There are many life circumstances that could result in the vaginal muscles relaxing – childbirth is an extremely common one, as is the simple effect of time. Whatever the reason, vaginal relaxation can mean that a woman experiences trouble using tampons, problems passing bowel movements, and decreased desire for, or enjoyment of intimacy.
What Is Urinary Incontinence?
Urinary incontinence is the involuntary passage of urine, typically involving strong, sudden urges to urinate and accidental leakage when you sneeze, laugh, cough, or exercise, or during sex.
Given the potential for embarrassment, untreated urinary incontinence can lead to hygienic, social, and psychological problems, and strictly limit affected persons’ ability to live life to the fullest. Important to note here is that incontinence itself is not a disease. Rather, it’s the consequence of an alteration in the bladder filling phase, and is more common among women, children (this is known as enuresis), and the elderly.
This condition affects significant portions of the population, including more than 15 to 35 percent of people over 65 and over 30 percent of women between the ages of 30 and 60. Approximately 15 million adult women in the United States and approximately 12 million American adults over the age of 18 suffer from urge incontinence.