Use these facts in conversation to help your loved one recognize that she is not alone and that help is available.

• Pelvic floor disorders are not considered a normal part of aging that you just have to live with. They are medical conditions that can be successfully treated. 
• Women may spend more than $900 per year purchasing pads and other products to cope with their incontinence, instead of seeking treatment – but they don’t have to.
• Women who suffer from pelvic floor disorders tend not to report their condition due to embarrassment. But they should not be embarrassed, many women suffer from PFD.
  •  More than 50 percent of women age 55 and older suffer one or more of the problems caused by pelvic floor disorders.
  • 30 percent of women with overactive bladder or urinary incontinence also suffer from loss of bowel control.
  • 60 percent of nursing home occupants suffer from loss of bowel control and/or urinary incontinence.
• Urogynecologists are physicians who are specially trained to treat pelvic floor disorders in women.

Sources

Original publication date: May 2008