After years of worrying that running or sneezing would leave her needing fresh underwear, a quick, minimally invasive procedure changed one woman's life. She had suffered from stress urinary incontinence (SUI) following five pregnancies and three deliveries, but never mentioned it at a doctor's appointment, and no one asked. She assumed it was the price of procreation and failing to do Kegels.
About 45% to 50% of women experience SUI at least once a week, yet many suffer in silence. Research suggests that for every case reported to primary care doctors, 20 go unreported. The condition also affects transgender men on hormone therapy and some cis men after prostate cancer treatment, but far fewer.
The author eventually discovered that women don't have to live with incontinence. A few quick office visits changed her life after she found a minimally invasive procedure. She urges women to question the narrative that midlife incontinence is a mixture of fault and destiny, and to seek help.
