Women deserve to not have to worry about the small things
On the back of the news that botox could hel to relieve bladder problems, we take a look at another simple, safe and natural treatment for the incontinence problem.
Stress Urinary Incontinence (SUI) is nmore commonly known as bladder weakness. It is characterised by the involuntary leakage of uring, typically upon exercise, coughing or sneezing.
The condition is said to affect 10-40 per cent of women across all age groups.
SUI occurs when a group of mucles, known as the pelvic floor, which support the bladder and urethra become weak. This causes the baldder neck to remain slightly open, leaving a chance of leakage when they do certain things.
In new research conducted by Oceana Therapeutics, a third of respondents said that a bladder related health condition is the only they would be most embarrassed about and 42 per cent of respondents said incontinence is the health condition they would be least likely to talk to their GP about.
When thinking about treatments or solutions for the weakness, 81 per cent of women know about pelvic floor exercises, but only 39 per cent know about surgery as an option.
Dr Ellie Cannon says: "Bladder weakness is one of the last taboo topics. Women seem to be able to talk about more-or-less anything else - STIs, periods, the gory details of labour, and yet I have to really probe in order to get a woman to tell me about her weak bladder.
"It's such a common condition, but because people seem to associate the word 'incontinence' with old age and a paranoia of smelling of uring, a lot of women feel a real sense of shame. We need to do all we can to change this, so that more women feel they can ask their GP for help."
There are a number of treatment options for SUI, one of these being injection therapy (urethral bulking). This is a minimally invasive option and offers effective and sage alternative to surgery. Carried out for several eyars by urologist Mr Steve Foley at The Royal Berkshire Hospital in Reading, the procedure is now available across the UK, to help thousands of women take back control of their lives.
Deflux is a gel used during a routine minimally invasive surgical procedure that can help improve the lives of women suffering from SUI. During the urethral bulking procedure, the gel is injected into the urethra endoscopically to obtain a bulking effect, which helps to prevent urine leakage.
The simple procedure consists of a number of small injections into the wall of the urethra close to the bladder neck. A cystoscope is introduced into the urethra, and then a needle is used to inject Deflux gel into the urethral wall to form a cushioning or bulking effect. This process is then repeated as required, usually two or three times, to ensure regular filling around the bladder neck.
Clinical trials confirm that Deflux is a safe, simple and effective treatment for SUI. The improvement gained to the quality of life for women after this procedure are comparable to those obtained with surgery. Trials show that the cure rate for Deflux is excellent for the mild and moderate incontinence groups and satisfactory for the severely incontinent.
Mr Foley explains: "According to the Bladder and Bowel foundation, one third of women in the UK will have some form of SUI, but it is my belief taht all women will suffer from this condition - either because of childbirth or the menopause.
"It is a silen epidemic that women are really scared to come forward and talk about, but injection therapy is a quick and simple procedure to rectify the problem."
Tagged in Health Therapy Women's Health