Fix that leak
 Although incontinence can be treated, many continue to suffer in silence. Would you share with friends and family that you leak urine when coughing or laughing, or that you constantly drip? It's certainly not information you would volunteer readily, especially since incontinence only strikes after you hit 50. Or so you thought.
Urinary and bowel incontinence are not necessarily part of the natural ageing process, points out Dr Lim Jit Fong, Consultant, Department of Colorectal Surgery, and Director, Pelvic Floor Disorder Service (PFDS), SGH.
Pelvic Floor Disorder Service (PFDS)
PFDS is a multidisciplinary clinic jointly initiated by specialists from the hospital’s Urology, Colorectal Surgery and Obstetrics & Gynaecology departments. It serves to help patients with incontinence and other functional problems of the pelvic floor. A one-stop service, its collective surgical approach does away with multiple referrals so patients can seek treatment early.
“If a patient is referred to PFDS, we can have more comprehensive assessment and investigation, especially for those suffering from multiple problems of the pelvic floor,” said Dr Chua Hong Liang, Senior Consultant, Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, SGH, and part of the team at PFDS.
Post-delivery incontinence
One in three women going through menopause suffers from stress urinary incontinence related to childbirth. Pregnancy and childbirth cause hormonal changes and excessive stretching of the muscles in the perineum (the area between the anus and the vulva) and pelvic floor, thus reducing their ability to function properly.
“The damage to these areas means symptoms can continue even after childbirth,” said Associate Professor Han How Chuan, Head and Senior Consultant, Department of Urogynaecology, KK Women’s & Children’s Hospital. Women are more prone to this problem if they have given birth several times, are obese, or do manual work such as carrying heavy items.
Kegel exercises, which involve a series of squeezing and relaxing actions in the pelvic floor area, can improve the condition by up to 70 per cent.
Women should drink a maximum of eight glasses a day and avoid beverages such as coffee, tea and alcohol, which irritate the bladder.
Ref: V10
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