The amount of misinformation floating around about urinary incontinence (UI) continues to astound us, so much so that we feel the need to post yet another blog to debunk these myths. Here are just a few myths about urinary incontinence that we felt were particularly debilitating to women suffering from UI.

UI Doesn’t Interfere with the Quality of Life
According to a survey conducted by Harris Interactive, more than 62% of people suffering from UI rated their quality of life as “good or excellent.” This is despite the fact that in another survey, a high percentage said that the bathroom represents “a symbol of incarceration” because of the constant need to be near toilet facilities due to bladder issues. At the same time, only one in five people feel truly comfortable using bathroom facilities outside their own home. Still think UI doesn’t interfere with the quality of life?

Childbirth Does Not Put Women at Risk for UI
More than 1/3 of women surveyed by the National Association for Continence, including women who had UI symptoms, felt that having a baby did not increase the chances of urine leakage. To the contrary, statistics show that post-partum women are 2.5 times as likely to have UI symptoms as women who have not given birth.

I Don’t Need to See a Doctor about UI
Fifty percent of women suffering from stress urinary incontinence never see a doctor, and the variety of reasons they gave when surveyed for not seeking help are truly amazing:

- 64% said it wasn’t enough of a problem
- 34% assumed it was supposed to happen with age
- 22% were not asked by their doctor
- 19% dealt with it using absorbent pads
- 17% were not aware anything could be done
- 17% were too busy
- 10% didn’t have a doctor

Does this shock you? It shocks us. UI isn’t healthy or normal at any age, and the success rates for UI treatments are high for most women. Don’t just deal with your UI symptoms by yourself. Get help!

Don’t Know Where to Start?
Help abounds for women with UI. Whether you get Google UI treatments or you ask a close girlfriend for a referral to a doctor, there are plenty of resources to help relieve your symptoms. Read the other posts on this blog or check out your symptoms on the Wet Matters website. Here are also some additional online resources to help you out:

National Association for Continence

American Urologic Association Foundation

Medline Plus