In Türkiye, one out of every four women aged 40 years and over faces urinary incontinence. So, how to acknowledge problematic urinary incontinence in women?
Stating that there is an increase in the number of women with urinary incontinence, the specialist explains that the incidences become comparable between genders in advanced age, that is, after the age of 75 years.
The expert summarizes the types of urinary incontinence in women as follows: “We can classify the types of urinary incontinence in women in three main groups.
STRESS URINARY INCONTINENCE IS THE MOST COMMON TYPE
‘Stress-type’ urinary incontinence, which refers to urinary incontinence resulting from exertional movement, is the most common type. Stress incontinence is a type of urinary incontinence caused by increased intra-bladder pressure. As the definition suggests, the word ‘stress’ in this term has nothing to do with psychological stress. Stress urinary incontinence may result from muscle dysfunction at the bladder outlet and the weakness of pelvic floor muscles supporting the bladder. Pregnancy and/or childbirth, previous surgeries, and obesity can be considered risk factors for stress urinary incontinence.
The second type of urinary incontinence, ‘urge incontinence’, manifests itself as difficulty reaching the toilet in time. The ‘mixed type’, where the first two types occur together, is another form of urinary incontinence. Additionally, other types of urinary incontinence have been described, but they occur rarely. For example, the patient may describe the problem as ‘I experience urine leakage continuously or without realizing’. Or, they may experience urinary incontinence during the night. However, these are mostly rare forms or may occur in the advanced stages of other types of urinary incontinence. Therefore, the types of urinary incontinence can be appropriately categorized into three groups as I mentioned”.
2.7 MILLION WOMEN IN TÜRKİYE HAVE URINARY INCONTINENCE
According to surveys conducted in Türkiye, it is estimated that 2.7 million women have urinary incontinence; however, only 31 thousand of these individuals consult a specialist physician for the solution of this problem.
The specialist points out that the awareness of urinary incontinence is low in our country, emphasizing that women with urinary incontinence in Türkiye mostly suffer from a lack of self-confidence and the fear of going out in public.
URINARY INCONTINENCE AFFECTS SEXUAL LIFE AS WELL
The specialist notes that urinary incontinence is a condition that affects the quality of life, having the potential to lead to psychological problems, including severe depression in women. The specialist adds:
“The frequency and severity of urinary incontinence takes a significant part in a person’s social life. In some cases, we observe that individuals fall short of their work expectations, failing to sustain their work efficiency or productivity. These result in losses in the workforce, having numerous relevant consequences. Moreover, this disorder can affect sexual life unfavorably with effects on the overall quality of life of the individual”.
TREATMENT OF URINARY INCONTINENCE
Noting that several surgical and non-surgical treatment modalities are available for urinary incontinence, the specialist emphasizes that hygiene is particularly important even before treatment.
The specialist informs that treatment methods for urinary incontinence lead to successful outcomes, adding that the use of bladder pads can be highly useful until the patient benefits from treatment. The specialist says:
“The effect of urinary incontinence on the quality of life is usually associated with the severity of leakage. However, even a small amount of leakage has highly significant consequences for socially active individuals. We need to select the most effective treatment modality for these individuals as soon as possible. Moreover, it is also necessary to control urinary incontinence to avoid any further problems”.
Source: Star