If you’ve ever jumped on a trampoline, lifted a very heavy box, or had a particularly aggressive sneeze, you might be familiar with urinary incontinence. It’s an issue that’s surprisingly common — 60 percent of women over the age of 18 have experienced bladder leakage — and it’s twice as likely to happen to women as men. While incontinence can happen to women at any age, it’s most common during pregnancy, after childbirth, or during menopause. “We joke that if you’re over the age of 30 and you’ve never had a bladder leak, you’re lying to yourself,” says Rebecca Stoebe-Latham, director of research and development for Always Discreet.
Even though bladder leaks are common, when they happen to you, the experience can feel embarrassing and isolating. Here’s the thing: Incontinence is inconvenient, but it doesn’t have to be lonely. That’s why we think it’s so important to talk about this phenomenon — because once you have a few solutions under your belt (or, more specifically, tucked discreetly into your underwear), you’ll feel a lot more comfortable experiencing potential leaks.
The two types of bladder incontinence
The most common type of bladder leakage is called stress incontinence, and it’s caused by a weakening of the pelvic floor. “We refer to this one as the ‘sneeze variety,’” says Stoebe-Latham. When you do something that puts pressure on the bladder, like coughing, laughing, or certain exercises, the pelvic floor muscles contract to prevent you from peeing. As these muscles weaken, they’re not as good at helping you hold in urine, which is why certain movements can trigger incontinence.
The other type is called urge incontinence: “This is usually caused by an overactive bladder, which makes you feel like you have to pee before your bladder is actually full,” Stoebe-Latham says. “If you’ve ever been getting ready to walk into your house, or you’re near a bathroom and you suddenly feel like you have to pee immediately, it’s because your brain makes the association that you’ll get to pee soon, and it starts the process too early.” Urge incontinence can also cause you to feel the need to get up and pee several times during the night.
How to avoid accidents
For most women, urinary incontinence is just a part of life, so the sooner you accept that you might need a little help, the more confident you can feel. But if you grew up seeing your mother or grandmother using incontinence products, you might think they’re bulky and embarrassing. Luckily, modern brands have realized that no adult wants to wear a diaper, so these days, incontinence products are surprisingly subtle and sleek.
Just like menstrual pads, Always Discreet incontinence products come in a variety of absorption options, from light liners to extra-heavy pads, and are available in both regular and long lengths. If you’re worried about smell, Stoebe-Latham says you can put that fear to bed: “Our pads are made with an absorbent material that bonds both fluid and odor molecules, trapping them inside the pad.” Hence the product’s tagline, “zero leaks, zero odor.”
If you’d rather not worry about keeping pads handy, Always Discreet also offers maximum protection underwear, available in sizes S/M to XXL. “These underwear are highly elastic, so the S/M can stretch to fit anywhere from a size two to a size 14,” says Stoebe-Latham. “It’s estimated our range of sizes will fit about 95 percent of women in the U.S.” While they look and fit just like regular underwear, these products can hold up to 350 millimeters of liquid (almost a cup and a half). And at the end of the day, you can dispose of both the pads and the underwear like you would any other sanitary product.
Not all pads perform the same
An incontinence pad and a menstrual pad may look similar, but they work in very different ways. “The most obvious difference is the amount of liquid they hold,” says Stoebe-Latham. “Over the course of a menstrual cycle, women lose between 20 and 80 milliliters of menses, and that’s happening over the course of days.” But for healthy adults, your bladder starts to feel full when it’s got about 300 milliliters of urine in it, which is a lot more than a period pad can handle.
Incontinence pads are also designed to be worn all day, whereas period pads are meant to be changed every four to eight hours. “Always Discreet pads need to keep you comfortable for a lot longer, so they have a very soft sheet of fabric on top that helps you avoid chafing,” says Stoebe-Latham. While menstrual pads generally have wings to keep them in place, incontinence pads need to be able to “cup” the body, in order to hold a sudden influx of fluid. So instead of wings, Always Discreet products have side guards, which are slightly raised leak barriers made of hydrophobic material that run along the side of the pad, to keep any moisture from getting out.
How to train your bladder against leaks
You’ve probably heard that Kegel exercises are the best way to strengthen the pelvic floor, and a stronger pelvic floor means more support for your bladder. But there are other ways to prevent leaks, particularly the urge incontinence kind, that involve training your body.
The idea behind bladder training is pretty simple: Instead of going to the bathroom whenever you have to pee, try to hold it for as long as you can. This is a way to tell your brain that just because you have the urge, it doesn’t mean you can always pee immediately. Another strategy is called double voiding: When you go to the bathroom, empty your bladder, then wait for a couple of minutes, and try to pee again. This will ensure your bladder is actually empty, allowing more time between bathroom trips and making leaks less likely.
Whether you’re having occasional leaks or they’re an everyday occurrence, for most women, bladder leakage is a part of life — but it shouldn’t control your life. By keeping yourself protected with incontinence products like Always Discreet, you can laugh and jump and sneeze with abandon. And if a little pee sneaks out, that’s nobody’s business but your own.
