Women who suffer from stress incontinence of urine, a condition where urine leaks while coughing or laughing, may benefit from training to strengthen bladder muscles. Researchers from the Vrije University, Brussels, examined the characteristics, which predicted whether muscle training would be effective for stress incontinence of urine. A total of 447 women between the ages of 26 and 80 years were included in the study. The women attended a 30 minutes session twice a week for 10 weeks. Overall, 49 per cent of women considered their treatment to be successful, while 51 per cent experienced only some improvement, or no change, or worsening of their condition. Women in the successful group completed an average of 11 training sessions. The highest level of success was achieved in women who did not use a protective garment before therapy, who were not incontinent daily, or who did not leak at first cough. The least success was achieved by women who had symptoms for more than five years, in women who were on psychiatric drugs, and in women who had to wear diapers or more than two pads per day. These factors were strong predictors that muscle training wouldn't work. When all three predictors were present, there was only a 15-per cent chance that treatment would be successful.
American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology,
November 2004