BUPA Tackles Big Health Taboo - Incontinence, a conditionaffecting one in three women today

 

14 September 2001

 

Monday 17th September marks the start of ContinenceAwareness Week during which incontinence will feature as the key 'health focus'on www.bupa.com providing details ondifferent aspects of the problem, how it can be prevented and treated.

 

Incontinence has always been a health topic no one muchlikes to mention. BUPA, however, remains committed to helping break down thismajor taboo and raising awareness of how to prevent the condition thatsurprisingly affects one in three women today. Help is at hand and many peoplesuffering with incontinence have already been helped by specialist BUPAcontinence physiotherapists working throughout its network of 36 hospitals. Anup-to-date factsheetis also available from BUPA's extensive health information directory.

 

It is a little known fact that incontinence is not anembarrassing problem that just afflicts the elderly. Neither is it aninevitable and incurable consequence of childbirth. Incontinence is oftencaused by weak pelvic floor muscles following pregnancy or by an overactivebladder. The good news is that it is often preventable in the first place.

 

BUPA assistant medical director Dr Paula Franklin, offerswomen some tips to help prevent incontinence:

        Reduce the amount of caffeine you consume and wherepossible change to decaffeinated drinks. This is because caffeine is astimulant to your bladder and may increase the symptoms of bladderover-activity.

        Make sure you drink plenty of water. This will keep yourkidneys and bladder functioning and will not make you incontinent.

        Practise pelvic floor exercises regularly throughout theday. The pelvic floor muscles help strengthen the muscles that keep the bladderclosed. If the muscles weaken it can leak urine at inconvenient times.

        Make pelvic floor exercises a part of your daily routinefor the long-term. The longer you keep up an exercise, the stronger yourmuscles will become.

        Maintain regular bowel habits and avoid constipation -this is because 'straining' can causes unnecessary pressure to the pelvicfloor.

 

BUPA realises that due to the social stigma ofincontinence, satisfied patients who are relieved of this embarrassing problemdo not always recommend a good physiotherapist to friends and family in thesame way as they do for other problems.

 

However, help is only a phone call away. BUPA hospitalshave continence specialist physiotherapists who can help deal with thisembarrassing problem. They provide patients with a full examination toestablish the cause of incontinence. A specially tailored self-help programmeis then developed, which, coupled with treatment, can usually help eliminatethe problem within a few months. For further information and advice on thenearest BUPA Hospital with a continence specialist physiotherapist, call 0845600 8822.

 

Treatment programmes can include a combination of theassessment of muscle power, pelvic floor exercises, electrotherapy, bladdertraining and dietary advice. The amount of treatment required depends on eachindividual patient.

 

You do not need to have private medical insurance to usethese services; you can pay for services as you receive them. The cost willdepend on what treatment each patient requires.

 

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Notes to editor:

 

Incontinence:

        Stress incontinence when a sneeze, cough or exercisecauses a leak.

        Urge incontinence - is a sudden urgent need to pass urine.This is usually caused by urine infection but may also be caused by anoveractive bladder and can be helped by bladder re-training.

        Incontinence affects 3 million people in the UK.

        1 in 3 women and 1 in 9 men are affected.

        Pelvic floor exercises are a simple way to improve bladdercontrol and must be practised intensively and regularly for a good effect.

Bladder training can improve bladder control in as littleas a week. This can include emptying your bladder at fixed intervals.