Mona Lisa Talks Light Bladder Leakage
A few days ago we brought you the news that Whoopi Goldberg would be starring in a series of webisodes to inform and help women experiencing light-bladder-leakage (stress urinary incontinence).
Today we bring you the first of these webisodes with Whoopi dressed as Mona Lisa. The former Golden Globe winner deals with this serious matter that affects 1 in 3 women in a fun way that hopefully will incite women experiencing LBL (light bladder leakage) to go and see a doctor or at least talk to someone about it.
Stress Urinary Incontinence Related to Genes
A study published this week in the American Journal of Human Genetics links pelvic floor disorders such as pelvic organ prolapse and stress urinary incontinence to a certain region of the human genome.
The study was conducted by the University Of Utah School Of Medicine, study lead author Kristina Allen-Brady, Ph.D., and colleagues analyzed the DNA of 70 women from 32 different families with at least two cases of pelvic floor disorders and found significant evidence for a gene that predisposes to PFD on chromosome 9.
For a better understanding, the pelvic floor consists of the network of muscles, ligaments and connective tissues that keeps all pelvic organs in place. Pelvic floor disorders occur when these muscles and tissues are damaged or injured.
PFDs (Pelvic floor disorders ) are commonly related to numerous risk factors such as childbirth, advanced age, obesity but they don’t fully explain the development of these disorders.
This study researched the DNA from 70 women who received some kind of treatment, in most cases surgery, for pelvic organ prolapse. Genetic analysis of this DNA showed significant evidence that genes located in a region of the genome called chromosome 9 may be inherited together in related women who have POP.
Lead researcher Kristina Allen-Brady, Ph.D. said:
“This is the largest collection of families with POP that has been reported to date. Although it is premature to suggest that all PFDs have a common genetic predisposition, our study shows significant evidence that the chromosome 9q21 region may be linked to the development of PFD in families where multiple women are affected.”
The second phase of the study in progress and researchers are collecting DNA from other families to strengthen their conclusions.
Collagen Injections When Incontinence Surgery Fails
The results of a research conducted by the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Centre found collagen injections can help women who still experience stress urinary incontinence after surgery.
Lead researcher Dr. Phillip Zimmern said:
“The collagen injection is also a good alternative for those who cannot afford recovery time from surgery or are too medically unfit or frail to undergo a second surgical procedure to cure stress urinary incontinence.”
Collagen injected into the tissue surrounding the urethra, tightens the urethral sphincter and prevents urine from leaking.
The study monitored patients who received a periurethral collagen injection between January 2000 and December 2006, Dr Zimmern (lead researcher) and his team used a 3-D ultrasound to pin-point the exact location and volume of collagen remaining in the urethral walls several months after the first injection, to ascertain when a second injection was considered.
Where the ultrasound indicated normal collagen levels but the patient was still experiencing cases of stress incontinence, another therapy was suggested. Besides that, the study received a 93% positive feedback from patients who considered themselves clinically improved or cured.
Dr. Zimmern stated:
“Women need to know they do not have to live with stress urinary incontinence. Although collagen injections might not work for everyone, the option is out there, and patients need to communicate with their physicians that they are afflicted with the condition to discover what treatments are possible.”