Home Urinary Incontinence

Urinary Incontinence

Thursday, 20th July 2023

Urinary incontinence, although not normal, is very common. As many as 1 in 3 women experience some form of incontinence in Australia. This is regardless of age, background or whether a woman has been pregnant or birthed vaginally. This is not something that you have to put up with. Working with your Women’s Health Coach can help you determine how best to manage your incontinence.

There are 2 main types of incontinence; Stress Urinary Incontinence and Urge Urinary Incontinence. These are each discussed below.

Stress Urinary Incontinence

Stress urinary incontinence, SUI, is when there is an involuntary loss of urine on effort or physical exertion and can occur when:

Coughing
Sneezing
Running
Laughing
Jumping
Squatting
Lifting weights

Causes of Stress Urinary Incontinence

SUI can be caused by multiple factors. It can occur in female athletes who have had prolonged strain on their pelvic floor by their sport over a long period of time including weight lifting, gymnastics or running. This is not limited to just high impact sports, it can also affect women who do lower impact sports such as swimming.

SUI can also become more prevalent after child birth and pregnancy due to the weight of a baby on the pelvic floor and then the stretch of the pelvic floor during birth. This can put strain on these structures resulting in them not working as effectively.

Hormonal changes over the lifespan can also result in SUI. Oestrogen is one of the main female hormones. As a woman goes into perimenopause, their oestrogen levels begin to drop. Oestrogen plays an important role in maintaining the thickness of the urethral lining which helps to create a good seal. If there is less oestrogen, then it may result in a poor seal and contribute to leaking.

Urge Urinary Incontinence

Urge urinary incontinence, UUI, differs from SUI. As the bladder fills with urine it stretches which alerts your brain that it is getting fuller and you may need to go to the toilet soon. The bladder will keep filling and stretching with urine until it is a convenient time to go to the toilet.

Some people experience a strong urge to urinate when the bladder isn’t actually full. This can occur when your brain and bladder aren’t communicating well. When your bladder stretches it fills with urine and it will send a message to your brain that it is time to go to the toilet. If it is not a convenient time ie. you are in a work meeting or driving, your brain will tell your bladder that now is not a good time. This is a continuous loop known as the micturition reflex shown in the diagram.

Causes of Urge Urinary Incontinence

There are a number of factors that can lead to UUI one being poor bladder and bowel habits over your lifetime. The habit of going ‘just in case’ can confuse the message from your bladder and brain. Poor toileting habits including straining on the toilet and chronic constipation can also affect this. Stress as well as bladder irritants (coffee, tea, fizzy drinks and alcohol) can make this worse.

Treatment

As there are many different causes and reasons why someone may develop either SUI or UUI, your Women’s Health Coach will perform a thorough assessment to come up with a personalised plan for you. This may involve education, pelvic floor strengthening and/or relaxation exercises, and improving your bladder and bowel habits.

Our Women’s Health Coaches are passionate about ensuring your symptoms do not stop you doing anything that is important to you. If you have more questions, please call PEAK to book an appointment.