Good news for women with urinary incontinence: the Agency of Healthcare Research and Policy reports that eight out of ten cases of urinary incontinence can be improved, plus there are many conservative and surgical approaches available for treating this condition.
With all that good news, doctors are saying that there remains one giant hurdle for treating women’s urinary incontinence:
Getting the word out so that women will seek help.
Women Don’t Seek Help for Urinary Incontinence
The truth of the matter is that there are twice as many women who suffer from urinary incontinence as there are women who actually seek help. Many who do seek help wait an average of almost 7 years before doing so. The top two reasons women give for not seeking help are:
“I’m too embarrassed to talk about it.”
“It’s not enough of a problem. I don’t need help.”
While these could be considered valid reasons for not seeking help, those women who don’t seek help might also want to consider these factors:
- Life is stressful enough without having to deal with urine leakage.
- The earlier urinary incontinence is treated, the more successful the therapy.
- Early treatment often means that conservative (non-surgical) methods will be successful.
- Women are twice as prone to some forms of urinary incontinence (such as stress incontinence) than men. That gives women twice the reason to seek help.
Are those enough reasons to seek help? We hope so. There is a wealth of help out there for women suffering from urinary incontinence. You just have to ask. Need help with the words? Here are some ways to get you the help you need:
What Questions Will Your Doctor Ask?
3 Steps to Prepare for Your Doctor’s Appointment
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