Customer question:
What is stress incontinence? Anonymous customer's question
Pharmacist's answer:
Stress incontinence is a type of urinary incontinence in which small amounts of urine suddenly leak during physical activities, increasing the pressure in the abdominal cavity. These activities can include coughing, sneezing, lifting weights, laughing, or even walking.
This is often the result of weakened pelvic floor muscles that generally support the bladder and urethra. In stress incontinence, urine leakage can occur because the pelvic floor muscles cannot maintain sufficient tension when the pressure in the abdominal cavity increases.
Can stress incontinence occur suddenly?
Yes, stress incontinence can come on suddenly. Although in some cases it may be related to long-term factors such as pregnancy, childbirth, or the gradual weakening of the pelvic floor muscles, symptoms of stress incontinence can appear suddenly without warning signs. For example, small amounts of urine may leak suddenly when you cough, sneeze, lift weights, or even laugh. This is due to a momentary increase in pressure in the abdominal cavity that exceeds the pelvic floor muscles' ability to hold back urine leakage.
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