Stress Urinary Incontinence

What is stress urinary incontinence?

Stress urinary incontinence is when the pelvic floor muscles around your bladder and anus (back passage) become weak or stretched. Leakage from your bladder can happen when you cough, sneeze, laugh or move. Usually only a small amount of urine is passed.

What causes stress urinary incontinence?

Stress urinary incontinence can happen at any age and is more common in women due to pregnancy, delivery and reduced female hormones after the menopause. Other causes include long term coughing, constipation and being overweight.

What is the pelvic floor muscle?

The pelvic floor is made up of layers of muscles, stretching like a hammock from your pubic bone to the bottom of your backbone.

These muscles help to hold your bladder and bowel in position, also the uterus (womb) in women. They prevent leakage from your bladder and bowel, only relaxing when your bladder or bowel is emptying.

What can I do to help myself?

You can help yourself by:

• Doing pelvic floor exercises. These can improve your muscle tone (strength), your continence and quality of life. Your nurse or advisor will explain these exercises and give you a leaflet, ‘How to do pelvic floor exercises’.
• Losing weight, if you are overweight.
• Giving up smoking.
• Seeking medical advice of you have a long-term cough.
• Trying not to become constipated by eating a healthy diet with plenty of fruit and vegtables.
• Drinking plenty of fluid each day. It is recommended that you drink 1.5 litres (6 to 8 large cups or glasses) per day. However, you should not drink more than 2 litres (4 pints) of fluid each day. If you drink less, it will not stop you having stress incontinence.

Drinks containing alcohol or caffeine, such as tea, coffee, cola of high energy drinks (such as Red Bull) will irritate your bladder and should be avoided. You can have drinks that do not contain caffeine, such as de-caffeinated tea or coffee.

Are there any other treatments?

If pelvic floor exercises do not help, your nurse will discuss further treatments. You may benefit from a referral to a Specialist Pelvic Health Adviser, physiotherapist or a doctor who specialises in urinary incontinence. Further treatments can include medication (tablets), nerve stimulation, physiotherapy or surgery.

What if I decide not to have treatment?

Your pelvic floor muscles can become weaker and your stress urinary incontinence may become worse.

Contact numbers

If you need further advice or have any questions or worries, you should talk to your nurse or continence nurse.

North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust

Specialist Pelvic Health Team

Monday to Friday, 8:30am to 4:30pm

Telephone SPA patient line: 01429 522 500

Further information is available from

Bladder & Bowel Community

Forward House

17 High Street

Henley-in-Arden

B95 5AA

Email: [email protected]

Home Delivery Service: 0800 031 5406

Bladder & Bowel UK

Burrows House

10 Priestley Road

Wardley Industrial Estate

Worsley

M28 2LY

General enquiries

Telephone: 0161 607 8219

Website: www.bbuk.org.uk/

Email: [email protected]

RADAR KEYS (for disabled toilet access)

11 Church Street

Exmouth

EX8 1PE

General enquiries 

Telephone: 01395 222588

Website: www.radarkeys.org

Email: [email protected]

Information used in the development of this leaflet

Abrams P, Khoury S, Wein A. The 1st international consultation on incontinence, co-sponsored by the WHO, Monaco: Health publication 1999.

Department of Health. Good practice in continence services. March

2000

National Institute for Health and care Excellence (NICE) 2019 Urinary Incontinence and Pelvic Organ Prolapse in Women; management. 

www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng123

Comments, concerns, compliments or complaints

Patient Experience Team (PET)

We are continually trying to improve the services we provide. We want to know what we’re doing well or if there’s anything which we can improve, that’s why the Patient Experience Team (PET) is here to help. Our Patient Experience Team is here to try to resolve your concerns as quickly as possible. The office is based on the ground floor at the University Hospital of North Tees if you wish to discuss concerns in person. If you would like to contact or request a copy of our PET leaflet, please contact:

Telephone: 01642 624719

Freephone: 0800 092 0084

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Telephone: 01642 383551

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Leaflet feedback

This leaflet has been produced in partnership with patients and carers. All patient leaflets are regularly reviewed, and any suggestions you have as to how it may be improved are extremely valuable. Please write to the Clinical Governance team, North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust, University Hospital of North Tees, TS19 8PE or:

Email: [email protected]