Women's Health Week 2 - 6 September 2024
This Women’s Health Week (WHW) we are delighted to continue our community partnership with Jean Hailes to support all women to make informed decisions about their health.
Incontinence is a women’s health issue:
Incontinence is a Women's Health Issue
Women are more likely to experience incontinence, particularly those who have experienced pregnancy, childbirth, hysterectomy and menopause.
Significantly more women than men live with incontinence.
- 67% of the population with incontinence are women
- 4.8 million women are estimated to be living with some level of incontinence
- Women are more likely to be affected by severe incontinence
- Four in five carers of people with incontinence are female
We want to remind women of all ages there is much they can do to reduce their risk of incontinence. In many cases incontinence may be prevented, better managed, or even cured.
Lived Experience Stories
Read: Personal stories
Webinar: Let’s talk – Menopause and continence
The Continence Foundation of Australia is hosted a webinar to discuss the impact of menopause on women and their bladder and bowel control. Hosted by the manager of our National Continence Helpline, Janie Thompson, was joined by special guests including Bronwyn Ford (lived experience with menopause and pelvic organ prolapse) and Libby Oldfield (Specialist Pelvic Health Physiotherapist).
The webinar began with an informational discussion on menopause, followed by a Q&A session where attendees had the opportunity to submit their own questions for our expert panel to answer.
Webinar recording:
Leanne experienced birth trauma which left her with no faecal control. Read how she has learned to manage her incontinence and has now returned to her passion for travelling.
Rhiannon went from being very fit and active to developing a condition which she says has completely changed her life. Rhiannon was diagnosed firstly with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) and then later that year with Crohn’s disease. Read her story.
When 24-year-old Christin Young walked into the urology clinic at a major Sydney hospital, she was struck by the fact that she was the only person under 30 in the room. Read Christin’s message for other younger people living with incontinence.
By the time Bronwyn was 48, she was perimenopausal and suffering symptoms from her prolapse. Bronwyn is passionate about ensuring other women don’t feel as alone or unaware as she did. Read her feelings on the past and future.
Listen: This is my story
This podcast series discusses the lived experience with incontinence. These stories represent the diverse experiences of five individuals and how their incontinence was identified, how they manage it, the care path they have taken, the value of professional health and their tips and strategies for living with incontinence.
This episode features Christin Young who wants to draw on her own lived experience with incontinence to support and help other young people who may be having a similar experience. Listen here.
This episode features Stephanie Thompson who experienced a traumatic childbirth injury and lives with the consequences of pelvic organ prolapse. Listen here.
Resources and fact sheets
Download a range of free resources about women and incontinence.
Get help for incontinence
National Continence Helpline: 1800 33 00 66
The National Continence Helpline (1800 33 00 66) is staffed by Nurse Continence Specialists who offer free and confidential information, advice and support to people affected by incontinence. They also provide a wide range of continence resources and information on local continence services.
Contact us
Updates from the Continence Foundation of Australia
If you would like to receive more updates and information from the Continence Foundation of Australia, sign up to our mailing list.
Bladder control: Self-assessment questionnaire
- Do you sometimes feel you have not completely emptied your bladder?
- Do you have to rush to use the toilet?
- Do you wake up twice or more during the night to go to the toilet?
- Do you leak before you get to the toilet?
- Do you plan your daily routine around where the nearest toilet is?
- Do you leak when you laugh or sneeze?
- Do you leak when you lift something heavy?
- Do you leak when you exercise?
- Do you leak when you change from a seated or lying position to a standing position?
If you answered ‘yes’ to any of these questions, talk to a health professional. There is help available, call the National Continence Helpline on 1800 33 00 66.
Media enquiries
Please send any media enquiries to [email protected]
Thank you to our community partner, Jean Hailes for Women’s Health
