title: Evaluation of a behavioral treatment for female urinary incontinence.
abstract: Urinary incontinence is a medical, psychological, social, economic, and hygienic problem. Although it is difficult to state its prevalence, all authors agree that it is related to age and gender. This study aimed to carry out a urinary incontinence behavioral treatment in order to reduce urine leakages in 14 participants recruited from a senior center. The program consists of daily training of the pelvic floor muscles with a weekly control by a supervisor during a 2-month period and follow-up of results 2 months after the last control session. Urinary incontinence episodes were reduced by 75.67% after program completion. It appears that pelvic floor muscles training, carried out under controlled and constant supervision, significantly reduces urinary leakage. Moreover, maintaining this improvement after treatment depends on the continuation of the exercises as well as on the urinary leakage frequency baseline and the urinary leakage frequency during the last treatment session.
authors.affiliation: Biological and Health Psychology, Autonomous University of Madrid, Spain. marta_santacreu@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Marta
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Santacreu
authors.forename: Rocío
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Fernández-Ballesteros
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015928:Cognitive Behavioral Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care / Q000379:methods; D014549:Urinary Incontinence / Q000628:therapy*