If coughing, laughing or exercising cause you to leak, it’s time for a frank talk with your doctor.
Is it fixable?
“Absolutely,” said Dr. Susan H. Oakley, the only urogynecologist between Lexington and Cincinnati.
When you were six, you didn’t accept wetting your underpants for any reason but, as women age, they get busy, they make excuses and accommodations, the St. Elizabeth Healthcare doctor explained. She says there’s no reason to do that.
Not just part of “getting older”
Don’t justify. Don’t qualify. Don’t spend your money on pads and panty liners, said Oakley. Once you are past your periods, there is no reason to wear a pad. “Just because it’s common, doesn’t mean it’s normal.”
And certainly, don’t just accept it as a natural part of aging, she explained. Women don’t accept high blood pressure, diabetes or decreasing vision as they age. They go to the doctor, take medicine or treatment, or buy a pair of glasses. “No leakage is normal,” she added.
Why do women wait?
So why are women reluctant to tell their doctor or seek out a specialist like Oakley when they feel a near-constant urge to pee or deal with uncomfortable and awkward urine leaks?
This is a question the lead physician of St. Elizabeth Physicians Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery has heard before. Her compassion for her patients and her humor are evident in her answer: “Women have a special secret garden down there and we are reluctant to talk about it.” With each other, with our doctors, with anyone.
Bladder issues impact all age groups
On a recent afternoon, Oakley’s clients ranged in age from 19 to 97 and she says there are treatments and medications available across the spectrum.
There are broad categories of bladder issues for women with symptoms of urinary urgency and leakage — with or without incontinence.
Some women tell her, “I don’t leak, so I don’t have an issue. But I feel like I have to go all the time,” Oakley said. “What’s happening is that the bladder muscle is having these repeat spasms, and that could wear the bladder muscle out” and could lead to incontinence. There are medications that can relieve this condition ““ and you.
A sneezing fit, a good belly laugh or a game of tennis that cause leakage fall into a second category: stress incontinence. “That’s a sign of weakness in the urethra tube. That can be fixed by surgery,” said Oakley.
A lot of women will have both kinds of leakage, and they can need both treatment and the 30-minute surgery. But all those decisions start with the frank and full discussion with a woman’s gynecologist or a specialist like Oakley.
Don’t write it off with a “This just happens because I’m older,” said Oakley. After all, “there are about 20 million things” that happen to our bodies as we age. This is a condition that can be treated with what she called “great success.”
Her message to women, “You don’t have to feel uncomfortable about bringing up these issues with your physician.”
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Do you think you may have bladder problems? Don’t wait any longer ““ get answers now!
Warning Signs & Symptoms of Bladder Problems
6-8 p.m. March 18
Conference Room A&B
St. Elizabeth Florence
4900 Houston Rd.
Florence, KY 41042
Dr. Susan Oakley explains women’s bladder problems, including frequent urge to pee or leakage during exercising or coughing. Embarrassment should not keep women from getting a doctor’s help or to them accepting urinary incontinence as a consequence of aging or childbirth. Registration: 859-301-5999.
