Urologists at Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, Michigan are testing a one-a-day pill that could control stress urinary incontinence (SUI), a condition that causes leakage with laughing, sneezing and coughing. SUI affects about 13 million Americans, most of them women. In fact, statistics indicate that up to 35% of adult women suffer from SUI.
And they are seeking help …
A February 11, 2016 article that appeared on Bloomberg.com indicated that the adult diaper market is “outpacing that of every other paper-based household staple in the U.S.” It goes on to say, “As many as 1 in 3 adults – more than 80 percent of them women – have bladder control issues, the Urology Care Foundation says.” Reasons for this, according to the Mayo Clinic include pregnancy, childbirth, diabetes, obesity and changes that accompany aging.
You’ve seen the TV commercial featuring fabulous and beautiful Lisa Rinna wearing Depends Silhouettes adult diapers? She was supposedly paid $2 million for the spot. (I don’t think there’s anything wrong with earning a buck, but Rinna was taken to task for her hawking of the product on a Real Housewives of Beverly Hills reunion show. And, by the way, she donated a portion of her paycheck, a reported $250,000, to the charity Dress For Success.) I say, kudos to Lisa Rinna for shining a light on this problem that plagues more than a third of adult women and I don’t know how many postmenopausal ones.
The fact of the matter is that if one leaks a little while exercising, coughing or laughing, it’s not that funny.
Back to the study … It’s being led by Kenneth Peters, M.D. who says, “Our hope is that this daily pill will enhance pelvic floor muscle and reduce stress urinary incontinence in women.” (Read on for tips on how to do proper Kegel exercises, which also strengthen the pelvic floor muscles. And I accede to the fact that a pill-a-day to prevent involuntary leakage is a lot easier than doing exercises. But I’ll only take that pill if there are no side effects, so do your due diligence Dr. Peters, please.)
Of course, one women’s SUI may be an inconvenience while another’s may be lifestyle changing, especially if it affects many aspects of daily life. One woman reports that her SUI occurs not only when she coughs, sneezes or laughs but also when she is getting out of her car. Others have reported leakage during exercising or even while doing something as mundane as putting on socks.
Besides Kegels and adult diapers, which thanks in part to Lisa Rinna, we know have come a long way and are now a discreet answer to the problem of SUI, there’s also surgery but that’s, well, surgery. And, from what I read, there are about 80,000+ lawsuits against the manufacturers of the material used in this surgical procedure, known as sling surgery. Sling surgery, which does not strengthen the pelvic floor, relies on a band of plastic placed under the urethra to lift it and create resistance, making it harder for urine to leak. There are medicines, but they don’t treat SUI, don’t strengthen the pelvic floor and are indicated only for the treatment of Urge Urinary Incontinence, also known as Overactive Bladder. This is caused by abnormal bladder contractions for any number of reasons including obesity, pregnancy, nerve damage from stroke, diabetes or injury; and that handy catchall, unknown reasons. And then there are devices such as ApexM, which the FDA has cleared for sale to strengthen the pelvic floor and calm bladder spasms thereby decreasing symptoms of urgency. In clinical trials, it was 90% effective in treating stress and urge urinary leakage in female participants. Interested in ApexM? Learn more about it here. And then there’s Femilift, a non-surgical procedure that uses a laser to resurface the walls of the vagina. It’s used primarily to increase a woman’s sexual satisfaction but has been found to have the added bonus of treating SUI. (I wrote about it here. Please read it.)
But a pill that one could take as easily as one takes a daily vitamin? Sounds good to me however, again, it had better be safe.
Says Dr. Peters, “I would welcome a safe and effective treatment option for stress urinary incontinence, especially since existing nonsurgical options like wearing pads or doing Kegel exercises are extremely limited, and at times, marginally effective.” (Hm, I didn’t know that about Kegels which are kind of the gold standard for the treatment of SUI, but still, a pill … )
The small-scale study of 35 women is being conducted only at Beaumont and will evaluate the effects of orally administered enobosarm, 3mg once a day, in postmenopausal women with SUI. Participants will take the study medication for 90 days.
I’ll try to follow up and report on the study’s findings. But, if you’d like more information on the study and its criteria, call Beaumont Urology Research at 248-551-3355.
And, as promised, click here to learn how to do Kegel exercises properly.
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