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Handling Stress Incontinence: Some Tips to Keep You As Comfortable As Possible

Stress incontinence is a condition that is actually quite common. Statistics indicate that as many as 75% of adult men and women experience some type of stress incontinence at least once in their lifetime. Some of these individuals may be experiencing stress incontinence as a result of an underlying problem. Others may not be aware of this condition and continue to live with the results of their stress incontinence. Regardless, of how it came about or who was affected, stress incontinence can be extremely embarrassing and frustrating.

Stress Incontinence

Stress incontinence, also known as tension-type incontinence, is the involuntary loss of urine during movement or activity such as sneezing, laughing, coughing or running. The condition occurs when physical activity or motion such as coughing, sneezing or running puts undue pressure (strain) on the bladder which causes you to leak urine unexpectedly. This leakage is usually unexpected and occurs just after you have stopped completely. The condition can either be mild and barely noticeable to those around you or it can be very severe and uncomfortable. For most people experiencing stress incontinence, the end result is that they are unable to go about normal daily activities or if they were able to continue on with their usual routines, the level of their stress and worry had such a strong hold over them that they found it nearly impossible to go about normal everyday activities.

The majority of people suffering from stress incontinence tend to blame their condition on their muscles rather than consider the possibility that the actual muscles themselves are responsible. The fact is that although the muscles in the pelvis may relax during times of stress or anxiety, the muscles themselves are quite capable of relaxing if the need arises. One of the ways in which the muscles themselves can relax is by performing some simple pelvic floor muscle exercises. The muscles themselves are quite flexible but over time their performance will change. As the muscles relax the pelvic floor muscles help support the organs in the abdomen and this is why some people do not feel the urge to urinate at all.

Some people who experience stress incontinence may also experience a cough. If you cough, it may be due to the fact that you are experiencing some fluid intake through coughing. However, coughing cannot be attributed to any other cause because the coughing sound itself has nothing to do with any of the organs in the body. You will therefore need to consult your doctor regarding any cough you experience. Your doctor may even be able to advise you as to how to manage the fluid intake through your cough in order to prevent it from causing leakage.

Another one of the most common causes of stress incontinence is laughing. While it is true that the sound of laughter does help to relieve the symptoms of coughing it is also worth noting that some people tend to laugh too hard while they are experiencing an attack and this in turn makes the coughing and sneezing worse. If your doctor decides that this is a case of overuse of the cough muscle then you should refrain from laughing for a few days to allow the muscle to cool down before starting to laugh again. However, if it turns out that this isn't the case then you may find that by laughing it can worsen the condition.

One other thing that can cause stress incontinence in women involves the muscles in the pelvic floor. When these muscles become weakened, there can be a number of problems that can manifest. These include a change in the amount of urine that the woman produces. This means that she won't necessarily have to urinate as often, but the frequency will certainly vary. Women may also find that they experience an increase in vaginal lubrication and this leads to them having more difficulty in achieving a thorough physical examination by the doctor.

Stress incontinence can also be caused by the combined effects of overactive bladder and the overflow of prostaglandins into the urine stream. In this case, the symptoms are likely to be that of mixed incontinence. In the case of mixed incontinence there can be many different kinds of symptoms such as urge incontinence, full blown urge incontinence and even the inability to get on with the bowel movement process. While it is generally known that women are more likely than men to suffer from this type of incontinence, there is still very little that can be done to treat the symptoms. However, it is certainly worth noting that the symptoms are less severe in female patients than in male patients and this means that there is more chance for the treatment to be successful.

For anyone who experiences any type of stress incontinence you should immediately report your symptoms to your physician. This way you can get some treatment that will not only improve your quality of life, but you can also get some support with your peers and family members. You may even find that you feel less embarrassed about your condition and you are able to lead a more normal social life. All this is possible when you receive the appropriate care.

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