What is Incontinence

Urinary incontinence is defined as bothersome urinary leakage causing a social or hygiene problem. It is a common condition which can cause distress through embarrassment and if not properly managed may affect your quality of life.

As with most medical problems the severity of incontinence can range from a small leakage of urine to more severe cases requiring the constant wearing of pads.

There is no one cause of incontinence and some are easily corrected, others may require surgery.

This site is not designed to replace proper consultation with your doctor but gives backround information to help you better understand the subject of incontinence.

Incontinence : Basic Questions

Incontinence is most common amongst the female population, especially those who have given birth but it can also affect men and women without children.Incontinence is estimated to affect around 3 million women in Britain.

Most people associate incontinence with bladder leakage but there are other symptons. You may notice that you have to pass urine more often than usual, or it maybe painful to pass urine, which is also called dysuria.

It is also possible to suffer an urgency problem where is experience a sudden and uncontrollable desire to pass urine.

The problems above are all symptoms of cystitis, an inflamation of the bladder. You may also experience the need to get up during the night more often than you would like to pass urine or have difficulty emptying your bladder, where you have the sensation of wanting to pass urine but are unable to do so on demand.

Incontinence : Seek Advice Early

People can be embarrassed by the subject of incontinence and statistics show the average time before a person seeks medical help for incontinence is five years.

After having chldren or as one gets a little older there can be an attitude of resignation about incontinence, that it is inevitable.

However you should bereassured that there is a great deal of help available from your GP, specialist incontinence clinic and local continence advisors who work in the community.

Treatment options are varied and range from simple changes in lifestyle to surgery. The important point is not to delay treatment and enjoy life.

Feature Article

At pedneault we not only sell products designed for those suffering from incontinence, we also try to outine some points and information you may find useful. This information should always be checked with your doctor.

Why does incontinence mostly affect women.

Pregnancy is a part of most womens lives and the changes that the body goes through during pregnancy can be the cause of incontinence. During pregnancy the volume of urine produced by the kidneys increases, which results in an increase in the frequency of passing urine.

As the pregnancy develops and the uterus enlarges, increased pressure on the bladder leads to a need to pass urine more frequently. In about 33% of pregnancies this increased pressure leads to leakage. This type of incontinence does not usually continue after childbirth.

Pregnancy can also lead to damage to the nerves controlling themuscles in the pelvis. In some cases the damage does not heal and can lead to more prelonged incontinence.

During some pregnancies the bladdermay not empty as well as normal which may reduce the natural barriers to bacteria which can lead to increased occurance of urinary tract infections.

Pregnancy is only one reason why women may suffer from incontinence. Childbirth and breastfeeding may also be a contributing factor in causing incontinence.

Childbirth can damage the muscles and supporting structures in the pelvis.During a normal delivery there is stretching of the side walls of the vagina and of the muscles of the pelvic floor. These muscles and tissues may not recover completly and this can cause loss of support for the uterus and the baldder neck.
As the baby descends through the birth canal, damage may be caused to the pudendal nerve, which controls the muscles of the pelvic floor and runs around the edge of the birth canal, and this may lead to incontinence.
As well as been healthy for the baby breast feeding delays return to normal functioning of the ovaries leading to a reduced amout of oestrogen in the body. This reduction in the level of oestrogen may mean that it takes longer for the pelvis to recover from any damage as the tissues in the pelvis are oetrogen sensitive.

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