Female Incontinence Myths and Mythbusters

STAY DRY: FEMALE INCONTINENCE MYTHS AND MYTH-BUSTERS

MYTH #1: Leakage of urine is an INEVITABLE result of aging in women.
MYTHBUSTER: Though female incontinence becomes commoner with increasing age, it is not INEVITABLE. With proper preventative methods and early intervention, women can live well into their 90s without having to resort to wearing pads or adult diapers.

MYTH #2: My mother had urinary leakage problems, so no matter what I do, I am also destined with the same fate.
MYTHBUSTER: Though genetics may play a small part in our collagen make-up, it has not been conclusively shown to have a direct relationship with one’s attributable and/or calculate risk of developing urinary incontinence.

MYTH #3: I have been leaking for many years now. Surely, nothing can be done now to help me.
MYTHBUSTER: No matter how long you have been living or should I say “existing” with your leakage problem, there is a lot of help available for all kinds of incontinence and the best thing about it is that after you have been properly diagnosed, most of the treatments are same-day procedures. Patients typically end up asking themselves why they waited so long to seek proper help.

MYTH #4: There is no relationship between my leakage problem and my vaginal bulge.
MYTHBUSTER: Due to the anatomical make -up of the pelvic floor, urinary dysfunction and pelvic organ prolapse “Dropped Vagina” are closely interrelated and are most of the time not mutually exclusive. Yes, some leakage problems may be explained by the presence of a vaginal bulge.

MYTH #5: Incontinence is a disease of the old.
MYTHBUSTER: 1 in 4 women between 30 and 59 years would have experienced at least one episode of urinary incontinence. 85% of the 13 million incontinent Americans (still largely underreported) are women.

MYTH #6: Surely, any gynecologist should be able to take care of my leakage problem.
MYTHBUSTER: While a few general OB/GYNs may be proficient enough to adequately manage urinary incontinence, these issues are better managed from the onset by a well-trained and experienced urogynecologist. A urogynecologist is better able to decipher complicated conditions, and are in a better position to manage complications should they arise.