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What is stress urinary incontinence (SUI)? It's the accidental leaking ofurine during day-to-day activities, an exceptionally common condition amongwomen.
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Bonnie Blair was a new mother when she developed SUI. She eventuallysought treatment and is now symptom free. "When I went on my first run afterhaving my son, I didn't get more than half a block before my shorts weresoaked," said Bonnie. "I was very upset. As an athlete, I was used to beingactive and not having anything slow me down. Now I had to worry aboutleaking."
Like millions of other women, Bonnie found she could not pursue dailyactivities such as lifting her child, picking up a laundry basket or playinggolf without worrying she might have an accident. For a long timeembarrassment kept Bonnie from opening up to her doctor, or even her husband,and her quality of life and confidence both suffered.
Bonnie tried to cope by wearing dark shorts, using feminine pads andlimiting her intake of fluids, but these efforts did not improve hersituation. Eventually, she talked to her doctor and learned she had SUI.
"Aging, menopause and even childbirth are all risk factors for SUI. SUIoccurs when the vaginal wall weakens and cannot provide adequate support tothe urethra, thus causing leaking," said Dennis P. Miller, MD, of WheatonFranciscan Healthcare - St. Joseph in Milwaukee. "The good news is that womenwith SUI now have highly effective treatment options available to them."
In fact, in a clinical study, 81% of those affected were cured and 16%were improved. Treatment options for SUI include:
Often, women will explore several options before finding a treatment thatworks for them.
"I discussed my options with my doctor and tried various treatments, withlittle improvement," said Bonnie. "I decided to try a minimally invasivetreatment called TVT. Since having the procedure, I've been symptom free."
Bonnie encourages any woman who thinks she may be suffering from SUI totalk to her doctor. There are several different types of incontinence, and acorrect diagnosis is critical. For more information about Bonnie Blair'sstory and treatment options for SUI, please visit www.beatsui.com.
"My family has noticed a real difference in my attitude," said Bonnie. "Inow have a huge smile on my face. I can enjoy my daily runs again. I canalso jump on the trampoline with my kids without worry."
About GYNECARE TVT
Minimally invasive GYNECARE TVT* Tension-free Support for Incontinence isused in a simple outpatient procedure. The GYNECARE TVT device uses a meshsling to provide support to the middle of the urethra, the section that isstrained during physical activities. This positioning of the device providessupport only when needed and creates a "tension-free" treatment solution thatreduces the risk of over-correcting. A study published in the Journal ofObstetrics and Gynecology (Dec 2004) shows that 7 years after treatment, 81%of those affected were cured and 16% were improved.
To date, over 1 million women worldwide have been treated with GYNECARETVT. As with any surgery of this kind, the procedure should not be performedin pregnant patients or pa
