Unfortunately, ladies, it is true-sad, but true.
Women experience urinary incontinence two times more often than men … and that’s because women go through all kinds of life experiences that men never do.
Women’s Urinary Incontinence and Life Experiences
What experiences do women have that men never do? Here’s a list:
– pregnancy
– childbirth
– menopause
– the structure of the female urinary tract
Pregnancy and Childbirth
Pregnancy and childbirth are “no brainers” when it comes to causing women’s urinary incontinence. Both of these events, though joyous, can stretch and strain muscles, tendons, and ligaments “down there.” The result is a weakened pelvic floor, and an increased chance of urine leakage.
Menopause
Menopause, another life experience unique to women, brings about many hormonal changes that can lead to urinary incontinence. For instance, at the onset of menopause, estrogen levels in a woman’s body tend to drop. Estrogen is important for keeping the bladder strong, maintaining the health of the urinary tract lining, and keeping the vaginal wall thick. When the levels of estrogen drop, all of these organs suffer, and the result is often urinary incontinence.
The Structure of the Female Urinary Tract
Finally, as if pregnancy, childbirth, and menopause were not enough to deal with, women are also endowed with a urinary tract that is anatomically more likely to leak urine. It turns out that men have a longer urethra, and their entire anatomy for handling urine is much better for preventing urine leakage. Says Jean Fourcroy, MD, a Washington D.C. urologist, a consultant to Walter Reed Army Hospital, and former Food and Drug Administration medical examiner, “[Men are] in an anatomically better position to control [urine] until they get to the bathroom.”
How Can Women Beat the Odds?
While it is true that women are twice as likely to suffer from urinary incontinence, for all the reasons listed above, there is no reason to allow yourself to become just another statistic. Instead, take action now to beat the odds. Whether or not you currently have urinary incontinence, now is the time to begin strengthening your pelvic floor muscles to prevent and/or decrease urine leakage.
Don’t know how? Our handy dandy step-by-step ebook will walk you through not only how to test the strength of your pelvic floor muscles, but also how to do correct Kegels to strengthen your muscles “down there.”
The ebook is free and knowledge is power, so what are you waiting for?
Download the ebook “What’s Up Down There?” here
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