Faith Regional Health Services | living WELL | Summer 2020

6 FAITH REGIONAL HEALTH SERVICES SNEEZING SHOULD MAKE YOU REACH FOR TISSUES. But if you find yourself grabbing toilet paper instead because you leaked some urine, you’re not alone. Many women struggle with stress incontinence—a loss of bladder control triggered by activities that can put pressure on the bladder, such as sneezing, laughing or exercising. Why does it happen? “Pelvic muscles weakened by childbirth are often to blame,” explains Yemi Akin-Olugbade, MD, a urolo- gist at Faith Regional Physician Services Urology. “Menopause may also play a role.” Some doctors suspect that dropping estrogen levels weaken pelvic muscles, which could explain why more older women have stress incontinence than younger ones. Stress incontinence is the most common type of incontinence in women—but it’s not the only one. Women may also have: •  Urge incontinence. Here, the need to urinate comes on suddenly, before you can get to the bathroom. • Mixed incontinence. This is a combination, often of both stress and urge incontinence. WOMEN: Don’t keep it a secret