While many of us have seen the ads for Attends, the problem being treated, urinary stress incontinence in women, is rarely mentioned [1]; and that is odd for a problem that by some reports effects 25% of women over age 25. (The incidence of breast cancer is about 12%). A recent article in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology sheds light on this somewhat unmentioned disease. Urinary incontinence is the involuntary passing of urine, frequently associated with coughing, laughing or any activity that causes a person to bear down. It is a result of the loss of support for the bladder, rectum, and vagina – all the structures of the pelvis and is most often seen in women after childbirth. For all the beauty and miracles of birth, passing an eight-pound object through the vagina causes some wear and tear. But physicians know little about the natural history and progression of this loss of pelvic support (clinically termed prolapse). The study provides a better understanding of the course of the disease and some possible milestones. Read more.
Source: American Council on Science and Health, April 3, 2018