If you involuntarily leak urine under internal pressures caused by sneezing, laughing or heavy lifting, it’s more than likely you have Stress incontinence. Embarrassing? Yes. Incurable? No. Unfortunately you will have to consult an expert and this will involve being upfront about the situation in order for them to propose the right treatment. A gynaecologist, while an expert, still needs your input to fully judge the situation. For that reason, it benefits both parties for you to have the essential information prepared before an appointment. Here are 7 questions likely to be asked by an incontinence expert when evaluating you.

Do you leak urine when laughing, coughing, lifting, and so on?

This is a certain indicator of whether you have some degree of stress related incontinence. What varies is the treatment, as the root cause can be different things and requires varying treatment.

Does it hurt when you urinate?

This could mean you have a urinary tract infection that requires antibiotics to treat. That is, until further diagnostics are made. In other words, it may only require antibiotics to kill off unwanted germs.

How often do you empty your bladder in the daytime?

This is an instance where keeping a record can give an expert an accurate picture of what’s going on in your bladder. I can also be used to track your own progress, further down the line.

Are you always aware of the leaking occurring?

An upgraded management plan may be necessary to avoid embarrassing incidence if this happens to you.

Do you wear incontinence pads, and how often doo you need to change them?

This sort of question is aimed at gauging the severity of the condition and helps indicate whether exercises are sufficient, or if more advance procedures such as medication or surgery.

Do you leak urine on the way to the bathroom, when you have a strong urge to pee?

A sign that overactive bladder syndrome is present in conjunction with stress incontinence.

Are you woken up by the urge to urinate in the night-time?

An expert will be keen to know whether you’re woken up by the urge to urinate, or woken up by other things and then need to go – another indicator of severity that will decide a course of action for dealing with the problem.

Do you wear incontinence pads, and how often doo you need to change them?

This sort of question is aimed at gauging the severity of the condition and helps indicate whether exercises are sufficient, or if more advance procedures such as medication or surgery.

Do you leak urine on the way to the bathroom, when you have a strong urge to pee?

A sign that overactive bladder syndrome is present in conjunction with stress incontinence.

Are you woken up by the urge to urinate in the night-time?

An expert will be keen to know whether you’re woken up by the urge to urinate, or woken up by other things and then need to go – another indicator of severity that will decide a course of action for dealing with the problem.

Have you got a question you want to ask about incontinence? Please don't hesitate to use our comments section below or if you prefer a more discreet way to ask for incontinence advice ask our nurse specialist Shona.