Why Is Stress Urinary Incontinence More Common Among Women?

Maybe you know this scenario: You laugh, sneeze, or even cough, and suddenly and uncontrollably, you leak urine — perhaps a little, maybe a lot. Those are the symptoms of stress incontinence, the most common type of urinary incontinence, and one that can be successfully treated.

While both men and women can develop stress incontinence, it tends to be a lot more common among women. At Adult and Pediatric Urology, Alfred Shtainer, MD, FACS, and his team help women overcome stress incontinence with tailored, patient-centered therapies focused on relieving symptoms (along with the embarrassment those symptoms can cause). 

Women and stress incontinence

Stress incontinence causes you to leak urine when pressure inside your belly cavity increases, in turn, placing pressure on your bladder and urethra, the opening where urine exits your body. As noted, laughing, sneezing, and coughing can all trigger involuntary leakage, and so can physical activities like exercise or sexual activity.

Not surprisingly, urinary incontinence can cause a lot of embarrassment, in addition to the uncomfortable sensations that go hand-in-hand with poor bladder control.

Anatomy

Your bladder is supported by your pelvic floor, a collection of muscles and ligaments that act like a hammock for all your pelvic organs. If the floor is weakened or damaged, the support decreases, making it harder for your bladder and urethra to work together to control urine flow. Adding pressure to the pelvic area forces urine out even when you don’t want it to. 

While pregnancy and vaginal childbirth are perhaps the most well-known causes of pelvic floor weakness, many other factors play a role, too, including:

• Chronic cough
• Frequent straining to move your bowels
• Obesity
• Pelvic or vaginal surgery
• Frequent heavy lifting
• Age-related changes
• Smoking habit

As we age, our muscles begin to lose strength and tone, increasing the risk of pelvic floor weakening and stress incontinence.

Some women have intrinsic sphincter deficiency, a condition affecting the muscles that control the flow of urine from the bladder through the urethra. Intrinsic sphincter deficiency can be caused by a variety of issues, like aging, childbirth, nerve damage, neuromuscular disorders, trauma, prior surgery, or radiation therapy.

Hormones

The hormone estrogen also appears to play a role in stress incontinence among women. Low levels of estrogen contribute to pelvic floor weakening, compromising the muscle fibers that help support your bladder and other pelvic organs. Here again, aging plays a role.

As women approach menopause, estrogen levels decline sharply. This decline leads to overall loss of muscle tone, increasing the risk of stress incontinence. The postpartum period, breastfeeding, and some medical disorders can lead to abnormally low levels of estrogen and an elevated risk of stress incontinence.

Managing stress incontinence

Stress incontinence can definitely be treated, sometimes with a conservative approach that involves special exercises called Kegels. These exercises strengthen the pelvic floor, improving bladder support and urine control. Eating more fiber, losing weight, and quitting smoking can also help.

For women with significant pelvic floor damage, Dr. Shtainer may recommend surgery to repair the pelvic floor and restore bladder support. Before recommending treatment, he performs a thorough evaluation to determine the cause of your symptoms, so he can tailor your therapy to your unique needs.

Don’t suffer from embarrassing urine leakage

Stress incontinence may occur more often with age, but that does not mean it’s a normal part of aging or something you have to accept. To learn how we can help you find relief for your symptoms, request an appointment online or over the phone at Adult and Pediatric Urology in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens, New York, today.