Stress Incontinence – It Gets Worse

Another Stress – Coital Incontinence

As if worrying about when you might accidentally leak a little when you cough or run isn’t bad enough, there are other types of incontinence to add to the concern. These include coital incontinence and fecal incontinence. At the root of the problem is pelvic health.

Women with stress urinary incontinence may be susceptible to coital incontinence, or leakage during sex. This may occur during penetration or during orgasm. The combination of weakened pelvic floor along with an overactive bladder, which creates involuntary muscle spasms of the bladder wall, are typically the cause of coital leakage.

We know that stress urinary incontinence is a negative force in the lives of those who have it. A recent study indicates that coital incontinence deepens the negative experience, lowering the quality of sexual function in addition to other compromises often made for stress incontinence, such as reduced physical activity or sports participation. What does this mean? “Women with urinary incontinence not only change their everyday life to prevent and hide leakage, but also change their sexual function.”

Using a questionairre, the study determined that coital incontinence negatively affected participants’ views of their general health, personal relationships, and emotions, limiting engagement in physical or social activities and performance of daily role or work.

Some suggestions for managing incontinence during sex include talking to your partner, limiting fluid intake to one hour prior to sex, using the bathroom before you get started, trying new positions that put less pressure on the bladder, taking a bathroom break or trying it in the shower.

Consider talking with a healthcare professional for a treatment plan for stress urinary incontinence or coital incontinence.  Healthcare practitioners rarely ask the question so it’s up to individual patients to find the nerve to ask about treatment.  A general practitioner can refer to a urinary gynecologist, or many physiotherapists specialize in pelvic health and do not require a doctor’s referral.

Related Info:

Coital incontinence: a factor for deteriorated health-related quality of life and sexual function in women with urodynamic stress urinary incontinence

12 Ways to Minimize and Improve Coital Incontinence

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