Urinary incontinence is a common problem that decreases quality of life for millions of American women.
If you are significantly overweight and have urinary incontinence, a new study has some good news for you. Losing a relatively modest amount of weight can significantly decrease urinary incontinence, particularly stress incontinence when urine escapes with a cough, sneeze or other physical activity.
The study randomly divided 338 overweight women with incontinence into two groups. Both groups got instruction on healthy lifestyles and information on incontinence, including how to effectively strengthen pelvic-floor muscles. The weight-loss group also began a supervised six month weight loss program.
After six months, the weight-loss group had dropped an average of 8% of their initial weight. 75% of the women in this group reported their incontinence was less of a problem. They said incontinence episodes were less frequent, and more than half the women reported losing less urine per episode.
The control group also lost a little weight, an average 1.6% of their baseline weight, and over half had some decrease in their incontinence. However, a significantly greater number of women in the weight-loss group said they were satisfied with the change in their incontinence.
The improvement in the control group does suggest that basic incontinence information and pelvic-floor exercises can be of some help. This is encouraging for women with incontinence who are not overweight or have not been able to lose weight.
For the significantly overweight woman with urinary incontinence, weight loss can greatly improve this condition as well as other medical problems.
