Ask about SUI.(Guest Editorial)

In my experience, the recognition of stress urinary incontinence--the most common form of incontinence in women--is poor in the primary care setting, regardless of the patient's age.

More than 50% of affected women will not voluntarily discuss the condition with their physician. Such is the power of shame about the inability to control our bodies.

What is a clinician to do? Ask about the presence of symptoms of stress urinary incontinence (SUI). Women typically describe their urine leakage as occurring when they laugh, cough, sneeze, or exercise--when increases in abdominal pressure cause stress and the involuntary loss of urine.

Don't limit your inquiries to older women. SUI is a problem for many women. Many women have SUI after childbirth when the pelvic muscles are weakened.

Young mothers may have leakage when they play with their kids or pick up the baby.

While many women experience SUI symptoms with the onset of menopause, when hormonal changes alter the urethra and bladder, even young athletes in their teens and twenties can surfer from SUI symptoms during workouts and competitions.

Remember that SUI may also occur in women who are obese, have had pelvic or abdominal surgery, or have nerve or muscle injuries or disorders.