Management of female urinary incontinence

Urinary Incontinence (UI) is a common symptom that affects women of all ages with a wide range of severity and nature of symptoms. UI is not a lifethreatening disease, but the symptoms may seriously influence the physical, psychological, and social well being of the affected individuals. With increasing life expectancy and epidemic of obesity there has been a gradual rise in the prevalence of urinary incontinence worldwide. UI is defined as involuntary leakage of urine that is a social or hygienic problem1. Worldwide reported prevalence of urinary incontinence amongst adult women varies between 17-45%. The wide range in the prevalence is partly due to variation of definitions, study population and survey methodology. Limited epidemiological studies show that the prevalence of UI among South East Asian females is comparable to worldwide figures2.