When my mate laughs or sneezes she pees herself, I am worried is this normal she is in her 50s?

Answer 1

It is very normal. It's call Stress Incontinence. I had that after both my pregnancies. The midwife told me to Kegel a few times a day. It really does have to be done almost daily to get improvement, but it's worth it. FYI, men sometimes learn to Kegel, too.

Here is a little info. from the link below:

"Kegel exercises were originally developed by Dr. Arnold Kegel in 1948 as a method of controlling incontinence in women following childbirth. These exercises are now recommended for women with urinary stress incontinence, some men who have urinary incontinence after prostate surgery, and people who have fecal (stool) incontinence.

"The principle behind Kegel exercises is to strengthen the muscles of the pelvic floor, thereby improving the urethral and rectal sphincter function. The success of Kegel exercises depends on proper technique and adherence to a regular exercise program.

"Some people have difficulty identifying and isolating the muscles of the pelvic floor. Care must be taken to learn to contract the correct muscles. Typically, most people contract the abdominal or thigh muscles, while not even working the pelvic floor muscles. These incorrect contractions may even worsen pelvic floor tone and incontinence.

"Several techniques help the incontinent person identify the correct muscles. One approach is to sit on the toilet and start to urinate. Try to stop the flow of urine midstream by contracting your pelvic floor muscles. Repeat this action several times until you become familiar with the feel of contracting the correct group of muscles. Do not contract your abdominal, thigh, or buttocks muscles while performing the exercise...

"...Treatment sessions usually last 20 minutes and may be performed every 1 to 4 days. Some clinical studies have shown promising results in treating stress and urge incontinence with electrical stimulation.

PERFORMING PELVIC FLOOR EXERCISES:

1. Begin by emptying your bladder.

2. Tighten the pelvic floor muscles and hold for a count of 10.

3. Relax the muscle completely for a count of 10.

4. Perform 10 exercises, three times a day (morning, afternoon, and night).

"These exercises can be performed any time and any place. Most people prefer to perform the exercises while lying down or sitting in a chair. After 4 to 6 weeks, most people notice some improvement. It may take as long as 3 months to see a significant change.

"A word of caution: some people feel that they can speed up the progress by increasing the number of repetitions and the frequency of exercises. However, this over-exercising may instead cause muscle fatigue and increase leakage of urine.

"If you feel any discomfort in your abdomen or back while performing these exercises, you are probably performing them incorrectly. Some people have a tendency to hold their breath or tighten their chest while trying to contract the pelvic floor muscles. Relax and concentrate on contracting just the pelvic floor muscles.

"When properly performed, Kegel exercises have been shown to be 50-80% effective in improving urinary continence."

Answer 2

Bladder problems. She should see her GP as there are lots of things which can be done - apart from pelvic floor exercises. Lots of women suffer this problem in silence and they really shouldn't, not in this day and age. I was in hospital for 5 days for bladder re-training - nothing invasive, I hasten to add. I had a great time and I laughed the whole time - without peeing myself - and the Sister in charge was absolutely fantastic. No hoity-toity explanations - just straight down-to-earth talk. The stay in hospital was opposed to having up to 10 different appointments, since I lived quite a distance from the hospital. Tell your buddy to get herself sorted soon. Good luck.

Answer 3

Yes this is normal. Especially if she has had children. Both pregnancy and older age weaken the bladder's ability to "hold it" and sudden stiumuli such as laughing or sneezing might result in her peeing herself a bit.

Answer 4

Loss of bladder control is 'normal' as we get older. I am 33 and had an issue like this. I had a UTI which caused the problem and I just drank cranberry juice to take care of it. She may want to have herself checked out for an infection and start doing keigel exercises in the mean time. Good luck to her.

Answer 5

This actually is quite common. It is called stress incontinence. It is more common in women, especially if they have had children. She can help by doing Kegal excercises. This is tighting her pelvic muscle like she is trying to hold her urine. Count to 5 relax and repeat 5 times. She can do this several times a day. (No one can tell). Her doctor may be able to prescibe her something to that helps to tone the bladder muscles.

Answer 6

Yes. Incontinence begins to override all of us as we age. She may be able to reverse this by practicing some Kegel exercises to tighten up the muscles that are lax in that area. I would however consult a doctor regardless.

Answer 7

1 in 4 women over the age of 50 have bladder weakness so yes, this is very normal.
She could try pelvic floor excersises to try and help or if it is really bad she should see her doctor.

Answer 8

Quite normal. Send her to her practice nurse for advice on excercise to strengthen her pelvic floor, which is supposed to help. Or buy her some tenna ladies.

Answer 9

Unfortunately it is, especially in post-menopausal women.
It's called stress incontinence, pelvic floor exercises may help.
Check this out:

http://www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk/articles

Answer 10

This is called stress incontinence. She needs to go kegel exercises to tighten her muscles and see her doc.