Low Estrogen May Contribute to Incontinence in Women

Significantly lower levels of oestrogen in peri-menopausal and post-menopausal women could increase their risk of stress urinary incontinence, according to Austrian researchers. They noted that sex steroid levels changed markedly during menopause, and oestrogen deficiency after menopause caused changes within the urogenital tract. Their study included 47 women with stress urinary incontinence who were matched with 47 controls. The findings suggested that low levels of circulating sex steroids might have a negative impact on the function of the lower urinary tract and on mechanisms involved with continence. Read more.

Nursing Times, June 8, 2017

Acupuncture Stops Urinary Bladder Leakage Over Drugs

Acupuncture outperforms drug therapy for the treatment of mild to moderate female stress urinary incontinence (FSUI). Researchers from Weihai City Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine conclude that electroacupuncture is effective for the control of FSUI. In the study, an electroacupuncture treatment group produced a positive patient outcome rate of 86.7%. The drug control group produced a 68.9% positive patient outcome rate for the treatment of FSUI. The electroacupuncture group had a significantly higher complete recovery rate and total effective rate. Read more.

Source: Health CMi, May 9, 2017

AUA & SUFU Release Guideline on Treatment of Stress Urinary Incontinence

With nearly 50 percent of women in the United States experiencing symptoms of stress urinary incontinence (SUI), the American Urological Association (AUA), a leading global urology association and the Society of Urodynamics, Female Pelvic Medicine and Urogenital Reconstruction (SUFU), the premier urological subspecialty society dedicated to improving the art and science of female pelvic medicine and reconstructive surgery, recently released a joint evidence-based clinical guideline on the surgical treatment of SUI in women. SUI is defined as the involuntary leakage of urine due to increased abdominal pressure, which can be caused by such activities as physical exercise, sneezing, laughing or coughing. Approximately half of all women experience SUI symptoms during their lifetime, and many of these women are sufficiently bothered by their symptoms to seek treatment from a physician. Pelvic floor muscle exercises and other nonsurgical treatments can be effective therapies, but many women choose to undergo surgery to treat their SUI symptoms. Read more.

Source: PRNewswire, April 18, 2017

Trendlines Gets Grant for Urinary Incontinence Device

Trendlines Labs is to receive a grant from the Singapore Israel Industrial Research and Development Foundation for the development and clinical trial of its stress urinary incontinence (SUI) product, which is being developed in partnership with the Singapore General Hospital. The 50 women in the trial, expected to start mid-2017 at the hospital, will provide feedback on the product. The foundation will provide up to 50 percent of the $400,000 the partners need to fund the final product development and clinical trial. Trendlines Labs, the innovation arm of The Trendlines Group Ltd., the Israeli venture fund and tech accelerator firm, has developed a nonsurgical, non-pharmaceutical solution to mitigate SUI, a form of incontinence that affects approximately 15 million women in the US alone, according to the Women’s Health Foundation. SUI is caused by weak sphincter muscles or weak pelvic floors, and can occur when there is abdominal stress on the pelvic organs — the bladder, vagina, uterus, or rectum. Read more.

Source: Times of Israel, April 3, 2017

New System Uses Remote Medical Monitoring, Mobile Games to Improve At-Home Pelvic Floor Muscle Training

Urinary incontinence is any involuntary urine leakage. It is a condition that can be more or less severe and it affects one in three women of all ages, which is more than 56 million people in Europe and more than 350 million people in the world. It is not a normal part of ageing and has a negative impact on the quality of life of the women who suffer from it. The main risk factors for urinary incontinence are pregnancy and childbirth, overweight and obesity, and high-impact sports. There are several treatments to improve or cure its symptoms, depending on the type of incontinence, and it can also be prevented by taking measures before it appears. One approach that has proven effective in preventing and treating stress urinary incontinence is pelvic floor muscle training. It consists of a programme of contraction and relaxation exercises for the muscles that form the base of the pelvis. If the treatment is followed and performed correctly with the supervision of a therapist, the rate of cure/improvement may reach 70% .Read more.

Source: News-Medical.net, March 9, 2017

Strong Muscles Tied to Lower Risk of Incontinence in Older Women

Women who have more lean muscle mass or better grip strength may be less likely to experience a common type of urinary incontinence, a study suggests. That’s because strong muscles may help counter what’s known as stress urinary incontinence, which happens when the pelvic floor muscles supporting the bladder are too weak to prevent urine leaks when people do things like cough, sneeze or exercise. Childbirth is a common reason for weak pelvic muscles, and obesity makes the problem worse. Read more.

Source: WHBL, December 15, 2016

Cytori Pivotal ADRESU Incontinence Trial Hits 50% Enrollment Milestone

Cytori Therapeutics, Inc. (CYTX) today announced that over half of 45 patients in the ADRESU trial in Japan have been enrolled and treated. ADRESU is a late phase, investigator-initiated Japanese clinical trial to study the efficacy and safety of Cytori Cell Therapy^TM in men with stress urinary incontinence after prostatic intervention for prostate cancer or benign prostatic hypertrophy. Read more.

Source: Yahoo! Finance, December 14, 2016

When Bathroom Runs Rule the Day (and Night)

I have only one regret about not having been born a male, and it concerns plumbing, namely how easy it is for men to eliminate liquid waste, whether by avoiding long bathroom lines or being able to relieve themselves discreetly when no facility is available. My male envy grew after I contracted poison ivy on unmentionable parts when nature called during a hike in the woods. Urination has long been a vexing problem for women. Read more.

Source: New York Times, December 12, 2016

Women Who Have Not Given Birth Also Experience Urinary Incontinence, Study Finds

Women who have not given birth often end up under the radar for research on urinary incontinence. In a study of this group, however, one in five women over 45 years say they experience this type of incontinence. “This confirms that problems are found in all groups, and that women have a weakness of the pelvic floor even if they have not previously given birth,” says Maria Gyhagen, gynecologist at Södra Älvsborg Hospital in Borås and researcher at Sahlgrenska Academy at Gothenburg University. Read more.

Source: News-Medical.net, November 9, 2016

Female Triathletes at Higher Risk for Pelvic Floor Disorders

Female triathletes are at a higher risk for several health issues, including pelvic floor disorders, new research indicates. Researchers conducted an internet survey of 311 self-identified female triathletes. Results showed a significant prevalence of pelvic floor disorders, with urinary incontinences (37.4 percent) and anal incontinence (28.0 percent) being the most common. Read more.

Source: Science Daily, August 23, 2016