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Obesity almost doubles the risk of urinary incontinence (UI) in young and middle-aged women compared with women of normal weight, the authors of a new meta-analysis warn. These findings are significant because those with a history of even mild UI when young are more likely than women without such a history to have increasingly bothersome symptoms as they grow older, and the longer they have the excess weight, the greater the risk of UI, lead author Tayla Lamerton, a PhD candidate in women’s health at the University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia, and colleagues write. The study was published online September 19 in Obesity Reviews. Once considered a condition of mostly older or multiparous women, UI, defined as the involuntary loss of urine, has become increasingly prevalent in younger and nulliparous women, leading to a search for causes, Lamerton and colleagues explain. Recent research suggests that overweight and obesity may increase the risk of UI in women, possibly because excess abdominal weight places increased pressure on the bladder, which may, in turn, exceed urethral closure pressure leading to urine leakage. They suggest that clinicians “emphasize the role of excess weight on pelvic floor weakening and subsequent risk of incontinence” along with […]

Stress urinary incontinnce (SUI) is a common condition among women. The usual approach to treatment of SUI is a stepwise plan from conservative to surgical procedures. A vaginal pessary is one of the commonly used conservative treatments that offer symptomatic improvement for women with incontinence. This review provides a critical analysis of the benefits and shortcomings offered by vaginal pessaries to patients affected by SUI, with a particular focus on indications, advantages, quality of life, patient satisfaction, and potential complications. To obtain the required information, an extensive search of PubMed and Cochrane databases was performed, covering the time frame from January 2000 to December 2016. We also surveyed the published guidelines of American Urological Association, Canadian Urological Association, American Urogynecological Society, National Institutes of Health (USA), and National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (UK). A total of 192 original research papers, review articles, and clinical trials were identified. The analysis of retrieved data provides evidence that vaginal pessaries constitute an effective nonsurgical option for SUI. The satisfaction rate with pessary use is high and only minor complications, if any, occur, vaginal discharge being the most common. The reviewed studies document that vaginal pessaries provide an adequate control of SUI […]

Now, the UK’s top doctor has revealed her own ordeal to break the most embarrassing taboo of all ‘We women, after we’ve had babies, can be damaged so that we get incontinence and actually — I’ve never gone public about this — after my first child I could only go three yards before I peed my pants.’ These are the words of Dame Sally Davies, England’s chief medical officer, who last week, revealed she’d been virtually housebound for six weeks after the birth of her first daughter Olivia, now 26. Dame Sally also said that even after all this time the issue was not completely sorted: ‘I’m still not as I would wish to be.’ It was a brave admission from the most senior doctor in the country, and one that will have resonated with millions of women, many of whom live in silence with the shame of their condition. For Dame Sally’s comments have drawn the spotlight onto one of medicine’s last taboos. ‘It is a huge problem — around seven million women have some degree of incontinence — and it’s a hidden problem, because so many are too embarrassed to seek help,’ says Jeremy Ockrim, a consultant urologist at […]

Johnson & Johnson has withdrawn from the market controversial devices at the centre of a class action against the pharmaceutical giant. The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) requested last year that all manufacturers of transvaginal sling and mesh update product information on the devices by January 17 to include warnings about potential adverse side effects. A spokesperson for the authority today confirmed to BuzzFeed News that Johnson & Johnson missed this deadline and had withdrawn the supply of its mid-urethral sling devices “to consider their options in response to TGA’s request to update the Instructions for Use of their products”. The devices will no longer be imported while the company weights up its options. Urogynaecological meshes, sometimes known as transvaginal meshes, are inserted into women as a treatment option for pelvic organ prolapse (when the connective tissue securing the vagina and uterus to the pelvis gives way after childbirth), or urinary incontinence. The products, known as Gynecare TVT, are the subject of a class action involving 700 Australian women. READ MORE HERE

This cross-sectional survey aims to (1) verify the prevalence of urinary incontinence and its impact on the quality of life among nulliparous fit women, and to (2) analyze whether urinary incontinence is influenced by the intensity of the sport (high- vs. low-impact) or by the volume of physical activity (minutes per week) performed. Two hundred forty-five nulliparous women (18-40 years) completed the International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire-Short Form, the Kings Health Questionnaire and a questionnaire regarding demographic and training variables. Overall 22.9% of the participants self-reported urinary incontinence, and among them, 60.7% had stress urinary incontinence. Incontinent women demonstrated worse quality of life than continent females (p=0.000). Women practicing high-impact sports presented higher frequency in loss of urine than those practicing low-impact sports (p=0.004). Regardless the intensity of the sport, the volume of exercise showed positive association with the frequency of loss of urine (p=0.005, r=0.475). In conclusion, almost one fourth of the women enrolled in this study reported symptoms of urinary incontinence and worse quality of life than those who were continent. Women who practice high-impact sports or who have higher volume of training should be aware of the symptoms associated with pelvic floor dysfunction, since they seem to […]

Urinary incontinence is urine leakage from a loss of bladder control that mainly affects women after childbirth. But it can happen to anyone. Around 37% of Australian women have some form of the condition compared to 13% of Australian men.

For those of you considering all options to overcome stress incontinence, or women who wish to know more about gynaecological procedures – there are some very useful links in the RANZCOG website (Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists).

Just as the hot flushes begin to disappear, other symptoms manifest themselves such as Sress Urinary Incontinence (SUI) due to weak pelvic floor muscles, but a more discomforting change is known as genito-urinary syndrome of menopause (GSM) and can affect up to 50% of postmenopausal women.