There are a lot of things that happen to the female body that often get brushed under the rug. We don’t often talk to the world about menstruation, child birth, cramps and even our hormonal swings—we might talk to our girlfriends about this stuff but overall it’s seen as pretty taboo.
And that taboo is probably why you’ve never heard of SUI before. And no it’s not the latest Law and Order spin off.
Stress Urinary Incontinence is something that happens when the muscles around the urethra become weak and have trouble preventing the leakage of urine from the bladder when pressure or stress is placed on it. So, sometimes, when you sneeze, laugh, cough or exercise, you may experience some bladder leakage.
And while we might all be quick to protest—“No, not me, I’ve never experienced that!”—the reality is that one in four Canadian women experience urinary incontinence and 49% of those women suffer from SUI.
It begs the question, why aren’t we talking about SUI more?
“There’s a stigma associated with incontinence because it has to do with a bodily function and losing control of a bodily function,” said Dr. Jennifer Berman from the Emmy award-winning The Doctors, who is also a practicing urologist with specialized training in female urology and female sexual medicine. “Because it involves a bodily function that has to do with excrement, which we typically do in the privacy of our bathrooms, there’s shame, embarrassment and humiliation around it—especially when we lose control.”
Dr. Berman herself has experienced SUI—“particularly while riding horses”—and she thinks the most important thing woman can do is talk about it.
“It’s important to know that there are now options for treating Stress Urinary Incontinence, that they’re not alone, that this is extremely common, and that they can research online and seek solutions on their own.”
There is the option of surgery, but for many women who experience mild SUI, the risks associated with any surgery just aren’t worth it. Dr. Berman suggests Kegel exercises, but for her it wasn’t enough.
“I was so excited to learn about Poise Impressa! I looked at the studies, the data, and tried the product—and it works.”
Poise Impressa is a specially designed, non-absorbent, removable product that helps to stop bladder leaks before they even happen.
And according to Dr. Berman, this is a seriously revolutionary product. “There are no other over-the-counter products available that function to support the urethra and treat Stress Urinary Incontinence. It makes a difference in that Poise Impressa provides an anatomic support to the urethra just as a surgical treatment would provide.”
If you’ve been avoiding exercising, running, or even laughing with family and friends, Poise Impressa is going to let you live your life without fear.
“It gives women freedom to live their lives the way that they wish to live them and enjoy them. Women can engage in the activities that they want without fear of losing control of urine so they can go through life and their daily activities with ease, facility and lack of fear.”
By sharing her story with the rest of the world Dr. Berman hopes that SUI will stop being such a taboo subject.
“I think the one thing that I want to dispel is this idea that Stress Urinary Incontinence is a taboo subject that women need to be ashamed, embarrassed or silent about. People think that nobody else is suffering from it, or that they’re alone with the problem, or that there’s nothing that can be done. Stress Urinary Incontinence happens, and it’s something that can be dealt with.”
So stop fearing this ridiculous taboo, ladies, because it’s the only reason you never knew what SUI stood for before today.
I’ve had it for a few years now. It didn’t bother me before but, it does get troublesome in the colder months and with movement that aggravates those muscles.