Have you dealt with urinary incontinence, and feel too embarrassed to ask for help? You're not alone.
A story on the Baltimore Sun web site today says that many of the millions
of women who suffer from incontinence share your thinking, are embarrassed to talk about their symptoms with their doctors, or think that not much can be done about it (even though it can be treated in most cases). The reporter interviewed Dr. Warren T. Oberle, a urologist with the Urology Specialists of Maryland at Mercy Hospital.
Oberle discusses the two kinds of incontinence: urgency incontinence and stress incontinence. The first is simply when you don't make it to the restroom in enough time. The latter is when coughing, laughing or other movements can cause a small amount of urine to leak. Stress incontinence is often related to age or child-bearing, anything that causes the pelvic muscles to weaken.
From the story:
"Who is at risk for incontinence?
"All women, and sometimes there is no clear reason why they might be incontinent, especially with urgency. With stress incontinence, age and childbirth are the contributors, but urgency incontinence can happen to women of all ages. Estimates of how many women suffer from urgency incontinence have ranged from 12 percent to up to a third of women, but nobody really knows."
For more of the interview, go to the Sun's story:
http://www.baltimoresun.com/entertainment/bal-to.hs.expert15dec15,0,7064345.story
Do you have instances of urinary incontinence? Are you hesitant to talk about it to your doctor?