Incontinence: No Laughing Matter
World Continence Week (WCW) is an annual initiative started by the International Continence Society (ICS) and carried on by organizations such as the Continence Foundation of Australia and the Canadian Continence Foundation. It’s primary aim is to raise awareness of incontinence related issues.
This year’s theme for the week is Incontinence: No laughing Matter, which calls out a common response by people to laugh off incontinence, accepting it as an inevitable part of childbirth or ageing, rather than a health issue requiring specialist treatment.
World Continence Week Stats
We’re learning some pretty interesting statistics by following #worldcontinenceweek on social media. Did you know that:
- women are 5x more likely to develop incontinence than men due to factors such as childbirth and menopause
- Incontinence affects up to 400 million people world wide
- 1 in three women surveyed leak when they exercise
- Vitamin D reduces the risk of incontinence
- In the US, stress urinary incontinence affects 15 million women
- Regular heavy lifting, high impact exercise or chronic cough can all weaken the pelvic floor
- 54% of people think their pelvic floor muscles are in the stomach
- Incontinence is second only to dementia in the admission to care homes for the elderly
- Over 80% of people with incontinence are women
- 35% of women surveyed have wet themselves while laughing, while 46% say they would feel embarrassed to tell a doctor
Incontinence is Common but Not Normal
All of the statistics being shared this week are consistent with the repetitive trend that exists about stress incontinence, or any type of incontinence. These are:
- LOTS of people are managing stress incontinence and other forms of incontinence. YOU ARE NOT ALONE
- No one wants to talk about stress incontinence or any other kind of incontinence or pelvic health issue
- Incontinence treatment options are available but sufferers need awareness and education
World Continence Week is an opportunity for healthcare providers and vendors to generate awareness about incontinence as a major health issue around the world. As women working to overcome stress incontinence, let’s take it a step further and share personal experiences to create a community and find solutions. Share your Story