An estimated one-third of all women experience it at some point and few are willing to talk about it, but urinary incontinence affects more than 15 million Americans and 1.5 million Canadians. Now, thanks to the innovative patent of a pelvic floor muscle trainer for at-home use, women can take control of the problem.
Professor Emeritus Ken Pinder (Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering) and School of Nursing PhD candidate Diane Sawchuck have developed a patent for a device used to strengthen pelvic floor muscles. It consists of a pneumatic bulb for insertion into the vagina, a series of pelvic floor strength training exercises, and a visual display for monitoring progress and offering biofeedback.
The invention is manufactured and marketed as Myself® by DesChutes Medical Products in Bend, Oregon. It is the first USFDA-approved, over-the-counter solution for improving female bladder control and is now available at pharmacies in the U.S., Canada and Europe and is also available online.
Although often underreported, urinary incontinence is extremely common, with 500,000 new cases reported annually. Bladder control problems range from stress incontinence (triggered by activities such as sneezing, laughing and coughing) to urge incontinence (a frequent sense of needing to urinate). Both can plague a woman of any age. Urinary incontinence most commonly affects women who are pregnant, mothers, menopausal, overweight, smokers and/or athletes.
An estimated US$20 billion (CAD$27.4 billion) is spent annually on surgery, prescription drugs and/or absorbent pads to manage urinary incontinence, a condition that can affect quality of life, often leading to social isolation. Despite the negative effects of urinary incontinence, only about half of those suffering from it have discussed it with their physician.