Urinary incontinence is the unintentional loss of urine which has become a significant problem among women. Approximately 11 million women are affected by incontinence. According to the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research, one in four ages 30-59 experience incontinence episodes. Many individuals feel this a natural part of aging when in fact - it is not. Often sufferers can be helped but never discuss the situation with their Doctors because of embarrassment.

There are various types of incontinence. The most common being stress and urge incontinence.

Stress incontinence occurs when there is intra-abdominal pressure such as sneezing, coughing, laughing or lifting. The pelvic floor muscles (which prevent bladder leakage) are not strong enough to hold back the urine with the added pressure resulting in urine leaking from the bladder. Most times the accidents are small in nature but can become worse over time.

Urge incontinence is the sudden strong urge to urinate with inability to make it to the bathroom in time. This can result in moderate to large accidents. Again the pelvic floor muscles are unable to hold back the flow of urine usually due to weakness.

Mixed incontinence is a combination of stress and urge incontinence.

Incontinence can occur for a variety of reasons. Some common ones are pregnancy, childbirth, hormonal changes with menopause, obesity, chronic constipation, chronic coughing, and bearing down while lifting. If you