(News Medical Net) — If you are one of the 30% to 50% of women experiencing urinary incontinence, new research suggests that it could turn into a bigger health issue.
Having more frequent urinary incontinence and leakage amounts is associated with higher odds of disability, according to RUSH researchers in a study published in the January issue of Menopause.
Urinary incontinence affects many women at some point during their lifetime, she said. Some women will leak urine when they sneeze or cough, which is called stress incontinence.
“When you sneeze or cough, there is a mechanical pressure from your belly that overwhelms the sphincter and you leak,” she said.
Others suffer from urge incontinence, which is an overwhelming urge to urinate, such as when they get close to a restroom. Women who experience both have what’s called mixed urinary incontinence, Dugan said. (…)