‘I couldn’t cook a meal without three toilet breaks’
Shining a light on bladder leakage
Anyone knows the panic that sets in when you are desperate for a toilet. Now imagine this happening several times a day. For Claire, her bladder issues got so bad she’d map out toilets before going out.
There was a time Claire couldn’t go far without needing a toilet. At work, the loo was the first place she’d visit. Coming home, she’d wet herself entering the front door.
“Every time I stood up I had the urge to wee,” recalls the business owner, who was in her early 40s at the time.
At its worst, Claire was visiting the toilet up to three times an hour.
“I can remember going to the football with my family regularly and I would not drink before going or the whole time we were there so I could minimise trips to the toilet,” she recalls. “That was something I would do often … but then that would affect my health in other ways.”
Urinary incontinence is when you have accidental wee leakage. It’s a common condition that can be treated, managed and sometimes cured. For more information, head to our Bladder web pages.
Claire didn’t tell doctors about her bladder problem because she didn’t think it was one. “I thought it was a normal part of ageing,” she says. So did her friends.
“[It] was discussed a lot with women around me and it was laughed off as normal.”
The turning point
About two years later, relief finally came when Claire met a new women’s health doctor.
“I was in hospital following a hysterectomy and a doctor came in to talk to me about bladder and bowel health after surgery.
“We’d never met before and she asked a lot of questions … I gave her honest answers. She was easy to talk to, had a lot of training in women’s health and was able to quickly identify issues for me.
“It was then that she told me that what I was experiencing was not a normal part of ageing and that I could get help for it.”
For Claire, getting help meant seeing a pelvic floor physiotherapist.
“I had to complete a diary and we worked out triggers that gave me the urge [to wee] and also looked at my fluid intake. [The physio] then gave me some strategies to retrain my bladder.
“She also assessed my pelvic floor muscles, and while I was one to always do pelvic exercises, it turns out they were still pretty weak. So she gave me a program for that too.”
After just eight weeks of following the physio’s advice, Claire says “the difference was amazing”.
At age 49, she now stays dry and is no longer tied to a toilet.
“I think I’m the only woman I know that doesn’t leak when they sneeze.”
Do you have a wee problem?
In Australia, an estimated 38% of women experience bladder leakage. Many don’t seek help because they don’t have the time, think it’s normal, or are too embarrassed to raise the topic. But incontinence can get worse without treatment.
If you’re experiencing any leakage, speak to your doctor. For help starting the conversation, read How to talk to your doctor about bladder leakage.
© 2024 Jean Hailes Foundation. All rights reserved. This publication may not be reproduced in whole or in part by any means without written permission of the copyright owner. Contact: licensing@jeanhailes.org.au
Words by Kate Cross. Illustrations by Tam Bower.
Published September 2024
This article is designed to be informative and educational. It is not intended to provide specific medical advice or replace advice from your medical practitioner.
Jean Hailes for Women’s Health gratefully acknowledges the support of the Australian Government.
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