Bladder in Training

Don’t Let Incontinence Interfere with Your Exercise Routine

For many women, it’s not poor stamina or sore muscles that prevents them from exercising. It’s a problem that is difficult to ignore and one most women keep to themselves: urinary incontinence. This prevalent condition can make exercise an embarrassing, sometimes impossible, undertaking.

What Is Incontinence?

There are two primary types of urinary incontinence. Stress incontinence is the loss of urine during activities like lifting, running, jumping, or even when coughing, sneezing or laughing. Urge incontinence, or overactive bladder, causes the sensation of urgency so that women feel the need to urinate more frequently. Women may experience symptoms of both, however, stress incontinence is the most common, affecting close to 40 percent of women in the U.S.

Why So Common Among Women?

The condition is far more common among women than men due to many factors. Pregnancy and childbearing, which affect the nerves and muscles of the pelvic floor and urinary system, can be a risk factor for urinary incontinence. From an anatomical point of view, women have much shorter urethras than men so urine can escape the body much more easily. Other factors that can increase the risk of developing urinary leakage issues in women include aging, smoking and obesity. Certain medications such as diuretics can also increase the development of incontinence.

“Fortunately, there’s a lot we can do now to correct the problem so women no longer have to just learn to live with it,” said Elisa Trowbridge, MD, a surgeon at University of Virginia Women’s Center for Continence and Pelvic Surgery and Assistant Professor in the UVA Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Urology.

How Is It Treated?

“Stress incontinence is a mechanical problem,” said Trowbridge. To treat it, patients may try:

• Lifestyle changes – decrease in caffeine intake, weight loss and smoking cessation
• Bladder training – scheduled voiding and suppression techniques like Kegel exercises
• Pessaries – ring-shaped devices inserted into the vagina to support the bladder

• Surgery –  options include urethral slings (a small tape that supports the urethra) or colposuspension (bladder neck suspension)

Enjoy Exercise Again

A thorough evaluation – a detailed questionnaire, urologic and gynecologic exams and sophisticated bladder testing – may be required to determine the best way to treat each individual patient. In approximately 50 percent of women, says Trowbridge, lifestyle changes may do the trick. “It’s important that women speak to their doctors about incontinence,” says Trowbridge. “With the right treatment, [women] can enjoy getting back to exercising without worrying about bladder control.”

Need Expert Help?

To learn more about the treatment options available for urinary incontinence, go to UVA Women’s Center for Continence and Pelvic Surgery (uvahealth.com/pelvicmedicine).