Silver Cross Center for Women’s Health Hosts Free Female Incontinence Program

Urinary incontinence is when you are not able to keep urine from leaking from your urethra, the tube that carries urine out of your body from your bladder. Every day, women are living in shame and fear of their next urge because they don’t understand why this is happening.

“Urinary incontinence isn’t a disease, it’s a symptom,” says Frankfort native Dr. Nicole Gress, obstetrics and gynecology physician on staff at Silver Cross Hospital. “It can be produced by everyday habits, underlying medical conditions or physical problems.”

Although urinary incontinence is possible at any age, it often starts between 30 and 50. By menopause, many women have some degree of incontinence. Common forms of incontinence include:

• Stress incontinence — the most common form — arises when urinary muscles that support the bladder become weak from pregnancy, childbirth, too much weight, or loss of estrogen at menopause, which causes weakening of the support structures. Dribbling may take place during laughing, sneezing, coughing, jogging, lifting a child, or other acts that stress the abdomen.
• Urge incontinence — also called overactive bladder — is the sudden, overwhelming urge to urinate several times day and night because the muscle that controls urination contracts abnormally when the bladder is filling. Leakage may occur while attempting to get to the bathroom. 
• Overflow incontinence — or a constant dripping of urine, occurs when small amounts of urine leak from a full bladder. This kind of incontinence affects men more than women, because an enlarged prostate can block the urethra.
• Functional incontinence — happens to older people, or those with other problems that prevent them from getting to the bathroom in time. Arthritis, for instance, can make it difficult to move quickly.

If you're embarrassed about having a bladder control problem, you may try to cope on your own by wearing absorbent pads, carrying extra clothes, or avoiding going out. You may even cut back on drinking liquids and risk dehydration to avoid wetting episodes. But there are better ways to manage urinary incontinence through effective treatments. 

“Treatment for urinary incontinence depends on the type of incontinence, the severity of your problem and the underlying cause,” says Gress. “A combination of treatments is usually recommended, starting with the least invasive options such as physical therapy.” The Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago at Silver Cross provides pelvic floor rehabilitation. Patients meet with therapists who have specialized training in pelvic-floor muscle disorders and develop a personalized treatment plan tailored to each woman’s needs.

“This is something you don’t have to live with, there are many options to help,” says Valerie Paluszak, physical therapist and pelvic therapy specialist with the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago at Silver Cross.

To register for a free program on female incontinence, visit www.imatter.silvercross.org or call 1-888-660-4325.