How often have you coughed or laughed too hard, and experienced a urinary leakage, but were too embarrassed to tell anyone? Well, you're not alone!
In the United States alone, it is estimated that there are about 10 - 20 million women suffering from the involuntary loss of urine. In Singapore, about 15% of women suffer from stress urinary incontinence. Yet few women are talking about it, being too embarrassed to mention it even to their friends or doctors. Most adapt by altering their lifestyles so as to avoid embarrassment, thinking that incontinence is a normal process of ageing.
You may experience leaking of urine with exercise or exertion that increases intra-abdominal pressure. These include aerobics, running, and even laughing, coughing or sneezing. Different women have different degrees of leakage - some suffer only a few drops, others leak in spurts. Some may leak so frequently that they need to wear sanitary pads everyday or change their lifestyles to reduce the chance of embarassing themselves.
