All I Want for Christmas is… A uresta® Starter Kit!

By: Ashley Miller

‘Tis the season to be Jolly! Fa la la la la la la……

But seriously, can you make it through the Holiday season without singing the many carols that you hear non-stop? They are always on the radio, playing in the stores, and your kids are singing them at their Christmas programs at school.

I know that I am a sucker for Christmas music and movies. A soon as the clock strikes Black Friday, I am “that” person. I stop and grab a Peppermint Mocha on my way to the mall and start my Christmas shopping, come home and decorate my tree and the house. I may or may not start wearing my gingerbread flannel pajama pants in October due to the anticipation of the holiday season.

For real, I get a little overly excited.

As I sat down to start writing my blog about uresta, I turned on my Christmas music (don’t judge me) to try and think about what I wanted to write. Before I knew it, I was humming along and started writing a song…not a blog.

I hope you enjoy (and laugh without leaking)!

All I want for Christmas
Is a uresta Starter Kit
A uresta Starter Kit
Just a uresta Starter Kit
Gee, if I could only have a uresta Starter Kit
Then I could wish you a Merry Christmas

It seems so long since I could say
“When was the last time I laughed without peeing my pants?”
Gosh, oh gee
How happy I’d be
If I could only stop dribbling pee
All I want for Christmas
Is a uresta Starter Kit
A uresta Starter Kit
Just a uresta Starter Kit
Gee, if I could only have a uresta Starter Kit
Then I could wish you a Merry Christmas

All I want for Christmas
Is a uresta Starter Kit
A uresta Starter Kit
Just a uresta Starter Kit
Gee, if I could only have a uresta Starter Kit
Then I could wish you a Merry Christmas

Santa Claus and his reindeer
Used to bring me lots of wine and laughs
But now when I celebrate
I can’t help but urinate

All I want for Christmas
Is a uresta Starter Kit
A uresta Starter Kit
Just a uresta Starter Kit
Gee, if I could only have a uresta Starter Kit
Then I could wish you a Merry Christmas
Then I could wish you a Merry Christmas
Then I could wish you a Merry Christmas

Bringing innovation to sufferers…

Adult incontinence is one of the fastest-growing segments in healthcare today.

Our recent experience at the American Urogynecologists Society (AUGS) PFD conference (pelvic floor disorders) in Chicagoconfirmed conditions like SUI are a growing concern and we saw, first hand, how pelvic floor health care professionals are embracing uresta® as an important tool to help women with SUI (stress urinary incontinence).

And the response was overwhelming! We were run off our feet describing how uresta® works and how it helps women get back to doing the things that their SUI prevents them from doing – like exercising, walking, sneezing, laughing, travelling, etc.

Knowing uresta® was invented by a fellow urogynecologist, Dr. Scott Farrell, many of the medical professionals we spoke to were impressed with the innovation of the unique bladder support.

They reacted most positively that uresta® is self-managed by the patient and that, for women aged 30-70+, it was a great option for SUI. For younger women, in their 30’s and 40’s, many urogynecologists feel surgery is not ideal – they prefer to wait until women are finished having children before considering surgery as an option.

They saw uresta® as an easy, affordable and comfortable solution for SUI – something that women would love for maximum flexibility. Women who have used innovative products like diva cups and Caya (diaphragms) over the last 20 years have a high comfort level using uresta® to prevent bladder leaks – it’s a similar experience to using a tampon.

Joining me to help introduce uresta® at the conference was Missy Lavender, a well-known industry advocate for pelvic health education, and CEO of Below Your BeltElizabeth Wood, chief vision officer and COO of Below Your Belt, and Ashley Miller, marketing lead for HPSRx, our US distributor.

We are working to broaden the awareness of uresta® with pelvic floor health care professionals in North America and around the world with the goal of helping all women with SUI to stop leaking and start living!

More about AUGS
The American Urogynecologic Society (AUGS) is the premier non-profit organization representing more than 1900 professionals dedicated to treating female pelvic floor disorders. AUGS is the primary source of clinical and scientific information and education in Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery (FPMRS).

Read more about uresta® at www.uresta.com

Resilia Medical Solutions strikes distribution deal for medical device

Uresta inks co-distribution deal with pharmaceutical company Aspen Pharmacare Canada.

By Rachel Cave, CBC News Posted: Oct 06, 2016 6:30 AM

Shediac company hopes new deal will create jobs, expand reach of its female incontinence product.

A New Brunswick company that makes a medical device to reduce bladder leakage in women recently inked a co-distribution deal with pharmaceutical company Aspen Pharmacare Canada.

Stephen Goddard, the chief executive officer of Resilia Medical Solutions of Shediac, said the new deal should bring exponential sales growth and spur local hiring.

“This is an off-the-chart change for what it will do to our sales,” said Goddard.

Goddard said while business has been steady, it’s nothing like what it will be with the co-distribution deal.

“We’d been chugging along. In a given month, we might sell several dozen,” said Goddard.

“This will take us into the hundreds … if not 1,000 to 2,000 units per month.”

Compared to rubber tampon

The product, sold under the brand name Uresta, has been compared to a rubber tampon.

It’s a thumb-length plug that’s inserted into the vagina and pinches closed the urethra to stop urine from escaping when a woman is exercising or when she laughs or coughs.

Resilia Medical Solutions’ device to help prevent female medical incontinence has been described as a rubber tampon. (CBC)

Resilia bought the design from urogynaecologist Dr. Scott Farrell, a professor at Dalhousie University’s faculty of medicine.

Currently, it’s manufactured in Barrie, Ont., by a company called Southmedic.

Goddard said there may come a day when production can move into New Brunswick but that’s probably in the distant future.

Meanwhile, he said he expects to hire closer to home to get more people in sales and marketing support.

“Right now, we’re a three-person company,” said Goddard.

“By the end of next year, I hope to be 10 to 15.”

Goddard said he’s hoping for a payroll as large as 50 people, possibly within three years.

Nation-wide access

Founded in 2014, Aspen Pharmacare Canada is expected to help Resilia get its product in front of doctors and pharmacies.

“It gives us nation-wide access to a group of individuals that we essentially had no way to get to,” said Goddard.

It’s a relatively new branch of a global pharmaceutical giant that got its start in South Africa, making generic antiviral medications to help stop the spread of HIV/AIDS.

Listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange, the parent company (APN) said it has 10,000 employees around the globe.

It’s a thumb-length plug that’s inserted into the vagina and pinches closed the urethra to stop urine from escaping when a woman is exercising or when she laughs or coughs. (Resilia Medical Solutions)

Resilia’s main marketing strategy to date has been word of mouth, social media and direct sales online and the New Brunswick staff will continue with that.

The Uresta Bladder Support device is licensed by Health Canada.

A starter kit of three sizes costs about $300.

The Canadian Continence Foundation estimated in 2014 that 14,000 women in New Brunswick experienced some form of female incontinence, sometimes aggravated by factors such as vaginal childbirth, ageing and obesity.

When the whole country is taken into account, the number rose to 714,000.

Women have surpassed men in obesity rates.

Why do some women struggle with weight loss?
By Allie Shah, Tribune News Service

Women have surpassed men in obesity rates, according to a national report released this summer. Photo: Fotolia

MINNEAPOLIS • Frances Traphagan has been battling weight issues her whole life.

For years, the south Minneapolis mom struggled to balance work demands and motherhood. After every pregnancy, her weight problem grew. Her habit of eating on the run also tipped the scales in the wrong direction.

Finally, at 240 pounds, the five-foot-three Traphagan chose to have bariatric surgery at the Hennepin Bariatric Center and Obesity Program at Hennepin County Medical Center in downtown Minneapolis.

“It was my very last effort to try to lose weight,” she said. She’d tried everything before that – from Weight Watchers to the Atkins diet to the grapefruit diet. “I did have some success, but nothing was ever permanent,”she said.
After a national report this summer showed that women have surpassed men in obesity rates, doctors and obesity researchers are searching for answers to why women are struggling more.

For the first time, more than 40 per cent of U.S.women are obese, according to the latest numbers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The nation as a whole continues to struggle with obesity, with 35 percent of men considered obese. But while men’s obesity rates appear to have stabilized, women’s are still rising, the CDC report shows.

Dr. Maria Collazo-Clavell, an endocrinologist at the Mayo Clinic who works with overweight and obese patients, has been working in the obesity research field for 20 years. She said the recent findings give her pause about whether public health officials are taking the right approach to tackling obesity. “All of that makes you question: Are you on the right track?” she said. “The data would say no.” That so many women are obese is cause for alarm not only because of the increased health risks for them but also for those around them, Collazo-Clavell said.

“That’s kind of the tip of the iceberg,” she said. Women are often the primary caregivers in a family, and their eating and activity habits can influence their children and others in their family.

An example of that ripple effect: Collazo-Clavell is starting to see some of her previous patients’ children and is working with them to help manage their obesity.

It’s difficult to pinpoint what is causing women to struggle more with obesity than men,but doctors say there likely are many factors at play.

Women typically have two times in their lives when they are at risk of gaining significant amounts of weight: childbearing (during pregnancy and after giving birth) and menopause.

Collazo-Clavell hears from many new mothers that they find meal planning and preparation tough after giving birth. Also of concern,she notes that women as a group are going into pregnancy heavier than they were 20 years ago.

It makes it harder to manage a healthy pregnancy weight if they’re already overweight, she said.

One of the country’s leading health problems, obesity can lead to serious diseases, including diabetes and heart disease.
Body mass index (BMI) is calculated by dividing weight (in kilograms) by height squared (in centimeters). Anyone with a BMI of 25 or more is considered overweight, while those with a BMI of 30 or more are obese.

For example, a woman of average height in the U.S. (five-foot-four) would be classified as obese if she weighs at least 175 pounds. An average height American man (five-foot-nine) who weighs 203 pounds or more would be considered obese.
Dr. Guilford Hartley is medical director of the Hennepin Bariatric Center and Obesity Program,where 100 surgeries for weight management are performed each year.

He sees many more female patients than men. Part of the reason, he said, is that women are more likely to seek medical treatment for a weight issue than men.

“In our culture, when a man’s overweight, nobody pays too much attention,” he said.“But we have such an emphasis on being thin for women that we’re culturally forcing women to be more concerned about their weight than men. The social pressure if you’re overweight and a woman is higher.”

Resilia Inc. partners with HPSRx Enterprises, Inc. to bring uresta® to the U.S. market.

(Moncton) – Resilia Inc., the makers of uresta® Bladder Support for Women are excited to announce that they have a signed agreement with women’s healthcare distributor HPSRx Enterprises, Inc. and have joined forces to bring uresta® to women across the United States.

uresta® is a simple, safe and effective solution for women suffering from light bladder leakage (“LBL”), clinically known of as “stress urinary incontinence” (“SUI”).

“We’re excited to be expanding the reach of our innovative solution by inking the deal to bring uresta® to all women in the U.S.,” says Stephen Goddard, CEO for Resilia, Inc. “We’re expecting exponential sales growth with this expansion into the United States.”

Our unique patented product offers women the best solution available on the market today and it’s 100% Canadian developed and manufactured

uresta® is an innovative solution that gives women the freedom to enjoy life without having to worry about bladder leaks. And what’s more, uresta®’s design also ensures that women stay dry, odour free and avoid filling up landfills with disposable products.

uresta® was invented by world‐renowned Urogynecologist, Dr. Scott A. Farrell, MD FRCSC Professor, Division Head‐ Gynecology, Clinical Division: Urogynecology, Dalhousie University.

“Stress urinary incontinence is so common that we should be talking about real solutions that work for women,” says Carol Chapman, VP Marketing for Resilia.“That’s why we’re so proud of uresta® – it’s a little product that has a big impact on the quality of life for women. No more pads. No more self‐consciousness. I’m excited for what this means for vibrant, active women everywhere.”

uresta® is available online in the U.S. and Canada and at selected retail locations. (Ask your pharmacist to order uresta® for you – quick and easy.) For more information, visit www.uresta.com.

About HPSRx Enterprises, Inc.
HPSRx Enterprises, Inc. is a wholesale distributor specializing in women’s health.  They provide pharmaceuticals, medical devices, and over 90,000 items of medical supplies. They are licensed to ship to all 50 states and Puerto Rico. HPSRX also complies with Pedigree regulations.

About Resilia
Resilia Inc. manufactures and sells uresta®, the only reusable, self-managed medical device for female stress urinary incontinence that has been clinically proven to completely eliminate or significantly reduce the involuntary loss of urine. FDA cleared, licensed under Health Canada, and CE marked, with global patents on the device, uresta® is the only reusable, highly effective, and self-managed solution available.

Media Contact:
Carol Chapman
506‐961‐3449

uresta® Bladder Support for Women wins coveted Today’s Parent Approved Seal

(Moncton) – Hot on the heels of winning Chatelaine’s 2016 Product of the Year Canada award in the adult care incontinence category (for innovation in design and function), Resilia Inc., the makers of uresta® Bladder Support for Women are thrilled to announce that Today’s Parent has reviewed the uresta® product and awarded it the Today’s Parent Approved Seal for quality, ease of use and value.

uresta® is a simple, safe and effective solution for women suffering from light bladder leakage (“LBL”), clinically known as “stress urinary incontinence” (“SUI”). uresta® is an innovative solution that gives women the freedom to enjoy life without having to worry about bladder leaks – its design also ensures that women stay dry, odour free and avoid the waste and discomfort associated with disposable products.

Today’s Parent Approved is a product testing program with expert reviews and feedback from parents. It’s an exhaustive product testing program that looks at a wide range of products in the categories most important to parents and determines which are the best on the market based on three criteria: quality, ease of use and value.

According to Today’s Parent, “uresta® Bladder Support effectively helps prevent bladder leakage caused by laughing, jumping, running, sneezing, coughing—anything that puts stress on your pelvic muscles. Most of our mom testers were impressed with how well it prevented leaks that had caused them some anxiety in the past, and they wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it to other moms.”

Carol Chapman, Resilia’s vice-president of marketing, said “we were so pleased that uresta® was chosen by Today’s Parent for their Approval Seal review and we’re elated to find out we received the seal of approval for ease of use, value and quality – three criteria we have focused on while developing and manufacturing uresta®.

Read the full review from Today’s Parent.

Our unique patented product offers women the best solution available on the market today and it’s 100% Canadian developed and manufactured uresta® is available online in the U.S. and Canada and at selected retail locations. (Ask your pharmacist to order uresta® for you – quick and easy.)

About Today’s Parent Approved Seal
Today’s Parent Approved puts each product through a battery of tests in their lab, and then sends the product out to parents to try it at home so they can get Today’s Parent log detailed feedback. A customized set of criteria and tests are developed that will help them assess the quality, ease of use and value for money for each product. Every product that earns the Today’s Parent Approved seal must do the job it claims to, and it has to do it safely. They outline how they test the product and how it performed, and share detailed feedback from their parent testers who used the product in their day-to-day lives.

About Resilia
Resilia Inc. manufactures and sells uresta®, the only reusable, self-managed medical device for female stress urinary incontinence that has been clinically proven to completely eliminate or significantly reduce the involuntary loss of urine. FDA cleared, licensed under Health Canada, and CE marked, with global patents on the device, uresta® is the only reusable, highly effective, and self-managed solution available.

For more information, visit www.uresta.com.

Media Contact:
Carol Chapman
506‐961‐3449

How to get your message across in a space dominated by big players

THE CHALLENGE

Carol Chapman, vice-president of sales and marketing and investor in Resilia Inc., knew she was up for a big challenge as the company’s target market was dominated by big multi-national pharmaceutical companies.

Carol Chapman, vice-president of sales and marketing and investor in Resilia Inc., knew she was up for a big challenge as the company’s target market was dominated by big multi-national pharmaceutical companies.

Resilia’s sole product uresta was the first non-surgical, self managed and self-administered solution for women to stop light bladder leakage (LBL) caused by stress urinary incontinence (SUI).

LBL happens when some women cough, laugh, sneeze or perform simple physical tasks. This condition causes the urethra muscle, which acts as a valve to close the bladder, to drop open. Another major challenge was to change the way women thought about incontinence issues.

These issues are generally not discussed as openly among women who are conditioned to think, through marketing campaigns, that their only choices consisted of pads, diapers or a doctor administered pessary. Her research found that over 90 per cent of incontinence issues were related to childbirth and in extreme cases required surgical intervention.

In 2007, Dr. Scott Farrell, a leading Canadian urogynecologist, launched uresta as an alternative to the current products available for treating female SUI. Ms. Chapman knew that she had a good product which targeted an unmet need for women, the question was how to get the message across to women in a space dominated by big pharmaceutical companies which had deep pockets.

THE BACKGROUND

Ms. Chapman was born in Halifax and graduated from Mount Allison University in 1981. She spent the next two decades in the marketing and communications industry working for a company in Moncton, New Brunswick, whose roster of clients included a number of leading Canadian companies. In 2004 when the business was sold, she set up her own consulting business, C-Volution, which focused on corporate social responsibility and cause marketing strategies.

Her interest in uresta started when a potential investor in the company approached her to consider developing the company’s marketing strategy. The more she researched and looked at the impact the product would have on women’s well being and health, the more she was convinced of the opportunity. This inspired her along with other investors to acquire the Shediac, N.B.-based company from the founders in Jan., 2014.

THE SOLUTION

Ms. Chapman adopted a three-pronged strategy to get the message out to the prospective target market.

  1. First, she leveraged various social media channels to target early adopters who could then provide testimonials and use word-of-mouth to get women to try the product and share their experience with other women.
  2. Second, she targeted the business-to-business (B2B) space by connecting with health care organizations, such as clinics, fitness centres and convincing them of the advantages of partnering with uresta, creating a win-win situation for women’s clients, clinics and the company.
  3. The third prong focused on creating awareness among healthcare professionals such as specialists, general practitionners, nurse practitioners, pharmacists and physiotherapists to showcase the advantages of uresta as compared to the available solutions in the marketplace.

THE RESULT

Although it has been a couple of months since the strategy was launched, Ms. Chapman has been successful in getting the message out to the target market through all three channels. The company is gaining momentum through testimonials, word-of-mouth referrals as well as successfully creating partnerships with health care organizations. Giving consumers a voice will be key long term.

Fundamentally, she and her team believe it’s important for women to know that although urinary incontinence is common, it is not normal and can be treated without surgery. They feel by creating a voice for women in Canada and around the world they can truly provide a solution, not merely a band aid.

Nauman Farooqi is a professor in the department of commerce in the Ron Joyce Centre for Business Studies of Mount Allison University.

This is the latest in a regular series of case studies by a rotating group of business professors from across the country. They appear every Tuesday on the Report on Small Business website.

Heard it from a friend (with a bad cough)

By Carol Chapman

Yes, I heard this story from a friend.

And like so many women who suffer with stress incontinence issues, my friend is not ready to step up and tell this story herself. So I’m going to tell you, because some of you may relate to this and, in time, more women will decide to step up and tell their stories.

My  friend was travelling recently with her husband, staying at a nice hotel on the west coast. She uses her Uresta when she needs to (not every day, like some women),  mainly when she skips rope. Packing her Uresta for this trip didn’t seem necessary.

I’ve been fighting a cough lately, but nothing like the 5 week respiratory bug that hit my friend while out west.  That bug kept her in bed for three days and even when horizontal, uncontrollable coughing fits caused you know what.  (Yes, bladder leakage can be a problem with a really bad cough.)

With her Uresta more than 5,000 kilometers away, my friend knew she needed an interim solution.  Her husband happily offered to pick up a package of the top selling brand of adult diapers for her and headed out to search.

It was embarrassing enough to carry the package through the store to the checkout (even the small package was large). Things only got worse when the store didn’t have a bag big enough to hold the large package. Yes, my friend’s husband had to walk all the way back to the hotel, through the bustling lobby and up the crowed elevator to their room, trying to be nonchalant while carrying what seemed like a truckload of adult diapers.

When my friend saw the size of the package, she couldn’t help but think of the waste this would cause.  They are bulky to store, to pack, to wear and to dispose of – it’s a real diaper! She was totally distressed that this is all going into landfill.

She envisioned mountains of adult diapers in landfill with a half life of who knows how many years to “decompose”.  She couldn’t even imagine having to pack these for a trip. (There goes the baggage allowance!) And she is now totally sold on the convenience, efficacy and environmental benefits of Uresta.

She had to manage a situation she’d never managed before and here she was, wearing diapers. If she had tucked her Uresta into her suitcase, this whole scenario could have been avoided, along with the waste.

Yes, this story is true. And I’m sure there are so many more embarrassing  “oops, I just leaked ” stories out there. Of course, I would love to hear your story, if you’d like to share.

Women need to know there is a solution…

…so they can ask their health care professionals about it.

By Carol Chapman

I just returned from Vancouver where I was run off my feet at this year’s SOGC conference. (the Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists of Canada). I’m not sure if the conference could have gone any better. (well, maybe it would have been a little better if didn’t have to hobble around on a sprained ankle, but that’s another story!)

There were over 600 attending physicians from across Canada, many of them taking a keen interest in Uresta and making their way to the Aspen exhibit to get a full explanation of our product. This kept Paul, France and Cheryl at Aspen on their toes.

My busiest evening was last Wednesday, when two meetings were setup at two restaurants next door to each other – one meeting for the national obstetrics educational council and the other, a meeting of key urogynecologists. I moved back and forth between these two venues as required, helping with the discussions around Uresta.

It’s clear that there is a lot of excitement among women’s health care professionals about Uresta – it’s accessible and safe.  I’m happy that we are creating a voice for the product so that women who suffer from bladder leakage can find our solution easily and, ultimately, improve their lives. Women need to know there is a solution, so they can ask their health care professionals about it – their physiotherapists, family doctors, gynecologists, etc  – or access Uresta online or at their local pharmacy.

And I also had the pleasure of meeting Maureen McGrath, an RN who is a leading women’s health expert and host of the CKNW Sunday Night Sex Show on talk radio. She educates patients on her blog and is the chair of the BC Chapter of Canadian Nurse Continence Advisers. We’re hoping Maureen can help us spread the word about Uresta to a much wider audience.

Dr. Denise Black, a gynecologist from Winnipeg, was at the conference too, being one our biggest Uresta cheerleaders!

The bottom line? Now even more women’s health care professionals not only know more about Uresta, but they are so excited that this solution exists and is accessible to women who suffer Bladder Leakage (LBL) caused by Stress Urinary Incontinence (SUI).

One more thing. I have to tell you about a very moving conversation I had with a Syrian doctor, Dr. Vanig Garabedian,  when I ran into him in Vancouver- he just arrived in Canada with his family from Syria last December and was greeted personally by Prime Minister Trudeau. He told me that Trudeau said, “Welcome home” when they met.

Dr. Garabedian was a gynecologist in Aleppo for 16 years before escaping to Canada. He was treating women and girls, often navigating cultural barriers that can complicate the delicate subject of maternal health and reproductive care.  He was one of the speakers at the SOGC conference. You can read more about his experiences and his message to the obstetricians and gynecologists of Canada as they begin to treat the many thousands of Syrian women now in Canada.

Expert urges women to seek help for SUI condition

Women around the world suffer from SUI (stress urinary incontinence). Here’s a recent article we found in the Gulf News about the very high  number of women in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) who suffer with this condition.

We can now add uresta® to the list of solutions – a safe, cost-effective, environmentally friendly, non-surgical solution.

Published: June 4, 2016 in Gulf News: Health

By Suchitra Bajpai Chaudhary, Senior Reporter

Expert urges women to seek help for this condition that can diminish their quality of life and impair their self-confidence

Dubai: Around 42 per cent women in the UAE at the mean age of 38 suffer from urinary incontinence, a study has found.

Urinary incontinence is a medical condition that is marked by accidental or involuntary release of urine triggered by a sudden pressure on the bladder such as laughter, coughing or sneezing.

The study stated that nearly 80 per cent complained of disrupted daily life and activities such as praying, social engagements, physical activities and intimacy. Urinary incontinence affects 400 million women worldwide, and the numbers in the UAE are of concern to gynaecologists and urologists here who are urging women to shed their inhibitions and seek medical help.

A significant aspect of this concern also owes itself to the fact that most urologists in the country are male and this inhibits women from seeking a medical opinion on a condition that is seen as socially embarrassing, and is also viewed as a social stigma and a cultural barrier.

Dr Ahlam Bu Saber, UAE’s only Emirati urologist and specialist urologist at Al Qasimi Hospital, Sharjah, told Gulf News: “With early intervention and advice on nutrition, lifestyle changes and exercises, most middle-aged women can control this problem. However, women hesitate to consult a doctor. Sometimes neglecting the problem for long causes deterioration in their condition until surgery becomes the imminent solution to resolve the issue.”

Common incontinence problems

Stress Incontinence (SI): Also known as light incontinence, this occurs when a woman sneezes, coughs, laughs, jogs, or does other things that put pressure on the bladder, resulting in a slight leakage of urine. This is the most common type of bladder control problem in women. These bladder problems are caused by weak muscles in the lower urinary tract. SI is a dominant type of condition prevalent among women worldwide.

  • Urge Incontinence (UI): This condition happens when a woman has a strong need to urinate but can’t reach the toilet in time. This can happen even when your bladder is holding only a small amount of urine. Some women may have no warning before that may result in an accidental leak. In others, a leak could be triggered by the sound or touch of running water.

Treatment

Dr Bu Saber says women usually develop this condition after multiple deliveries or difficult pregnancies. “When a woman experiences involuntary leakage, she must consult a urologist. The doctor can take her history, examine, evaluate and assess her situation. The first line of treatment is Kegel exercises (see box) which will help tone the lax bladder muscles. We have qualified physiotherapists who can teach a woman the correct technique of this exercise. Besides this, women who are obese and have poor nutrition are advised to make lifestyle changes to bring down their weight which, to some extent, resolves this issue.”

When the problem is severe, a surgery which involves taping the lax muscles, is carried out.

“The success rate of [the surgeries] is very high and after a few weeks, during which the patient is advised not to pick up heavy objects and seek proper rest, she can resume her normal life.”

While neglect of this condition is not life-threatening, the fact is urinary incontinence can destroy a woman’s self-esteem and interfere in her social and family life. “We advise women to seek medical consultation and see whether their problem can be first resolved with non-surgical options and then advise this surgery which can change their quality of life,” said Dr Bu Saber.

Kegel the most effective exercise for SI

  • Squeeze the same muscles you would use to stop your urine. Your belly and thighs should not move.
  • Hold the squeeze for three seconds, then relax for three seconds.
  • Start with three seconds, then add one second each week until you are able to squeeze for 10 seconds.
  • Repeat the exercise 10 to 15 times a session. Do three or more sessions a day.
  • For best results, more than three sets of Kegel exercises should be done every day.
  • Diet advice to avoid SI
  • Cut back on caffeine and fizzy drinks
  • Eat foods high in fibre to help avoid constipation
  • Don’t smoke
  • Maintain a healthy weight
  • Exercise moderately to keep your muscles toned

Causes of SI

  • Pregnancies’ frequency and post-pregnancy changes
  • Type of childbirth delivery and pelvic surgeries
  • Menopause and other hormonal diseases
  • Obesity and diabetes
  • Illnesses that cause chronic coughing or sneezing
  • Excess consumption of caffeine and smoking
  • High-impact activities over many years

Symptoms:

  • You might experience SI when you:
  • Stand up
  • Get out of a car
  • Exercise and lift heavy weights
  • Have intercourse
  • Laugh, cough or sneeze