As if the constant fear of smelling like urine and the need to laundry daily were not enough, women living with urinary incontinence are starting to feel the financial strain of their condition as well.

According to the National Association for Continence, the average person suffering from urinary incontinence spends approximately $1,000 per year managing their incontinence, which includes the cost of absorbent products, laundry, and pessaries. That’s a hefty sum in these trying economic times, and does not include non-generic drug costs, which can exceed $1,300 per year.

On a national level, the cost of treating urinary incontinence is also on the rise, according to the National Institute of Health. Conservatively estimates put the cost at $20 billion, making the cost of treating this condition on par with that of treating arthritis. The cost is also significantly higher than the cost of treating conditions like breast cancer, pneumonia, or influenza. Not cheap.

At the same time, according to the National Association for Continence, about 17% of women dealing with urinary incontinence use tissues, paper towels, or toilet paper instead of absorbent products designed for urinary incontinence. If you’ve checked prices in the adult diaper section recently, then you know that toilet paper is a lot cheaper to buy than adult diapers, which cost on average $0.70 each and last only 3 hours. Unfortunately, while toilet paper is cheap it doesn’t offer the comfort or security of an adult diaper.

How to Get Yourself Out of Adult Diapers
If you are feeling the financial strain of buying adult diapers but can’t deal with wads of toilet paper anymore, then stop. Ask yourself these three questions:

1. Have I sought help for my urinary incontinence?
2. Have I gotten a clear diagnosis for my condition? (i.e., stress, urge, or mixed urinary incontinence, or pelvic organ prolapse)
3. Have I learned about all the treatment options available for my condition, and have I taken action steps to try one or more of these treatments?

If you answered “No” to any of the above questions, then you may be buying adult diapers when you don’t have to.

To get yourself out of adult diapers, the first step is to ask for help, whether from sympathetic women friends, your spouse, your doctor, or a specialist who treats urinary incontinence.

The second step is to get a clear diagnosis that you can understand. If you either can’t get a clear diagnosis or can’t get an explanation of your condition that makes sense to you, keep asking until you get what you need. You have to learn the causes of your condition before you can treat it. Learn more about the different urinary incontinence conditions on the Wet Matters website.

The last step is to evaluate the different treatment options available, and to try one or more of them. What many women struggling with urinary incontinence don’t realize is that no single treatment works for every woman. You may have to try several different treatments before you find a treatment or a combination of treatments that work for you. The important point is to keep taking action steps toward resolving your incontinence until you find a solution that works for you. Then you can dump those adult diapers in the trash for the last time!