From The Straits Times    |

urinary incontinence, leaking urine, health, pregnancy, birthPhoto: 123rf.com

 

WHAT IS IT?

Urinary incontinence occurs when you leak urine involuntarily when you cough, sneeze, run, jump or carry heavy things.

This is known as stress incontinence, which is one of the most common types of urinary incontinence affecting women, says Dr Christopher Chong from Gleneagles Hospital.

WHO GETS IT?

Around 13.5 per cent of women in Singapore suffer from the condition, and more than a third of them above the age of 50 have it, based on a local survey by Dr Chong.

The effects can range from a minor leak (of just a few drops) to a substantial amount of urine.

VAGINAL VERSUS C-SECTION DELIVERIES

If you had a vaginal delivery, you are more likely to have urinary incontinence a year after delivering your baby, compared to a mum who had a C-section, according to a study published in Obstetrics and Gynaecology in March 2014.

This may be due to torn tissues, or tissues that do not heal well after being stretched by Baby’s head coming through the vagina, Dr Chong explains.

That said, even mums who undergo a C-section can get it. During pregnancy, the enlarged womb would have caused the pelvic floor muscles – which support the bladder, womb and rectum – to overstretch.

“If the woman did not do protective pelvic floor exercise during and after pregnancy, the risk of stress incontinence will be even higher,” he warns.

Also read: “I peed on myself several times a day after giving birth”

THE DOC SAYS

You should also take Grandma’s confinement advice when she tells you not to lift heavy things, exercise or do housework.

“If a mum has to carry heavy loads, over-exert herself, or put continuous stress on the pelvic floor after delivery [such as chronic constipation], the wound – especially from a normal vaginal delivery – will not heal well. This can increase her risk of stress incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse,” Dr Chong adds.

Pelvic organ prolapse occurs when the womb, bladder or bowel drops into the vagina. Half of women with stress incontinence will have this, Dr Chong notes.

About 95 per cent of mothers who leak urine three months postpartum will continue to do so five years after the delivery.

Pelvic floor exercises may help nip 60 per cent of mild stress incontinence cases, according to Dr Chong. But if that doesn’t work, surgery is your next best bet.

He says: “Any urine leakage is not normal. Seek professional help early.”

2 WAYS TO PREVENT IT

Dr Chong shows you how to avoid urinary incontinence.

Do not strain the pelvic floor after delivery. This includes no heavy lifting, housework or exercising within the confinement period of four to six weeks.

Do your pelvic floor exercises – also known as Kegels – during pregnancy, after delivery and forever after. Do the exercises as often as you can, and regularly.

How do you know if you’re doing your Kegels correctly? Imagine that you are about to move your bowels, but you cannot find a toilet. What would you do?

Squeeze your anus to prevent the faeces from coming out. This action helps you squeeze your pelvic floor muscles, Dr Chong shares.

Another way to figure out if you are squeezing the right muscles is to use the muscles needed to stop urine flow half way when urinating, he adds.

The examples above illustrate which muscles to use when doing your Kegels. Don’t do pelvic floor exercises while passing urine or motion.

 

This story was originally published in the February 2016 issue of Young Parents.