Urinary Incontinence

Rebecca Rogers, MD

If I "leak" only mildly or just once in awhile, is it really a medical problem? Or just something that I should adjust to?

Urinary incontinence is not life threatening but it is life altering. Even patients with mild incontinence report that it can negatively affect their quality of life. What is important to consider is how much of a problem your incontinence is to you, including your self esteem. Patients often report that it is not how often incontinence occurs but the unpredictability of incontinence events that is bothersome. In short, it is the combination of incontinence and the bother that it causes you that makes urinary incontinence a medical problem.

The good news is that urinary incontinence is a highly treatable condition! Mild incontinence often responds to simple interventions including pelvic floor exercises, medications or fluid management. The simplicity of treatment options argue against "just putting up with the problem." In addition, the problem with adjusting to incontinence is that its effects can be insidious. Patients with incontinence often avoiding travel, socializing, intimate relationships or exercise -- until they find themselves isolated and not doing the things that they would like to do. Adjusting to incontinence can slowly whittle away the meaningful activities in your life.

Rebecca Rogers, M.D.
Director, Division of Urogynecology
University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center
American Urogynecological Society
National Association for Continence