Female Incontinence Overview

Female incontinence (FI) or urinary incontinence is a condition of body in which the affected person feels unintentional loss of urine. Female incontinence is generally prompted by physical movements like coughing, lifting heavy weights, laughing, etc. Stress incontinence is found in men also but it is more common among women and, hence, it is known as female incontinence also.

Rough estimates suggest that women get affected twice as often as men from FI. The causative factors among women are pregnancy, childbirth, menopause and the structure itself of a female urinary tract organ. Generally, older women are more affected than younger women, but it can affect younger women also on account of neurological injury, birth defects, stroke, and multiple sclerosis.

FI affects the quality of life of a women as they feel embarrassed about it and cannot freely participate in many social activities and outings. FI can be quite debilitating or can be quite bothersome, but the good news is that medical treatment is available for this condition.

The symptoms of FI include involuntary urine leakage while coughing, sneezing, laughing or doing any heavy work. You may not experience the leakage every time while doing these activities but leakage can happen when the bladder is full.

The major cause of FI among women is childbirth and the other causes which precipitate FI are urinary tract infection; obesity; diseases which cause constant coughing and sneezing like TB; sometimes sports like tennis; smoking; intake of caffeine in excess amounts, etc.

A basic diagnosis of the disease include physical examination of the abdominal and genital areas, a brief of medical history, a urine test for infection or other abnormalities, a neurological examination and a urinary stress test. Through this test the doctor observes urine loss at the time of coughing or bearing down. In serious cases there are some advanced techniques also for diagnosis of the disease like measurements of postvoide residual urine, measurement of bladder pressure, etc.

There are three ways to overcome the problem: behavioral therapy, devices and surgeries. If there is some underlying medical problem also, like urinary tract infection, then the doctor treats that also simultaneously. Under behavioral therapy, the doctor takes care of your fluid consumption, schedules your toilet trips, helps you in acquiring a healthy life style, like losing weight or quitting smoking habits, and tells you about the pelvic floor exercises.

Certain devices like vaginal pressary can help women control their urine. Finally, surgeries is undertaken when these measures fail. During surgery, the muscles responsible for FI are treated. A right combination of healthy lifestyle, exercises like kegel exercises, and proper medical care can help you control female incontinence. Seeking support from your family, and especially your partner, can help you go a long way and keep feelings of depression and loneliness at bay.

You can also join a support organization or can seek information and resources from organizations like National Association for Continence. These organizations provide you information about the disease and also about the people who suffer from incontinence. These support groups offer a venue for sharing concerns and help you motivate yourself to maintain your morale high throughout the problem.