Understand the causes of the increase in cases in young women

Urologists at the Hospital do Servidor Público Estadual (HSPE) in São Paulo found an increase in cases of urinary incontinence in young women in Brazil, a problem that affects 45% of women over 40 years of age, according to estimates by the Brazilian Society of Urology (SBU). Most of the complaints observed among young women are linked to lifestyle factors, such as spending a lot of time sitting and holding in urine. The advice that applies to all people is, every 3 or 4 hours, to take a bathroom break as a way to minimize the risks of having incontinence and/or urinary infection.

Through a statement released by the São Paulo government, doctors explain that urinary incontinence is a condition described by any involuntary loss of urine. They highlight that the disease is divided into 2 types:

• Urgency – This is the most serious type. The patient is unable to reach the bathroom in time and presents with a sudden and uncontrollable urge to urinate. During the night, it can interfere with the quality of sleep, because the person needs to get up several times throughout the night to go to the bathroom;
• Effort – This is the most common type. It is characterized by urinary loss during moments of exertion such as physical activity, carrying weight, or during coughing or laughing.

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Causes of the problem

Experts point to several reasons why women are most affected by the disease. One of them is the fact that the urethra in the female body (tube that transports urine from the bladder out of the body) is shorter compared to the male body, with more fragile muscles in this region. An example is in pregnancy, when increased pressure in the abdominal area can lead to urine leaking more frequently. Other causes cited are smoking, drinking alcohol, obesity, poor eating habits and lack of physical exercise.

Forms of Treatment

According to the urologist at HSPE, Lorella Auricchio: “If the person, once in their life, has lost pee, because it is too tight, there is no problem. But you need to be careful if the situation recurs, even if only a little. It is very common to see that people have normalized urine leakage, but it is necessary to investigate the problem, which may be associated with other diseases.” The specialist says that treatments to prevent cases of incontinence, such as specific physiotherapy to strengthen the pelvic floor, as well as surgery (sling) for definitive treatment, which aims to improve the patient’s quality of life, and reinforces the importance of seeking a urologist to receive the correct diagnosis and treatment guidelines.

Featured Photo: Women are more affected by urinary incontinence (Reproduction/Getty Images Embed/The Image Bank/Peter Dezeley)