Not Just a Man's World

Earlier this year I wrote a little about suffering from incontinence, specifically suffering from it when I was extremely active, such as a multi-day hike.  A couple of things have come to my notice since then and I thought it really needed a single post to bring the different strands together, so here goes:

• Let’s start with my original starting point, the epidemiological research showing that incontinence occurred in women during sports activity and that body mass index and parity seemed to be directly associated to it.  The research wasn’t looking for causes, instead it seemed to be getting a feel for the occurrence levels of incontinence in active women.  I’m hoping that this is a springboard for more detailed research.
• In that original post I mentioned that I had been toying for some time with the possibility that my incontinence problems were caused by the impact of the abs and glutes on my sphincter muscles.  I’d reached this idea by recognising that the problems occurred when I was walking for several days and knowing that after numerous days on the hills my abs and glutes, both of which are directly connected to the sphincter muscles (as far as I can tell), are tiring.  I was therefore really interested to find that Cassandra Forsythe was writing about postpartum exercise incontinence and that she had come across some information about this being caused by weakened glute muscles.  Cassandra is now focussed on strengthening up her glutes to see if she can eliminate her issues in this area.  I started thinking about it when I decided to write this post and had a sudden realisation.  I had no incidences of incontinence while walking in the Alps in June.  I’d been working like a crazy woman on glute strength for the 9 months or so before going to the Alps and my glutes have increased in size to the point where I’m having to consider a new wardrobe (and probably making my own clothes since the clothes which fit my waist don’t have openings large enough to go over my glutes).  Could this be supporting evidence that glute strength is linked to exercise incontinence?  Perhaps.
• Another potential cause of incontinence which I looked into was prolapses.  For me, personally, I’ve pretty much discredited this as a possible cause of my own incontinence.  However, I do think that it is a likely cause of incontinence in some other women.  If you are struggling with incontinence then you need to consider all the possible causes and work out which is the most likely cause for you. 
• Finally, a childhood friend of mine, Abi, read my posts about incontinence and sent me an email a few months later.  She wrote the following:

“I read this article the other day and it mentioned activity related incontinence[...]. It was from a book called women’s bodies women’s wisdom (very interesting generally for all female related health and particularly problems). So it mentions something called a uninary control device and particularly it’s newer version reliance uninary control insert. Reliance is the brand name in the US. It says it is as easy to use as a tampon and is disposible. Perfect for sports or activity related SUI.”

I thought this sounded fascinating.  I’d never come across urinary control devices but a quick Google of the phrase brought up a host of solutions for incontinence, perhaps ideal for using while you address the underlying cause of your incontinence.  I also did a search for Reliance and found a website explaining how it works.  As Abi pointed out elsewhere in her email, Reliance may not be available outside the US yet, but it certainly sounds ideal for active people.  Thanks for the tip-off Abi and I’ll be looking into reading the book too!

So there you have it.  Some follow up thoughts on short-term solutions and potential causes of incontinence.  If you are reading this because it is relevant to you, I hope this helps guide you towards some possible solutions to your problem.  If you find out about anything else that may be relevant, please let me know.

Related posts:

1. Lessons learned: incontinence and prolapses
2. Lessons learned this week: incontinence
3. Blog-watch: some pregnancy articles
4. Blog-watch: All about the glutes