How to Manage Stress Urinary Incontinence
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Incontinence
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How to Manage Stress Urinary Incontinence

If you’re managing Stress Urinary Incontinence, you are not alone. We understand that for those who are managing Stress Urinary Incontinence, it can oftentimes be uncomfortable and stressful to find products that best suit your needs. When our new customers call us, we commonly get asked about what would be the best solutions for managing Stress Urinary Incontinence (SUI). 

Our goal is to provide you with essential information on how to manage incontinence and to help you find products that meet your personal needs. We hope that this article will provide you with knowledge on what causes Stress Urinary Incontinence and will help you find products that meet your individual needs. If you ever need any help, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us.


What is Stress Urinary Incontinence?

If you’re just learning how to manage Stress Urinary Incontinence, we know that it can oftentimes be stressful to go for social events and to public places in fear of experiencing leaks. To help, we’ve written this post with the goal of answering our most commonly asked questions about Stress Urinary Incontinence.

So you may be wondering what causes Stress Urinary Incontinence? Well, Stress Urinary Incontinence occurs when there is sudden pressure on the bladder and the urethra. This pressure then causes urine to leak out. Oftentimes, the amount of urine leakage depends on the severity of the incontinence you experience. 

If you experience mild SUI, pressure may be caused from strenuous activities like exercise, sneezing, laughing, or coughing. Oftentimes, if you have more severe incontinence, pressure may also be caused by less forceful activities such as standing up or bending over. 


Who is Affected by SUI?

Stress Urinary Incontinence is quite common, so it’s important to remember that you’re not alone in managing this type of incontinence. According to the Urology Care Foundation, about 1 in 3 women suffer from SUI at some point in their life

The likelihood of living with Stress Urinary Incontinence often increases with age. Currently, about 50% of women aged 65 or older suffer from the occasional urinary leak

While men can also be affected by Stress Urinary Incontinence, it is usually more common for men to experience an overactive bladder (OAB). What is an overactive bladder you may ask? Well, an overactive bladder results in an uncontrollable urge to urinate which can sometimes lead to urine leakage. Men most affected by an SUI are oftentimes those who have had prostate cancer surgery, or pelvic nerve injury or damage.


Best Products for Managing SUI 

Everyone’s situation is unique, so finding a product that will meet your personal needs is essential. That is why, choosing a product that has the right level of absorbency is important to ensure you are well protected from leaks.

The incontinence products you may need will vary depending on the amount of absorbency you’re looking for. As a general rule of thumb, there are certain types of incontinence products that offer higher or lower capacity levels. 


#1: Incontinence Pads

For those managing mild Stress Urinary Incontinence, incontinence pads are a cost-effective and discreet option for handling the unexpected leaks. These pads generally range in lengths from 6” to over 20” and can be held in place by underwear or an undergarment. 

Please note that we strongly recommend using pads designed specifically for incontinence rather than feminine hygiene pads when managing urine leakage. It is important to use incontinence pads as they have higher absorbency levels and are specifically designed with odour reduction properties.


#2: Bladder Supports

Another option we recommend for managing occasional urine leaks are bladder supports. Specifically designed for light urinary incontinence, bladder supports are an effective and discreet option for women who experience Stress urinary Incontinence.

 So how do these bladder supports work? Well, these supports are designed to physically lift the urethra and prevent light leakages without interfering with the natural urinary flow when going to the washroom. Here, at Healthwick, we are proud to supply the clinically tested, Uresta created by Canadian urogynaecologist, Dr. Scott Farrell. 

At Healthwick, our goal is to provide you with safe and effective products that meet your needs. That is why we are proud to announce that the Uresta is not only licensed under Health Canada, but is also listed with the FDA, and CE marked (for sale in the EU).


#3: Adult Underwear

We know that for our customers who are managing heavy stress urinary incontinence leakages, finding the right product with higher absorbency levels is important to prevent leaks. To ensure that you are confident, self-assured, and dry we recommend adult absorbent underwear to protect you from unexpected leaks. Adult underwear are specifically designed for moderate to heavy protection levels and have an easy pull-up design with leg-gather systems to ensure security against leakage. Here, at Healthwick, we offer a variety of sizes ranging from youth/x-small to XX-large to directly  meet each of our customers’ needs and to ensure a secure fit.

We hope that this blog post has helped you learn more about Stress Urinary Incontinence and how to manage the unexpected bladder leaks. For more information about a particular product, please feel free to contact us and someone from our caring and intelligent team would be happy to assist you.

1 comment

Aug 16, 2021
Rachel

I found this article very informative and well written.

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