Stress Urinary Incontinence

Stress incontinence, or stress urinary incontinence describes a condition which causes you to pass urine when you cough, sneeze, or perform certain types of physical exercise and is currently the most common type of urinary incontinence among women. It can be caused by many factors, that can include stress, pregnancy, obesity or specific medical complications. It can cause great embarrassment and affect relationships, work and impact on travel, and many individuals may not feel confident about seeking out treatment or sharing their concerns.

Stress urinary incontinence can happen when the critical support for the urinary tract and bladder is not functioning effectively, and can be caused by a weakness in the ligaments and pelvic floor muscles, or impairment of the urethral sphincter muscles, which has an impact on normal urinary function.

In women, one of the most common reasons that the pelvic floor muscles and urinary sphincter weakens is childbirth. This may cause trauma to the pelvic floor, and stress incontinence directly related to this damage can often start soon after childbirth, but can also take time to develop. Urinary incontinence is not confined to women alone, it can affect men. The most common cases for men can be following a prostatectomy, which is partial removal of the prostate gland as part of treatment for an enlarged prostate or prostate cancer.

Other factors can worsen stress incontinence such as repeatedly lifting heavy objects, smoking, pregnancy & obesity. In addition, with women, the onset of the menopause can result in changes to muscle tone and structure.