Yes. Absolutely. Without a doubt.

You may be surprised, but women’s pelvic health isn’t just about women’s pelvic health. Your pelvic health is actually linked to your overall level of health at all levels–physical, mental, and emotional. If you don’t have pelvic health, you are putting your overall health on the line. That is why in this article we give you 11 reasons you might want to focus on your pelvic health. You may be surprised at how much your pelvic health affects the rest of your life!

1. Healthy habits for your pelvic floor make you healthier all over
Surprise, surprise! The habits that lead to pelvic health are also the habits to contribute to your general health. Examples include weight loss, smoking cessation, moderating drinking, and maintaining healthy digestion to avoid constipation.

2. Having pelvic health means you can be social, and studies show that being social is healthy
According to a feature article by WebMD–read the full article HERE, being social is healthy for you:

“Conducted by the Centre for Ageing Studies at Flinders University, the study followed nearly 1,500 older people for 10 years. It found that those who had a large network of friends outlived those with the fewest friends by 22%.”

Yet, if you are afraid to go out with friends because you might experience urinary urgency or a leakage accident, how can you be social? That alone is a good reason to focus on pelvic health!

3. Good pelvic health may mean a return to sex, which is also good for you
A surprisingly large percentage of women with urinary incontinence stop having sex because they leak urine during intimacy. Yet good sex is good for you. Studies show that women with higher sexual satisfaction also report a higher sense of life purpose. Sexually satisfied women are also reported to be happier than unsatisfied women, and women who look for ways to have a better sex life tend to get what they seek. So if good sex is good for you, and good pelvic health leads to good sex, focusing on your pelvic health becomes pretty important, right?

4. Pelvic health isn’t difficult to achieve even if you currently have pelvic issues
The Agency of Healthcare Research and Policy reports that for 8 out of 10 women with urinary incontinence, symptoms can be improved. Clinically, we have seen that many women can even cure their symptoms. While you may find that discussing your symptoms of poor pelvic health is embarrassing, you will probably be surprised at the ease of the solutions your medical professional can offer you. If you take the first step–seeking help–which is the most difficult, you’ll find the rest to be an easy slide!

5. Humiliation isn’t healthy!
This one doesn’t really need an explanation, does it? If you are constantly humiliated by leakage accidents, the fear of a leakage accident, the ever-present search for restrooms, and the bother of urinary urgency, then you’ve got a lot on your mind… none of which is relaxing, healthy, or contributing to your happiness.

6. Insomnia from nocturia (getting up to go at night) isn’t healthy
Getting a solid chunk of sleep each night is important to many factors of health, including memory, longevity, decreased chronic inflammation, and much more (read the full article HERE).

7. There are lots of approaches to try before going “under the knife”
One of the reasons women with urinary incontinence don’t seek help is that they are afraid their doctor will suggest surgery–right away. This simply isn’t true for most women, especially if they seek help as soon as the first symptoms appear. There are many conservative therapies to assist women with symptoms of poor pelvic health, including pelvic floor retraining (at home or with the help of a physical therapist), lifestyle changes such as smoking cessation, diet modification, timed fluid intake, weight loss, acupuncture, and more. Read a full list in THIS BOOK.

8. If you opt for surgery, success rates are high
If you are one of the women for whom surgery is the best option, you will be relieved to hear that most surgeries for women’s pelvic health have a very high success rate, and the majority are minimally-invasive. For a discussion about the most common surgeries related to women’s pelvic health, read the article HERE.

9. Your pelvic muscles count, too, even if they are out of sight!
The old adage “out of sight, out of mind” is very true when it comes to women’s pelvic health. Because women can’t see their pelvic muscles the way they can see their biceps, they tend to think they are fit all over, even if their pelvic muscles are not! However, you can develop healthy pelvic floor muscles. You just need to get into the Kegel habit. Read about how to gain the necessary knowledge, skill, and desire HERE.

10. Poor pelvic health is not normal at any age
So many women simply accept urinary urgency, leakage, or frequency as they age, thinking, “Oh, it’s just a normal part of aging.” Guess what? It isn’t! Poor pelvic health is not normal at any age. If you experience symptoms of urinary incontinence or other signs of poor pelvic health, get help now. Not sure about the state of your pelvic health? Read these stories to find out more–click HERE.

11. You will be a happier woman
Healthy women are happy women. It is really as simple as that! If poor pelvic health is keeping you from being happy, check out the book that may change your life HERE.

If you enjoyed this post, we invite you to check out our book, leave a comment, contact us, download our free ebook, or interact with us on Twitter and Facebook.

Ladies: Read This if You Wonder What’s Up Down There

Sometimes there is nothing like another person’s story to really motivate and empower us to take action for our own health. If you are concerned that you may have women’s urinary incontinence–meaning you have symptoms like urinary urgency, frequency, or leakage–the stories in this article may interest you. These stories may also interest you if you feel like something is falling out “down there”… or if your bedroom encounters have gone from “hot to not”!

If you wonder, “What IS up down there?” then read on… these stories may resonate with you plus motivate you to get the help you need!

Are You Like Jane?
Jane, in her mid-thirties, loves how kickboxing is helping restore her figure after she gave birth to her adorable son. What she doesn’t love is the amount of urine she leaks every time she kicks or boxes. In fact, the leakage happens so often that she is thinking of stopping her exercise program altogether.  Here’s what Jane doesn’t know.  She has stress urinary incontinence (also called stress incontinence), the most common form of urinary incontinence, which affects 26 percent of women over age 18 at some point in their lives. Childbirth is a major cause of stress incontinence. Most women with urine leakage wait more than six years to get help. Yet research shows that urinary incontinence in 8 out of 10 women with the condition can be improved. How long will Jane wait?

Jane solved her problem. Find out how by clicking HERE.

Are You Living Karen’s Story?
Sixty-two-year-old Karen has bathrooms on the brain. She has to urinate 10 to 12 times a day and a few times at night. Sometimes she feels a sudden urge and doesn’t make it to the bathroom in time–she then leaks a large volume of urine. Karen has to carry several changes of clothing with her and buys adult diapers in bulk. Her situation is bad, but her embarrassment about seeking help is worse, so she just keeps coping with the condition by herself.

This is what Karen should know. Karen is suffering from the most severe form of overactive bladder, called urge urinary incontinence. About 17 percent of women in the United States have urge incontinence, especially women 50 and older, but less than half seek help. Getting help is important, because about 60 percent of women with urge urinary incontinence also experience depression (though the two conditions are not always related). Help is also important because 70 percent of women with urge incontinence report symptom improvement with conservative treatments like medication or physical therapy.

Discover how Karen stopped leaking urine by reading her story HERE.

Does Jo’s Story Ring a Bell?
Jo, age 40 and very fit, faces a complex situation: she has the same symptoms as Jane and Karen, meaning she leaks urine when she exercises or laughs as well as because of sudden urges. She’s had symptoms for only 11 months but is definitely going to ask her doctor for help, even though she feels embarrassed. Her symptoms are frequent and serious.  What Jo will learn when she talks to her doctor: Jo’s doctor will tell her that she has mixed urinary incontinence, which is a combination of stress incontinence and urge incontinence or overactive bladder. Women with this mixed form of incontinence are more likely to seek help earlier because their symptoms tend to be worse and more frequent than symptoms of women who experience only stress or urge incontinence / overactive bladder. Mixed incontinence has a much stronger negative effect on quality of life, and women with this condition spend much more on laundry bills and adult diapers.

Jo was able to solve both types of urinary incontinence by using the steps outlined HERE.

Do You Share Susan’s Pain?
At age 68, Susan is suddenly experiencing low-back pain, chronic constipation, and the feeling that she is sitting on a ball. Luckily, she already has an appointment with her ob-gyn in a few weeks. She hopes her doctor will tell her what’s happening in her pelvic region.  What Susan’s ob-gyn will tell her at her appointment: Susan feels like she’s sitting on a ball because her pelvic organs have literally popped out of place. She has pelvic organ prolapse, in which one or more of her pelvic organs have moved out of place and now bulge into her vagina.  Susan’s ob-gyn will tell her that she is among the 3 to 6 percent of women who have severe pelvic organ prolapse, and will most likely need surgery to correct the problem. Surprisingly, between 43 and 76 percent of women have some degree of prolapse without knowing it and should be taking preventive action.

Susan was able to solve her pelvic organ prolapse issues with help from her doctor. Find out what Susan did HERE.

Do You Have “Not So Hot” Bedroom Encounters Like Cherie?
At age 42 Cherie is supposed to be in her sexual prime, at least according to the latest women’s magazines, but she feels far from sexy. With two children and a busy career, she considers sex to be at the bottom of her list. Further, sex with her husband just isn’t very pleasurable anymore because Cherie doesn’t feel much sensation in her sexual organs. She avoids sex as much as possible, but her husband is becoming upset and worried. She knows she needs to do something to resolve the situation, but she doesn’t know what.

How Cherie can solve her sexual problem: More than 40 percent of women are dissatisfied with their sex lives, and many of these women have decreased sexual sensation, which is what Cherie is experiencing. This decrease in sensation is often due to weak pelvic floor muscles, and the good news is that these muscles can easily be strengthened with pelvic floor muscle exercises. Studies show that women who do pelvic floor exercises reach orgasm more easily and experience more sexual desire. Cherie can improve her symptoms by following a simple pelvic floor exercise program, such as one from her physical therapist or the at-home program in chapter 7 in our book.

Cherie changed her bedroom encounters from “not, back to hot”… find out how by reading her story HERE.

Read, Plan, Do
Once you have read through these women’s’ stories, you should have a pretty good idea of what is going on with your pelvic health. Then make a plan. Will you call your family doctor for a referral to a urologist or will you visit your ob/gyn? Will you stop in and visit with your family doctor first?

Whatever you plan that takes you closer to solving your pelvic health issues is good. Then you must DO. A plan without action is not a very useful plan. So once you have your plan, do it! Take action for your own pelvic health. You will be surprised how much your quality of life will be affected by improving your pelvic health!

If you enjoyed this post, we invite you to check out our book, leave a comment, contact us, download our free ebook, or interact with us on Twitter and Facebook.

Attention Women: What to Do If Your Doctor Is Not Hearing You

For women with urinary incontinence, working up the courage to make an appointment and actually go to the appointment with a doctor is a HUGE deal. Sometimes the thought of discussing topics like urinary urgency or urinary leakage with another person–even a medical professional–can be so embarrassing that picking up the phone to make that appointment seems impossible. After all, the phone weighs 100 pounds, right?

But the situation becomes even worse when a woman actually goes to the appointment, only to discover–perhaps in the middle of describing her urinary urgency–that her doctor is not even listening. Or perhaps the doctor appears to be listening, but is putting his or her own interpretation on the situation.

If you suffer from women’s urinary incontinence, the situation described above can be one of the most frustrating, humiliating, and saddening situations ever. Luckily, you can take action steps if you discover that your doctor is not hearing you!

Action Step #1: Prepare for Your Appointment
Before you ever step foot into your doctor’s office, you can prepare for clear communication by documenting your urinary issues and habits. Verbal communication can sometimes lead to crossed wires, but actual documented facts, written on paper in black and white, can clear up a confusing conversation quickly. A week or two before your appointment, begin keeping a bladder diary, which documents your urinary habits and problems (to learn how to keep a bladder diary, click HERE. Then be sure to bring that diary with you to your appointment and show it to your doctor at the beginning of the appointment. Not only will your documentation allow your doctor to quickly get a “snapshot” of your situation–perhaps even saving you some embarrassing conversation–but the clear documentation also prevents your doctor from dismissing your symptoms as not being an important health issue.

Action Step #2: Stop the Conversation if You Keep Repeating Yourself
One sure sign that your doctor is not hearing you is if you have to keep repeating yourself, either to have your statements acknowledged or to correct your doctor. If you talk about the problems you have with urinary urgency, for instance, and your doctor persists in telling you that the issue is “nothing to worry about” or is “a normal sign of aging,” you need to stop the conversation. You might say something like, “Can you please summarize my situation as you understand it? I just want to be sure that we understand each other.” If your doctor does not address your problems or dismisses them, feel free to say, “I realize that this may not seem like a major health issue to you, but it is really affecting my quality of life. Could you please suggest some solutions for this problem, or is there another doctor with whom I could discuss my situation?” While it may seem difficult to contradict a healthcare professional, often times you have to be your own strongest health advocate. Since you have already worked up the courage to make and attend the appointment, you won’t lose anything by persisting until you are heard and get the help you need!

Action Step #3: Make Sure You Express Yourself Fully
If you find that your doctor keeps cutting you off or, even worse, ends the appointment before you have fully expressed your needs or gotten the information or help you need, stop the conversation. If your doctor keeps cutting you off, you may want to gently stop him or her and say, “I want to be sure that I am communicating clearly. Can we go back to the topic I was just discussing, my urinary urgency?” Many times your doctor’s lack of attention may have nothing to do with you or your health situation. Doctors, like all people, have good days and bad days. If you happen to interact with your doctor on a day he or she is very tired or unable to concentrate (for whatever reason), simply bring his or her attention gently back to your needs. Persist, persist, persist… if you do so gently and gracefully, chances are your doctor will bring his or her focus back to you.

If your doctor ends the appointment before you have gotten all the information or help that you need, raise the issue. Tell your doctor that you have further questions or need more information. Often your doctor will be happy to extend the appointment for a few minutes longer. If not, ask whether you could continue the conversation with a nurse or another provider. Some doctors are open to answering questions via email or phone after the appointment. If you have questions about medication your doctor has prescribed, you may be able to get your questions answered by the pharmacist. In short, ask for more options if you have not gotten what you need by the end of the appointment.

Be Strong for Yourself
While it may seem a bit silly that you would need to prepare yourself in the ways described above to get the help you need for your women’s urinary incontinence, the truth of the matter is that this is true in every area of life–be it healthcare or plumbing. While symptoms of urinary incontinence may make it more difficult to persist with your doctor until you get the help you need, you will find that the extra efforts you make in that direction will yield huge benefits. Not only will you get the help you need, but often you will gain more respect from your doctor. In any case, you will definitely increase your self-respect. So, as the Nike slogan goes, “Just do it!”

If you enjoyed this post, we invite you to check out our book, leave a comment, contact us, download our free ebook, or interact with us on Twitter and Facebook.

 

Surprising Causes of Stress Urinary Incontinence

Stress urinary incontinence, also called SUI, is the most common form of urinary incontinence. What is SUI? SUI is the leakage of urine anytime you put stress on your body, such as when you cough, sneeze, laugh, or exercise. Even standing up can cause leakage.

Specifically, this type of leakage occurs whenever your intra-abdominal pressure suddenly increases. SUI happens when the pelvic floor muscles that support the bladder and urethra are weak or because the urethral sphincter, which normally keeps urine from leaking, isn’t as strong as it should be.

Common Causes of SUI
If you have done any research into SUI, then you know that common causes of this form of women’s urinary incontinence include:

– weight gain
– childbirth
– smoking
– constipation
– aging

But what you may not know are the uncommon causes of SUI.

Uncommon Causes of SUI
Sometimes women are surprised by the appearance of SUI symptoms, especially if none of the above-mentioned risk factors apply. However, SUI symptoms can appear under certain unusual circumstances, including:

Timing
Because of hormonal changes, SUI symptoms may appear or worsen the week before your period. During this week, your estrogen levels are lowered, which can lead to decreased pressure around the urethra… possibly leading to leakage.

Pelvic Surgery
Many women are surprised when they develop SUI after a pelvic surgery such as a hysterectomy. Like childbirth, this type of pelvic surgery can weaken the pelvic muscles that support the bladder. The result is sometimes the occurrence of SUI.

Perimenopause or After Stopping HRT
While many women are aware that the onset of menopause can lead to SUI symptoms, what may be surprising is that these same symptoms can occur when a woman is perimenopausal, the transition period before menopause (when the  ovaries stop releasing eggs). During perimenopause, the body experiences a decline in estrogen, which can lead to decreased muscle support for the bladder and urethra. SUI symptoms may result.

The same thing can occur when women wean themselves off hormone replacement therapy because of a similar reduction of estrogen.

Don’t Be Surprised
Hopefully the above-listed uncommon causes of SUI will help you if you are surprised by the appearance of SUI symptoms. There are also other uncommon causes that are too many to list in the scope of this article.

Even though we can’t possibly list every possible cause of urinary incontinence, the good news is that you can (and should) always seek the advice of your favorite healthcare provider when you experience urine leakage. Urinary leakage is NOT normal, at any age, at any point in your life. If you experience urine leakage more than once, it’s time to call your doctor!

If you enjoyed this post, we invite you to check out our book, leave a comment, contact us, download our free ebook, or interact with us on Twitter and Facebook.

Is Your Urinary Urgency and Frequency Really a Health Problem?

If you have had urinary urgency or frequency all your life, does that mean that this is normal?

Good question. As you may have guessed, “normal” is difficult to define since different women have different bodies… and different schedules. So when it comes to urinary urgency or frequency, what may be ordinary for one woman may be extraordinary or troublesome to another woman.

Even so, there may be a difference between what is healthy for you, and what you consider “ordinary” when it comes to your urinary habits.

Healthy versus Ordinary
How often does a woman with good pelvic health need to urinate? Should a healthy woman ever experience urinary urgency?

While there are no hard and fast rules for what is healthy, we do have some “rules of thumb” that are good guidelines to follow. For urinary urgency and frequency, here are some guidelines to consider:

– While most of us have experienced not reaching the bathroom in time (such as when waiting in a long line at the ladies room after a few beers), regularly having to “run” for the bathroom is a sign of poor pelvic health.

– If you experience the urge to urinate eight or more times a day, or you need to urinate shortly after you have emptied your bladder, you should probably talk to your doctor.

– If you use any of the following strategies, your pelvic health may be at risk: immediately looking for bathrooms in any new locations, practicing defensive voiding (such as urinating before a movie “just in case”), limiting travel for fear of urinary urgency or leakage, fluid restriction, or waking up nightly to urinate.

If any of the above guidelines resonate with behaviors you practice in your life, chances are that you have some form of women’s urinary incontinence. The most likely culprits are overactive bladder (also called urge urinary incontinence when leakage occurs) or mixed urinary incontinence.

Normal Does Not Always Mean Healthy
In case you haven’t figured it out by now, what you may have experienced as “normal” urinary habits all of your life may not actually be healthy. For instance, if you have always needed to urinate 12 or so times a day then this is normal for you, but not necessarily healthy. This kind of urinary frequency may indicate that you have experienced poor pelvic health all your life. The same is true of urinary urgency–experiencing urgency on occasion is nothing to worry about, but having urinary urgency four or more times per month is not healthy.

If the guidelines mentioned above indicate that your urinary habits are not healthy–however normal they may be for you–we suggest you schedule an appointment with your healthcare practitioner to get a true medical diagnosis. If you do, in fact, have poor pelvic health resulting in urinary urgency or frequency, the earlier you diagnose and treat your condition the higher your likelihood of success. So don’t delay calling your doctor, just do it!

If you enjoyed this post, we invite you to check out our book, leave a comment, contact us, download our free ebook, or interact with us on Twitter and Facebook.

 

What to Do When Your Doctor Can’t or Won’t Help with Women’s Urinary Incontinence

We recently received a comment on our blog from a wonderfully courageous and honest woman about the often embarrassing and humiliating experience of seeking medical help for urinary urgency, leakage, or frequency–in a word, urinary incontinence. If you read our blog regularly, then you know that we are big advocates of women getting an accurate diagnosis and help from a qualified medical professional for urinary incontinence.

What If Your Doctor Can’t Help You?
But sometimes seeking help from a doctor doesn’t always work out the way we think it will. While we would all like to think that our doctor has a sympathetic bedside manner, is chock-full of solutions, and can “fix” our problems right away, sometimes that doesn’t happen. As the woman points out in her comment on the blog, even if you build up the courage to seek help from your doctor, there can be two negative outcomes from this kind of encounter with your doctor:

1. Your doctor does not feel you have a medical problem, and hence offers no medical diagnosis and no solutions.
2. Your doctor gives you a specific diagnosis of urinary incontinence, but has no solutions to offer.

Now those are definite show-stoppers. What do you do now? You’ve spent all that time and energy working up the courage to talk to your doctor… and the results are definitely less-than-satisfying, if not downright depressing!

What to Do Next…
If either of the above options happens when you seek help from your doctor for symptoms like urinary urgency, leakage, or frequency, don’t despair (or, don’t spend more than five minutes having a pity party!). You have multiple options, and will need to choose the one or ones that best fit your situation.

One additional factor noted in the blog comment is that women who experience either of the above mentioned outcomes from their doctor tend to be highly disappointed, and also much less likely to seek a second opinion. They have, as it were, used up their reservoir of courage, and don’t have any more to spare.

However, there are actions that you can take, even if you feel like you have no more courage to seek help from additional sources. Here are three options that we know work for women after a “failed” encounter with a doctor.

1. Ask for a Referral Before You Leave
If you don’t get the answers or solutions for women’s urinary incontinence you seek while sitting in your doctor’s office, you can and should take action before you leave the office. Chances are that you have seen your family doctor or general practitioner, who may not have the resources or experience to properly diagnose your condition or offer you appropriate therapies. What your family doctor can do for you is give you a referral to a urologist, gynecologist, or other specialist who is more likely to be able to help you. After all, a urologist is more likely to know how to help you with urinary incontinence than your family doctor.

2. Get an Appointment Before You Leave
With most referral systems these days, the office of the referred doctor will likely call you rather than requiring you to call them. This means that you do not need to gather up the courage to make another appointment–the referral system will likely take care of that for you. You can even ask your doctor if this is how your healthcare network’s system works. If not–or regardless of how the system works–you can ask your doctor if his or her staff can call the urologist’s office–right then and there–and make the appointment for you. Most doctors are more than happy to accommodate. This simplifies your life and helps you avoid the embarrassment of making another appointment.

3. Get the Pertinent Medical Records
While you are still at the doctor’s office, you can take one further step to reduce embarrassment and simplify your life. Ask your doctor to print out the medical record of that day’s visit, plus any other relevant medical history. Bring that record with you to your appointment with the urologist to avoid repeating yourself to the urologist. Some doctor’s offices can also simply forward the records to the specialist’s office. However, we recommend getting a copy for your own records, just in case the records fail to get forwarded in time for your next appointment.

How to Prevent Negative Outcomes
If you have not yet seen your family doctor for help with your urinary incontinence, you can take some steps to prepare for your appointment and, quite possibly, avoid the negative outcomes described previously.

1. Keep a Bladder Diary
A bladder diary is just how it sounds. It is a record of your bladder behavior and habits. You record when and how often your urinate, how much you urinate, how often you experience urge without leakage, how often you have leakage accidents, and so forth. For more information on how to keep a bladder diary, click HERE.

We recommend keeping a bladder diary for a minimum of a week. You may be surprised at how often you have to urinate, or how many lifestyle factors can trigger your urinary incontinence. Once you have a week’s worth of data in a bladder diary, you are ready to visit your family practitioner. The bladder diary will “do all the talking” for you, and let your doctor know immediately whether you have bladder issues or not. In addition, we recommend that you do some research on your own to determine what is and is not “normal” when it comes to urinary habits. Our book, A Woman’s Guide to Pelvic Health, contains a lot of data on the three types of urinary incontinence–including what is normal. Armed with this knowledge, you can confidently speak with your doctor about your condition and insist on getting the help you need, even if that means getting a referral.

2. Call Your Family Doctor for a Referral
Depending on the kind of relationship you have with your family practitioner, you may possibly be able to avoid the embarrassment of having two conversations about your urinary incontinence: one with your family doctor and the other with a specialist. If you have a close and trusting relationship with your family practitioner, you may be able to simply call that doctor’s office and get a referral to a specialist. If you are able to do so, we still recommend that you educate yourself about your condition and keep a bladder diary prior to seeing the specialist. Both will help you get the answers and solutions you need for your urinary incontinence.

3. Ask a Friend for a Referral
If you know of friends who have seen doctors who have been helpful and sympathetic about urinary incontinence, ask those friends for the names of those doctors. Then make an appointment. If you are too “wiped out” after a negative first encounter with a doctor, ask your friend to help you make an appointment. Sometimes just having a friend standing next to you can give you the courage and support you need. You can go one step further and ask your friend to accompany you on your visit. If your friend has already been through the process of diagnosing and treating urinary incontinence, she will know the questions to ask as well as the answers you need to have ready for your doctor. Sometimes a good buddy is the best medicine!

A Little Preparation Goes a Long Way
As you can see, being prepared for appointments with medical professionals can help you make the most out of each encounter. Whether you have already seen your family doctor or not, you can take steps to get the solutions you need from any healthcare professional. Hopefully the tips in this article will be helpful and supportive to women who desperately want to get help for their urinary incontinence, but for some reason have not been able to obtain that help!
If you enjoyed this post, we invite you to check out our book, leave a comment, contact us, download our free ebook, or interact with us on Twitter and Facebook.

 

Overactive Bladder: Risk Factors versus Triggers

If you are a woman suffering from urinary urgency, frequency, or leakage, then chances are that you have considered the fact that you may have overactive bladder, or OAB. You may have done some research to educate yourself about your condition, and learn about possible solutions. You may have even seen your doctor to get an accurate medical diagnosis.

And, if you are like many women, you may still be confused. Specifically, you may be confused about the difference between risk factors and triggers for OAB. If so, don’t worry. Many women with urinary incontinence are unclear about these two terms, so you are not alone. The good news is that this kind of confusion is simple to clear up!

Risk Factors for Overactive Bladder
In a previous article  we discussed the risk factors for OAB. When we use the term “risk factors,” we are describing the constant or chronic factors in your life that may be causing your urinary urgency, frequency, or leakage.

Being overweight is an example of a lifestyle factor that puts you a risk for OAB. Another example of a risk factor is having a low level of estrogen, which is a chronic condition that can cause bladder irritability, leading to OAB symptoms.

In other words, risk factors are the constant conditions in your life that cause or put you at risk for OAB symptoms. When you adjust your lifestyle in a permanent way–by losing weight or stopping smoking, for instance–you reduce your risk of experiencing symptoms like urinary urgency and frequency. By removing the causes of OAB from your lifestyle, you reduce your chances of getting or having this condition.

Triggers for Overactive Bladder
Unlike risk factors, triggers do not refer to constant lifestyle conditions. Instead, triggers are momentary events that may immediately bring on symptoms such as urinary urgency or leakage.

For instance, some women with OAB may feel the urge to urinate when they hear the sound of running water. Other women have symptoms triggered by drinking caffeinated beverages or eating spicy foods. Additional triggers include immersion in cold water, sudden changes in position, or drinking small amounts of liquid.

One lifestyle risk factor that is also a trigger for OAB is smoking. As a lifestyle habit, smoking increases your risk of having OAB because nicotine causes your bladder to be constantly irritated. At the same time, whenever you smoke a cigarette, you can trigger your OAB symptoms in that moment. This makes smoking both a risk factor and a trigger for OAB. Hence, some women become confused about the difference between risk factors and triggers.

For the most part, however, triggers can bring on OAB symptoms in the moment, while risk factors are constants in your life that increase your chances of having OAB as a permanent condition (permanent, that is, until you change your lifestyle and reduce your risk).

Hopefully this short article helps clear up any confusion about the difference between risk factors and triggers for women’s urinary incontinence, of which OAB is just one of three types!

If you enjoyed this post, we invite you to check out our book, leave a comment, contact us, download our free ebook, or interact with us on Twitter and Facebook.

Got Questions About Urinary Urgency, Frequency, or Leakage? We’ve Got Answers

If you are a woman with symptoms of urinary urgency, frequency, or leakage, then you have women’s urinary incontinence. Chances are that you also have questions about your symptoms… and how to alleviate those symptoms.

Why is it that women with urinary incontinence have so many questions? Because at least 50% of women with urinary incontinence never seek medical help. Chances are strong that those women have questions.

Whether or not you have sought medical help for your condition (and we strongly suggest that you do), if you have questions about your urinary incontinence, we have discreet online resources for you… and answers to your questions!

Online Resources and Answers for Women’s Urinary Incontinence
Knowledge is power, and we applaud all women who want to learn more about their urinary incontinence symptoms. While your healthcare provider can be one of your best allies and sources of information, you can also learn a great deal about your condition by reading and watching online resources. Here are some great discreet online resources on women’s urinary incontinence:

Online Resource for Women’s Urinary Incontinence
Downloadable Ebook
Educational Blog
YouTube Channel

Specific Answers for Specific Questions
If you don’t find the answers you seek about your urinary urgency, leakage, or frequency, feel free to ask us. We have years of experience helping women cope with and alleviate their symptoms of urinary incontinence, and we love to help. If you have questions, feel free to ask via our online social media forums. We check these forums regularly, and answer questions:

Facebook
Twitter

If you are a woman who has successfully alleviated symptoms of urinary incontinence, we invite you to visit these forums and share your knowledge and wisdom! There are thousands of women who can and will benefit from your experience… so please do share!

If you enjoyed this post, we invite you to check out our book, leave a comment, contact us, download our free ebook, or interact with us on Twitter and Facebook.

 

Got Urinary Urgency or Leakage? The Value of a Second Opinion

If you are a woman suffering from urinary urgency, leakage, or frequency–in other words, urinary incontinence of some form–then you know that it can be embarrassing to discuss your condition with your doctor.

Whether you have actually been to see a doctor about your condition or not, you know about the embarrassment factor, either actual or anticipated. You know about it as a patient. We know about the embarrassment factor from the other side of the exam table, as it were. In our practices, we see women all the time who have mustered up the courage to come see us, to tell us about their urinary incontinence, and to ask for help. We have seen the embarrassment first hand… and we do everything in our power to help these women overcome that feeling.

We are gentle when asking the woman about her symptoms, and we try to allow the woman to talk about her situation at her own pace, and in her own way. We try to be as sympathetic and empathetic as possible, especially since we have suffered from urinary urgency, leakage, and frequency ourselves!

Does that mean that we are the ideal and perfect healthcare practitioner for every woman who comes to see us? No. As much as we attempt to be patient-centered in our approach, sometimes we just do not achieve the perfect fit. Either our patient does not feel she is getting what she needs from us, or we do not feel we can help the woman with the tools we have in our repertoire.

What then?

The Value of a Second Opinion (or Third)
At the point that we realize that we have not achieved a good fit with our patient, we suggest the patient seek a second opinion, or even a third opinion.

Since talking about symptoms like urinary urgency and leakage is embarrassing enough the first time around, we realize that asking the patient to seek a second opinion is asking them to risk embarrassment yet again. At the same time, we know that women’s urinary incontinence is a health condition that often requires the affected woman to be persistent in her journey to find the right solutions for her condition.

Every woman affected by urinary incontinence is different in terms of which solutions will be effective. For some, the immediate solution offered by surgery (should surgery be recommended) is appealing. For others, the use of medication combined with dietary changes seems right. Still others find the side effects of medication to be intolerable, and prefer to try a pelvic floor muscle exercise program combined with other forms of exercise for weight loss.

The point is this: if you are affected by women’s urinary incontinence, your fastest route to cure is to find a healthcare practitioner with whom you can explore and find your perfect solutions. Your healthcare practitioner needs to be a good match for your preferences (conservative therapies versus surgery, for instance) and your willingness to explore options until you find the ones that work for your symptoms.

If finding the “right” practitioner for you means risking the embarrassment of telling your story to more than one doctor, then so be it. Believe us when we say that having a healthcare practitioner who is truly your ally is worth the potential embarrassment of seeking a second–or even third–opinion.

Remember, too, that you don’t have to limit your search for solutions to medical doctors. While we definitely suggest that you get a correct medical diagnosis from a medical doctor first, from there do not be afraid to expand your search for a healthcare provider to physical therapists, urologists, gynecologists, Pilates instructors specializing in women’s pelvic health, and more. Go where your need and your symptoms take you.

If you don’t yet feel comfortable reaching out for that second or third opinion, but prefer to educate yourself on your condition, consider reading our guide to women’s pelvic health, “A Woman’s Guide to Pelvic Health”.

This guide includes not only a pelvic health self-assessment, but also a complete at-home pelvic floor rehabilitation program. Best of all, you can educate yourself with this book in the privacy of your own home, avoiding the embarrassment factor altogether!

If you enjoyed this post, we invite you to check out our book, leave a comment, contact us, download our free ebook, or interact with us on Twitter and Facebook.

 

Frustrated with Kegels? Troubleshoot This Great Exercise with These Videos

When it comes to how to do a Kegel, many women are frustrated and ready to throw in the towel! If you feel this way about pelvic floor muscle exercises, don’t give up yet. The fact of the matter is that Kegels and other forms of pelvic floor muscle exercises are effective for alleviating symptoms of women’s urinary incontinence, pelvic organ prolapse, and decreased sexual sensation.

So what’s the problem? The problem is that 50% of women cannot perform a correct pelvic floor muscle contraction relying on written instructions alone. Yikes! No  wonder trying to learn how to do a Kegel can be frustrating!

But, don’t despair! If you fall into that category of women who doesn’t “get” the Kegel immediately by reading a set of instructions, you can probably troubleshoot this exercise by watching! Here are a series of videos that may help you with Kegels and other pelvic floor muscle exercises:

Troubleshooting the Kegel Video
http://bit.ly/Xi1nW9

Getting Help from a Physical Therapist Video
http://bit.ly/XHvLLX

Kegel Tips for Athletes Video
http://bit.ly/X6gOFf

Getting into the Kegel Habit Video
http://bit.ly/YUYG1j

In addition, you can also troubleshoot your pelvic floor muscle contractions by following the step-by-step troubleshooting instructions in our free downloadable ebook. Just go HERE.

Most of all … don’t give up! There is hope. Studies show the pelvic floor muscles exercises are effective for women who persevere and learn to do these exercises correctly. That means you!

If you enjoyed this post, we invite you to check out our book, leave a comment, contact us, download our free ebook, or interact with us on Twitter and Facebook.

 

Women’s Urinary Incontinence: How to Cope with Medication Side Effects

Medication is one of the foremost conservative therapies for treating women’s urinary incontinence, and yet the number of women who will actually take–and keep taking–medication for their urinary incontinence is shockingly low. Many women will start on medication but fail to continue taking it.

This is surprising since medication has been shown to be an effective form of therapy for women’s urinary incontinence. For instance, in cases of urinary urgency, antimuscarinic medication is effective in reducing wetting accidents by about two-thirds. That is quite a high rate of success for a conservative therapy!

So why don’t more women keep taking medication for their urinary incontinence? Two reasons: lack of initial effectiveness and side effects.

Why Medication Doesn’t Always “Work” for Women’s Urinary  Incontinence
The first and most immediate reason women fail to keep taking medication for their urinary incontinence is because they feel that the medication “doesn’t work.” It turns out that these women are somewhat justified in their feelings. For most women with urinary incontinence, medication can often significantly improve symptoms, but most often will not completely “cure” urinary leakage. Most women will experience a significant reduction of urinary leakage accidents, but only when the appropriate medication is taken.

If you have decided to work with your doctor to find a medication to alleviate your urinary incontinence symptoms, know that the first–or even second–type of medication you try may not prove immediately effective. You and your doctor may need to experiment with a number of different medications before you find one that produces noticeable reductions in your urinary leakage and urinary urgency symptoms. Knowing this ahead of time will allow you to be patient during the “trial and error” process.

In addition, since medication alone does not usually produce a strong enough effect, you may work with your doctor to create a customized conservative therapy plan that combines a number of types of therapy. For instance, many women find success in combining medication with weight loss, pelvic floor retraining, bladder retraining, and/or diet modification. Be patient … and persevere!

Coping with the Side Effects of Medication for Women’s Urinary Incontinence
The second reason that women stop taking medications for urinary incontinence, even if the medications prove effective, is because the side effects outweigh the benefits. The most common side effects from medications prescribed for women’s urinary incontinence include:

  • dry mouth
  • drowsiness
  • skin irritation from gels or patches

Dry mouth is the most common side effect from these medications. Fortunately, with a little planning you can alleviate this side effect. Try sucking on sugar free candies, rinsing your mouth, chewing sugar-free gum, or taking small sips of water to lessen the feeling of dryness. You can also try spraying your mouth with over-the-counter forms of “artificial saliva.” Do not drink a large amount of water, as this may worsen your urinary incontinence symptoms.

With medications that cause drowsiness, try taking your medication dose at night. The medication will help you sleep, and may actually decrease nighttime urinary urgency (nocturia). If you experience skin irritation with patches and gels, try changing the location where the patch or gel is applied. If all else fails, change to the oral form of the medication.

By knowing and planning for the side effects of medication, you can actually prevent most side effects–or at least alleviate them enough so that the medication can be effective without becoming an irritant. As always, work with your doctor. Don’t be afraid to raise the issue of side effects, ask questions about prescribed medications, or ask for a different medication if your current medication isn’t working as well as you would like. Your doctor can’t help you unless he or she knows what is working for you and what isn’t. Be your own best health advocate and keep working with conservative therapies until you find a “recipe” that is right for you and your urinary incontinence symptoms!

If you enjoyed this post, we invite you to check out our book, leave a comment, contact us, download our free ebook, or interact with us on Twitter and Facebook.