Urinary Incontinence
Urinary incontinence is one of the common urogenital problem affecting women both knowingly and unknowingly. Majority of women are not aware of the types and the causes of this condition, but they are undoubtedly aware that the problem exists. Therefore the information that women need to know about this problem is that urinary incontinence is never a disease, but it is just a symptom of an underlying problem or impaired physiology.
It is true that women think that incontinence is the continuous involuntary flow of urine. This is not the case because some incontinence is episodic. Therefore, it is essential to teach women about the different types of incontinence. Stress incontinence involves the flow of urine due to mechanical pressure on the bladder by body muscles such as during laughing or lifting something heavy. Urge incontinence is the presence of urge to urinate where the urine ends up coming out involuntary. Overflow incontinence is whereby there is a continuous involuntary flow of urine throughout the day. Mixed incontinence is when women experience different types of urine incontinence (Dumoulin, Cacciari, & Hay‐Smith, 2018).
Several factors increase the risk of women having urinary incontinence which they are not aware of. One of the elements is psychological disturbances that most women undergo. These disturbances are usually in the form of a shock or sudden occurring as in the following case scenario. Jane is a 33-year-old woman who is 34 weeks pregnant who was driving herself on the highway that was not busy on a Sunday afternoon. She was not speeding as such, but other motorists were overtaking at higher speed. Suddenly, there was a big burst like that of an explosion. She was scared only to realize that she had already wet her pants with urine.
From this scenario, Jane is pregnant and scared. Pregnancy usually exerts a lot of weight on the bladder resulting in frequent urination by the mother. The shock results in the stimulation of the autonomic nervous system which prepares the body for a flight resulting in sudden muscle contraction hence compressing the bladder to release the urine. Other causes of urinary incontinence include alcohol, caffeine, carbonated drinks, antihypertensive drugs and artificial sweeteners which have diuretic properties resulting in the production of a large amount of urine by the kidneys (Waetjen et al., 2018).
Majority of women do not seek healthcare intervention due to their urinary incontinence. One of the main reason that hinders them from discussing this issue is that they feel embarrassed by the problem. Others do not seek care services for this problem since they believe that the condition will go away. Some have reported being afraid of the surgical procedures that might be performed to correct this problem (Waetjen et al., 2018). As a result, they are always reluctant to seek medical help. To help them access healthcare for these health problems, women should visit gynecological departments in the primary healthcare facilities and discuss their issues with reproductive health therapists. It is essential for the women to acknowledge that they have the conditions and be ready to be assisted using the available therapeutic approaches.
One of the essential resources in healthcare is accurate information concerning the disease and how to treat it. The provided information should focus on eliminating the risk factors and the causes of this condition. Avoiding heavy lifting loads, refraining from consumption of alcohol and excessive caffeine would be held in reducing the incidences of urinary incontinence. Several therapeutic approaches can be used to treat these conditions, and the woman should be aware of before visiting the physician. One of the treatment approach is the pelvic flow therapy which aims at increasing the muscles of the bladder to prevent incontinence from stressors (Dumoulin, Cacciari, & Hay‐Smith, 2018). Use of medication is another form of treatment that should be explained to the mother. Surgical correction of the bladder and other organs associated with urine flow is the last option of treating incontinence that the woman should be aware of before deciding to find medical treatment.
References
Dumoulin, C., Cacciari, L. P., & Hay‐Smith, E. J. C. (2018). Pelvic floor muscle training versus no treatment, or inactive control treatments, for urinary incontinence in women. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, (10).
Waetjen, L. E., Xing, G., Johnson, W. O., Melnikow, J., & Gold, E. B. (2018). Factors associated with reasons incontinent midlife women report for not seeking urinary incontinence treatment over 9 years across the menopausal transition. Menopause (New York, NY), 25(1), 29-37.
