Professor Andew Korda, University of Western Sydney, senior gynaecologist & urogynaecologist, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Sydney.
Urinary incontinence often remains undiagnosed and is often under-treated by doctors despite its considerable impact on affected individuals.
Only 30% of women who have symptoms of urinary incontinence ever seek care for their incontinence symptoms. This leaves incontinent women with unresolved morbidity and significantly impaired quality of life.
Over the last two decades it has been determined that urinary incontinence is the end result of many different pathological processes. Better outcomes are noted when an accurate diagnosis has been made and appropriate management has subsequently been implemented. Most patients with urinary incontinence can be managed by GPs, with specialised treatment required in a minority of cases.
