Neurogenic Bladder

Drawing of a brain, spinal cord, and bladder

Damage to nerves may cause a neurogenic bladder.

Injuries, surgeries, diseases and birth defects may affect the how the body’s nerves work … or don’t work! Some medical conditions that commonly affect how our nerves work include Spina bifida, Multiple sclerosis (MS), Type 1 and 2 Diabetes, spinal cord injuries (SCIs), Parkinson’s disease, and stroke. And each of these conditions may create a neurogenic bladder. A neurogenic bladder is a disorder of the lower urinary tract that is the result of damage to — or diseases of — the nervous system leading to a loss of voluntary control of your bladder. Continue reading→

Medications That May Cause or Worsen Incontinence

Medications may sometimes cause incontinence or worsen symptoms

Some medications (or drugs) are designed to help manage incontinence. But other medications we take may contribute to incontinence, or worsen incontinence symptoms that you might already have.Continue reading→

Hormone Changes in Women

Hormone changes occur throughout a woman’s life time.

Women have the hormone estrogen in their bodies. Estrogen helps develop female characteristics, and is responsible for your monthly period by causing the lining of your uterus to build up before being released every 28 days or so.

Estrogen also helps your pelvic floor to be strong, supple and stretchy, which gives you greater control over your bladder and bowel function.Continue reading→

Diabetes

Over time, diabetes will damage nerves.

Type 2 diabetes is a chronic condition where your body resists the effects of insulin (or does not produce enough insulin) to maintain a normal glucose level in your body. Type 2 is the most common form of diabetes, with about 95% of all people with diabetes in the USA having this form. Type 2 diabetes increases your risk and severity for both urinary and fecal incontinence. Continue reading→

Constipation

Eating fresh fruits and vegetables may help ease constipation.

Constipation occurs when stool becomes very difficult to pass from the rectum and out the anus. Stool that remains in the rectum for too long may stretch and weaken the sphincter muscle, allowing watery stools to leak around the lodged stool and then out of the anus – accidental bowel leakage (ABL). Constipation may also cause you to strain. Straining while trying to pass stool may weaken your sphincter muscles, which can also increase your risk of bowel incontinence or ABL.Continue reading→

Chronic Cough and Asthma

A cough can put extra stress on your bladder.

Many people have urinary leakage when they cough, laugh or sneeze. This is called stress urinary incontinence (SUI). In some cases, asthma or a chronic cough that lasts for many years can stretch the muscles of the pelvic floor and may make tiny tears in the muscles. These tears may cause stress urinary incontinence.Continue reading→

Using Kegels for Bowel Incontinence

My Story – Submitted by: Anonymous

I developed bladder incontinence years before I began to have bowel incontinence. The bladder incontinence began in my late fifties, and the bowel at age 61.

Neither of them were due to accident, disease or other outside causes. Perhaps they were inherited, as I know my mother had bladder incontinence in her later years. I don’t know if she had bowel incontinence, and I no idea whether my father suffered from either condition.Continue reading→

Poster Awards Presented at the 2015 International Innovating for Continence Conference

Three poster awards were presented by The Simon Foundation for Continence to posters authors at their fifth biennial conference in Chicago, reflecting excellent and varied research in this challenging medical field.

Chicago, Illinois (PRWEB) May 06, 2015

The poster entitled “The Stigma Associated with Urinary Continence: The Impacts on Self-Perception for Older Women,” by lead author Kenneth Southall (McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada), was awarded first place at the April 15-17, 2015 international conference Innovating for Continence: The Engineering Challenge. Continue reading→

The Simon Foundation for Continence Announces Its International Conference Innovating for Continence 2015

On April 15-17, 2015, The Simon Foundation for Continence will hosts its 5th international conference, Innovating for Continence: The Engineering Challenge. The biennial conference is held in Chicago, attracts speakers from a wide range of disciplines, and is designed to heighten innovation and increase development of creative and efficacious products for the management of incontinence.

Chicago, Illinois (PRWEB) February 14, 2015

The Simon Foundation for Continence will hosts its 5th international conference, Innovating for Continence: The Engineering Challenge on April 15-17, 2015. The biennial conference is held in Chicago and attracts speakers from a wide range of disciplines. The conference is designed to heighten innovation and increase development of creative and efficacious products for the management of incontinence by bringing together a unique group of stakeholders.Continue reading→

Mr. Ray Laborie Honored with the John J. Humpal Award at the Simon Foundation for Continence’s Gala

Mr. Ray Laborie receiving the 2013 John J. Humpal award from Ms. Cheryl Gartley.

Chicago, IL, May 16, 2013 –(PR.com)– The Simon Foundation for Continence recently announced Mr. Ray Laborie as the 2013 John J. Humpal Award recipient. Mr. Laborie is Chairman of the Board of LABORIE, a Canadian manufacturer of computerized urodynamics equipment for the diagnosis and treatment of incontinence.Continue reading→