Experts from the Hospital do Servidor Público Estadual (HSPE) warn about the prevalence of urinary incontinence in young women. HSPE urologist Lorella Auricchio draws attention to the risks, as currently one in four women over 40 years of age has the disease. This is because a significant portion of women work for a long time sitting and do not take a break to go to the bathroom properly, holding their urine. Ideally, every 3 or 4 hours, men and women empty their bladders to avoid incontinence or urinary infections.
Urinary incontinence is known as involuntary loss of urine and is common, especially in women. The possibility of leakage increases during pregnancy, as the belly grows and causes greater abdominal pressure during this period. However, young women have reported difficulty controlling their pee and this is due to their lifestyle.
There are two types of urinary incontinence: urgency, when it is not possible to reach the bathroom in time, or stress. In young women, it is usually possible to see urine leakage during intense, high-impact physical activities, such as weight lifting, running and jumping.
In addition to sitting, smoking, drinking alcohol, obesity, poor diet and lack of physical exercise also contribute to urine leakage. Urologist Lorella Auricchio reinforces care to avoid incontinence.
“It is very common to see that people have normalized urine leakage, but the problem needs to be investigated, which may be associated with other diseases. Sometimes, changing habits helps, but there are cases that require surgery (sling) for definitive treatment, aiming to improve the patient’s quality of life”, he explains.
In addition to behavioral measures and lifestyle changes, it is recommended to work on strengthening the pelvic floor. In case of recurrence of urine loss, it is necessary to see a urologist for a correct diagnosis and the best treatment.
(From the Editor)
