To prevent urinary incontinence (bladder weakness), attention must be paid to reducing individual risk factors.
Behavioral risk factors
- Consumption of stimulants
- Alcohol
- Physical activity
- Physical stresses
- Psycho-social situation
- Psychological stress
- Overweight (BMI ≥ 25; obesity) – dependence broken down by incontinence type:
- Mixed urinary incontinence to be recorded (+52%),
- Pure stress or urge incontinence (+33% and +26%, respectively; each per 5 BMI points).
Prevention factors (protective factors)
- Sectio caesarea (cesarean section) → less frequent pelvic floor disorders: in the first 15 years.
- After vaginal delivery (natural childbirth): 34.3% stress incontinence (SUI; stress incontinence), 21.8% irritable bladder (“overactive bladder”, OAB), 30.6% fecal incontinence (“anal incontinence”, AI), 30.0% uterine prolapse (“pelvic organ prolapse”, POP; uterine prolapse).
- After cesarean section: 17.5% (SUI), 14.6% (OAB), 25.8% (AI), and 9.4% (POP).
