A Quarter Of British Women 'In The Dark' About Incontinence

A quarter of women — the equivalent of around six million women throughout Great Britain — admit they do not know what causes urinary incontinence, and a similar proportion cannot name a method of treating problems with the bladder, according to a survey conducted by MORI Social Research Institute.

A nationally representative quota sample of 1,045 women aged 16+ was interviewed about their awareness and understanding of urinary incontinence on behalf of women's healthcare specialists, Gynecare.

Bladder problems are fairly commonly experienced; one in three women say they know someone who has experienced them but given the sensitive nature of the problem the true figure might be higher.

Bladder problems are associated with old age, and this is particularly thought to be the case by older women themselves. It is recognised by all age groups that people aged over 70 are the group most likely to suffer from bladder problems. Many women (three in 10 or more across all age groups) wrongly believe that the condition cannot be treated.

  1. MORI survey findings show 26% of women in Britain do not know what causes incontinence, and 24% do not know how it can be treated.
  2. Long-term Results of the Tension-Free Vaginal Tape (TVT) Procedure for Surgical Treatment of Female Stress Incontinence, C.G. Nilsson, N. Kuuva, C. Falconer, M. Rezapour and U. Ulmsten, Int Urogynecol J (Suppl 2); S5-S8, 2001

Technical Details

MORI interviewed 1,045 women aged 16+ by telephone between 7-9 June 2002. Data have been weighted to reflect the population profile of women.

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