If you are socialising with three women friends then the chances are that at least one of you experiences bladder weakness – stress incontinence – when urine leaks involuntarily on coughing, sneezing, laughing or exercising.
There are three main reasons for this:
- weakened pelvic floor muscles due to childbirth or being overweight;
- menopause – the reduction of oestrogen affects the abdominal and bladder muscles;
- infection – certain drugs, nerve damage or constipation;
resulting in:
- stress – unexpected leakage;
- urge – sudden urge to pass urine which cannot be restrained;
- overflow – when the bladder does not empty completely, urine builds up and may drip out;
- mixture – it’s quite common to have more than one of the above.
What you can do
- Make sure you empty your bladder completely. There’s a tendency for women to lean forwards while urinating, when to empty the bladder you should lean backwards.
- If you think you have an infection – have a test and get it treated.
- Wear a pad - there is a huge range of these - while you are sorting out the problem.
- Work on your pelvic floor muscles.
Understanding stress, urge, and overflow incontinence is an essential step toward identifying the most suitable approach to managing symptoms.
The NHS website has a video and details on how to perform pelvic floor exercises here.
