Stress Incontinence

 

Coughing, Laughing, or Sneezing Cause You to Leak Urine?

 

Millions of women experience involuntary loss of urine called urinary incontinence (UI). If coughing, laughing, sneezing, or other movements that put pressure on the bladder cause you to leak urine, you may have stress incontinence. Physical changes resulting from pregnancy, childbirth, and menopause often cause stress incontinence. This type of incontinence is common in women and, in many cases, can be treated.

 

Childbirth and other events can injure the scaffolding that helps support the bladder in women. Pelvic floor muscles, the vagina, and ligaments support your bladder. If these structures weaken, your bladder can move downward, pushing slightly out of the bottom of the pelvis toward the vagina. This prevents muscles that ordinarily force the urethra shut from squeezing as tightly as they should. As a result, urine can leak into the urethra during moments of physical stress. Stress incontinence also occurs if the squeezing muscles weaken.

 

Older women experience UI more often than younger women. But incontinence is not inevitable with age. UI is a medical problem. The physicians at Boardwalk OB/GYN can help you find a solution. No single treatment works for everyone, but many women can find improvement without surgery.