The Incidence of Incontinence is Set to Increase

According to a consensus report published by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) around 25% of adults will experience faecal or urinary incontinence in their lives. Surprisingly even though the availability of interventions is increasing, still more than half of cases will go untreated.

The NIH continues by highlighting the costs and effects incontinence has on people’s lives. As much as $20 billion was estimated to have been spent on urinary incontinence alone in 2000. Aside from the costs, urinary incontinence causes many individuals to limit their social lives, hiding the problem from their families, friends and doctors. Many people suffer from these conditions in silence, without seeking professional help. As women from the Baby Boomer years reach their sixties, the incidence of incontinence is set to increase along with the economic costs.

To read the full article on the Prevention of Faecal and Urinary Incontinence in Adults from the National Institutes of Health click here.
(http://consensus.nih.gov/2007/IncontinenceStatementDRAFT121207.pdf)

Don't Be Afraid to Talk

Incontinence is a hot topic in America at the moment, with the National Institute of Health, a government department, highlighting that less than half of people suffering from fecal and urinary incontinence actually speak to their doctors without prompting.

"It's time to remove the stigma associated with urinary and fecal incontinence," said C. Seth Landefeld, M.D., Director of the Center on Aging at the University of California San Francisco and chair of the conference panel. "More than one-fourth of Americans will experience incontinence at some point in their lives. We as a society need to get over our discomfort with this subject so that incontinence sufferers receive the compassion, acceptance, and care they need, and our aging population can take steps to prevent incontinence in the future."

A panel of experts concluded that healthcare providers are well positioned to initiate discussions with patients about incontinence. But pointed out that: Provider education alone will be insufficient to improve detection, prevention, and treatment. Public policy changes, including appropriate reimbursement, regulation, and management are also needed. Raising public awareness is a priority. To help reduce the stigma associated with these conditions, the panel had the following messages for those experiencing incontinence:

• You are not alone
• Some medical conditions can cause incontinence and can be treated
• Incontinence does not need to be a part of ageing
• Lifestyle changes and behavioral interventions can prevent incontinence in many cases
• You should tell your healthcare provider

To read the full article from the Medical News Today website click here.

To read the full draft statement by the NIH in PDF form click here.

Pelvic Health - Recent Articles

The last couple of weeks have seen a number of good, sensible articles publish on the subject of pelvic health, pelvic floor exercises and incontinence. The Independent ran an excellent piece by Jacqueline Brown about the way she coped and overcame stress incontinence through pelvic floor exercises and surgery. To read the full article click here.

The online American health magazine - WebMD - also published a number of self-help articles including how to cope with incontinence at work and on holiday with some good tips. To read the full articles see below:

• On Vacation with Incontinence
• At Work with Incontinence

To refresh your memory and get back into the swing of Pelvic Floor Exercises or Kegel, go to our handy guide here.

My Pelvic Flaw!

A new book by Australian physiotherapist Mary O' Dwyer is receiving praise from health professionals and the public alike for its straightforward look at the myths and misinformation surrounding the pelvic floor and pelvic floor exercises.

The book, cheekily entitled My Pelvic Flaw, contains new, evidence-based information on pelvic floor habits from childhood through sport, pregnancy, childbirth, menopause, surgery and old age. It explodes some of the longest standing myths such as accepting that pelvic floor problems are simply a part of being female and having babies and takes a look at how some common fitness exercises can actually be bad for your pelvic health.

To read a review of the book, click here or go to http://www.mypelvicfloor.com.au/

Baby Blues? Help is at Hand!

Stress incontinence and pelvic health issues are just two of the problems you might face as a new mother. You could be feeling pretty low too. Sometimes it helps to see that you're not alone in how you feel. These days there are lots of good websites with chat rooms and forums, articles and news on how to cope with being a new mum.





Here’s our list of some of the best:

• http://www.nctpregnancyandbabycare.com/
• http://www.babycentre.co.uk/
• http://www.webbaby.co.uk/
• http://www.thebabychannel.co.uk/
• http://www.babyworld.co.uk/
• http://www.childcare-now.co.uk/
• http://www.cry-sis.org.uk/
• http://www.disabledparentsnetwork.org.uk/
• http://www.fulltimemothers.org/
• http://www.oneparentfamilies.org.uk/
• http://www.stonewall.org.uk/
• http://www.workingfamilies.org.uk/

But remember. If you, or your family, do start to think that you may be depressed you should always speak to your doctor. Depression in new mums is very common but it's also a very serious condition that needs medical treatment. See these links for more information on Post Natal Depression:

• Net Doctor
• Mind
• NetMums

There are may ways to help but only if you take how you feel seriously - don't brush it off. Don't wait. Go to your doctor if you're at all concerned you may be depressed.

Cell Transplants May Improve Severe Urinary Incontinence

According to an article in the Science Daily on a new study, those suffering from urethral sphincter muscle deficiency and resulting incontinence may eventually find relief through muscle cell transplants.

Estimates are that up to 70 million people worldwide may be suffering from severe urinary incontinence. A major cause of urinary incontinence is a deficiency of the urethral sphincter muscle, often associated with trauma during childbirth, resulting from prostate surgery, or due to aging.

Researchers have now discovered that when skeletal myoblasts - progenitor muscle cells with the potential to develop into muscle fiber - were transplanted into female rats suffering from urethral sphincter deficiency, the transplanted muscle cells helped increase urethral pressure, improving incontinence.

"Self-renewing progenitor muscle cells can be cultivated in vitro," said Christophe Praud, PhD, of INSERM's Institut de Myologie, Universite Pierre et Marie Curie, Paris and lead author. "When grafted into normal striated skeletal muscle they fuse with host muscle fibers where they can form mosaic fibers or regenerate new fibers."