There are certain health conditions that we do not like talking about. I can name quite a few of these but one of the more sensitive conditions is female incontinence. Who would like not being able to control the excretion of her bodily fluids? I am sure no one.

According to Dr. Ingrid Nygaard, a professor in the division of urogynecology and pelvic reconstructive surgery in the department of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Utah School of Medicine, pelvic floor disorders are very common among women in the United States. They recently published the findings of a study on this topic.

The new study, published in the Sept. 17 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, reviewed data from almost 2,000 women over the age of 20 who had participated in the 2005-06 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. This study group is considered to be representative of the U.S. population. None of the women included in the data analysis was pregnant at the time of the study.

Overall, the researchers found that 23.7 percent of women experienced at least one pelvic floor disorder. Almost 16 percent of the women reported urinary incontinence, 9 percent experienced fecal incontinence, and 2.9 percent reported pelvic organ prolapse.

Nygaard pointed out that this study looked at moderate to severe incontinence. She said it’s quite common for women to leak small amounts of urine while laughing or sneezing, but that’s not what was studied here.

To be honest, I find it sad that this kind of condition is not treated in a more open manner. Can you just imagine how women suffering from pelvic floor disorder are feeling? Anyhow, perhaps I will be posting more on incontinence in the next few days.