This educational resource was sponsored by Poise, a brand of Kimberly-Clark. Other Kimberly-Clark brands include Depend and Thinx for All Leaks.
Medically reviewed by Lauri Romanzi MD, MScPH, FACOG, FURPS
When it comes to bladder leakage, we’ve all got questions. Like, does everyone else avoid trampolines and Will Ferrell movies?
Maybe those aren’t your exact same bladder leakage questions, but if you’re one of the 1 in 2 women who experience some sort of involuntary peeing, you probably have at least some questions. And we’re here to answer them.
Let’s get down to the facts about bladder leakage.
Bladder leakage — when you involuntarily pee — is a common condition, with as many as half of all women and people assigned female at birth (AFAB) affected by it at some point in their lives.
Those numbers only get higher as we age, with as many as 3 out of 4 women experiencing bladder leakage after the age of 65. In fact, bladder leakage can be one of the first symptoms of genitourinary syndrome of menopause (GSM), which used to be called vaginal atrophy.
There are a few different types of bladder leakage, also called urinary incontinence:
Women and people AFAB can experience bladder leakage at any stage of their life, but it’s most common in women over 50. Bladder leakage is also common in pregnant people and people who have had a vaginal birth.
Bladder leakage is also often associated with perimenopause and menopause.
Bladder leakage isn’t always preventable, but there are some things you can do to lower your risk of experiencing it. You should:
There are a couple key exercises that can help prevent bladder leakage (you may want to consult a pelvic floor therapist to be sure you’re doing them right). Also, bear in mind that both exercises below require regular practice to be effective.
Bladder leakage can be both uncomfortable and embarrassing, but there are ways to make yourself more comfortable. Bladder leakage pads, like Poise pads, or bladder leakage underwear, like Depend or Thinx for All Leaks, can help with wetness and odor control. Pads made specifically for bladder leakage are designed to control odor and wetness from urine unlike period products.
Depending on the type of bladder leakage you have, your healthcare provider may recommend one or more of the following treatments:
An important step to finding long-term solutions to bladder leakage is to talk about it with your healthcare provider — something too few women do. Once you open up the dialogue, you can decide, together, on the best course of action for you.
National Association for Continence
This educational resource was sponsored by Poise, a brand of Kimberly-Clark. Other Kimberly-Clark brands include Depend and Thinx for All Leaks.
Poise and Depend are registered trademarks of Kimberly-Clark. Thinx for All Leaks is a trademark of Kimberly-Clark.
This article was originally published on healthywomen.org.
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