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Q: I notice that sometimes when I sneeze or laugh, I may urinate a little. Is there anything I can do, or is this just a part of getting older?

A: You’re not alone! What you are experiencing sounds like stress urinary incontinence. This can affect almost a third of people nationwide, more commonly women than men.

While the issue is common, it does not mean that it is a normal part of aging. What causes it is not known for certain, but it’s thought that a combination of aging, obesity, smoking and a history of childbirth in women, or surgical removal of the prostate in men, may increase your chances of developing stress urinary incontinence.

So what is it, and does this mean that I’m stressed?

Urinary incontinence refers to the unintentional loss of urine. “Stress” indicates that it occurs with a physical stress or pressure on your bladder such as sneezing, laughing, coughing, running or heavy lifting. This is due to the muscles within your pelvic floor, such as those around your bladder, weakening and not being able to prevent urine from leaking out.

It doesn’t refer to your mental health at all; however, the condition can certainly be bothersome, and you may even feel embarrassed and isolate yourself from social activities or doing the things you enjoy.

The first step is to reach out to your doctor if you feel like this is bothersome and if it prevents you from doing your daily activities. They may refer you to a specialist who can recommend a variety of treatments to develop the best plan for you.

Is there anything I can do at home?

Yes! You may have heard of pelvic-floor exercises. These may be recommended by your doctor. They are quick and easy exercises you can do on your own to help strengthen the muscles within your pelvic floor, and they can be very effective at reducing the number of episodes of leakage each day.

It’s important to note that it may take some time to see some benefit, so try to stick to them daily. The great thing is that anyone can do these to help strengthen their pelvic floor.

Here is an example of one exercise that you can try, recommended by the Mayo Clinic:

To identify the correct muscles, try to imagine that you’re trying to stop your urine flow. Tighten these muscles and hold for five seconds, then relax for five seconds.

If this is too hard, you can begin with holding for two seconds and relaxing for three seconds. Try to work up to holding for 10 seconds at a time. Aim to complete three sets of 10 repetitions each day.

If you’re having difficulty identifying which muscles to contract, reach out to your doctor and they can refer you to certain products that may help or to a physical therapist who specializes in the pelvic floor.

Remember, you’re not alone in experiencing urine leakage. Pelvic-floor exercises are just one of the tools we can use to help improve and prevent worsening of symptoms. If it is bothersome or affects your day-to-day activities, reach out to your doctor to develop a plan that’s right for you.

Helen N. Reihl is a fourth-year Pharm.D. student at VCU School of Pharmacy. She is a native of Glen Allen, Virginia, and graduated from Virginia Tech with a Bachelor of Science in biochemistry. After graduation, she hopes to pursue a career in community pharmacy.