We have all seen the adverts on TV for Tena lady and the like, the answer to those little 'accidents' and the way that we can get freedom back in our lives when we don't have to worry about urinary incontinence. So I thought it might be a good idea to look into what it is really all about especially as us ladies seem to be pretty prone to it!

I always remember that when I was younger working in a big department store a lady came in asking me for a pair of panites with a thick gusset as she was prone to a cough and a dribble! I laughed then but now, 30 years later, I can appreciate her problem more.

Urinary incontinence is the unintentional passing of urine. It is a very common problem that is thought to affect about three million people in the UK.
Anyone can experience urinary incontinence, although it is more common in older people. The condition affects far more women than men, and it is thought to occur in one in five women who are over 40 years of age.

Maybe to understand urinary incontinence it might be helpful to know how the bladder works. Actually he bladder is a stretchy muscular bag that collects and stores urine. It sits in the pelvis at the lowest point in the abdomen, immediately behind the pubic bone.

The bladder is constantly receiving urine from the kidneys, which filter it down to the bladder through tubes called ureters. The urine is held in the bladder by the pelvic floor muscles, which keep the urinary opening (urethra) closed.

Once the bladder is full, a signal is sent to the brain that triggers the need to pass urine. At a suitable time, the brain then tells the pelvic floor muscles to relax and the bladder contracts to push the urine out.

It is when this process is interrupted which can be in several different ways, that problems with urinary incontinence can occur.

As I understand it there aree various types of urinary incontinence, but the two main types are stress incontinence and urge incontinence.

With stress incontinence this will occur when the pelvic floor muscles are too weak to prevent urination.

Then with urge incontinence, this is thought to occur as a result of incorrect signals being sent between the brain and the bladder.

Although, as I said there ar more types of urinary incontinence these two types of urinary incontinence are thought to be responsible for up to 90% of all cases of the condition. And it does not even have to be one or other of the two types I have mentioned here, as it is also possible to have a mixture of both stress and urge urinary incontinence.

So what can be done for this distressing condition? Apart from the embarrassment there is the fact that sufferers are afraid to go out a lot of the time and certainly would be worried about sitting through a theatre performance or film.

There is no doubt that urinary incontinence can be an uncomfortable and upsetting problem. Many people may think that it is an inevitable part of ageing, but there are several forms of treatment, including exercises, medicines and electrical therapy, that can help ease the symptoms.

This is something your Doctor will be very familiar with seeing so get along and see what can be done!

I have had several of my relatives suffering form this and they did find that the TENA lady type pants were a great help in giving them that extra insurance if they were out and about and could not find a loo quickly enough.

The other thing I would like to say is that it would help if shops and the like were a Little bit more understanding in letting someone use the staff toilet if they do not have one specifically for customers. Sometimes, at least in the UK public facilities are quite far and few between but shops seem oblivious to the plight of pregnant women or other people who might need to use a toilet urgently.