If you’re a mother who packs extra panties and/or checks the location of public bathrooms each time you head out of the house, Montgomery County gynecologist Dr. Rania Ibrahim wants you to know that you are not alone. Many women suffering from stress urinary incontinence keep their condition to themselves.
Instead of seeking help, many women will cross their legs before coughing or sneezing and decline any invitation to engage in certain physical activities with their children that may require jumping or running.
Some estimates report that as many as one in three women have ongoing problems with their pelvic floor muscles and incontinence after giving birth to their first baby. And yet, despite this condition being so incredibly common, many of the women suffer in silence or, if they do seek help, they struggle to get the treatment they need.
But stress urinary incontinence (SUI), is not to be confused with urge incontinence, or overactive bladder, in which women have a sudden desire to pass urine and may leak before reaching the bathroom – thought to be the result of the bladder sending the wrong messages to the brain.
According to your Montgomery County gynecologist, SUI results when the pressure in the bladder wall becomes too great for the urethra to tolerate. It is usually caused by weak pelvic floor muscles, which wrap around the bottom of the bladder and rectum, supporting these structures.
It should never be considered normal to spend the rest of your life wetting yourself. Nearly 70 percent of women report some degree of urinary incontinence during pregnancy. And, following pregnancy, nearly 40 percent of women experience continuing problems. Even more surprising – a staggering 75 percent of those with problems never seek help for this treatable condition, while half of them never even spoke about it.
Thankfully, it’s never too late to correct this condition. For a start, a 10 percent weight loss in women who are overweight results in a 50 percent improvement in symptoms.
If you are suffering from stress urinary incontinence, Montgomery County gynecologist Dr. Rania Ibrahim urges you to call her office today to schedule a confidential consultation. Don’t suffer in silence…help is here!