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Home › Articles › Living with Incontinence › When Laughing Makes You Leak

When Laughing Makes You Leak

Fast Facts About Stress Urinary Incontinence

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. Pelvic muscle relaxation accelerates rapidly after menopause and may progress with aging in general. Estrogen depletion has been associated with the thinning of the mucosal lining of the urethra, which can cause leakage.

  • Pelvic surgery. Studies have shown that women who have had a hysterectomy are at a 40 percent increased risk of urinary incontinence.
  • Caffeine. Caffeine is a diuretic and a bladder irritant, which may affect the ability of the bladder and urethra to contract.
  • Smoking. Some studies show that nicotine may have a similar effect on the bladder as caffeine. Women who suffer from "smoker's cough" exert significant pressure on the bladder and urethra, causing bladder leakage. Chronic and frequent coughing may lead to damage of urethral and vaginal supports.
  • Obesity. Excessive weight may impair blood flow or nerve innervation to the bladder. Research has shown that urinary incontinence symptoms decrease in women who were morbidly obese but who then had extreme weight loss.
  • Medications. High blood pressure medications (diuretics) can adversely affect bladder filling and emptying; antidepressants, sedatives and central nervous system depressants can lead to muscle relaxation.
  • High-impact exercise. Women who participate in high-impact activities, such as running or jumping, are more likely to experience badder leakage. Causes of incontinence may include inadequate abdominal pressure transmission, pelvic floor muscle fatigue and changes in connective tissue or collagen of the pelvic floor muscles.
  • Chronic diseases

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