Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • News & Views
  • Published:

Urinary incontinence

Can weight loss treat urinary incontinence in obese women?

New research confirms that weight loss is an effective first-line intervention for overweight or obese women with urinary incontinence. Such patients should be encouraged to lose weight, but must also be given access to a full range of treatment options.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

References

  1. Subak, L. L. et al. Weight loss to treat urinary incontinence in overweight and obese women. N. Engl. J. Med. 360, 481–490 (2009).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Hannestad, Y. S., Rortveit, G., Daltveit, A. K. & Hunskaar, S. Are smoking and other lifestyle factors associated with female urinary incontinence? The Norwegian EPINCONT Study. BJOG 110, 247–254 (2003).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Richter, H. E. et al. Urinary and anal incontinence in morbidly obese women considering weight loss surgery. Obstet. Gynecol. 106, 1272–1277 (2005).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Lambert, D. M., Marceau, S. & Forse, R. A. Intra-abdominal pressure in the morbidly obese. Obes. Surg. 15, 1225–1232 (2005).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Ahroni, J. H., Montgomery, K. F. & Watkins, B. M. Laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding: weight loss, co-morbidities, medication usage and quality of life at one year. Obes. Surg. 15, 641–647 (2005).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Burgio, K. L., Richter, H. E., Clements, R. H., Redden, D. T. & Goode, P. S. Changes in urinary and fecal incontinence symptoms with weight loss surgery in morbidly obese women. Obstet. Gynecol. 110, 1034–1040 (2007).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Auwad, W. et al. Moderate weight loss in obese women with urinary incontinence: a prospective longitudinal study. Int. Urogynecol. J. Pelvic Floor Dysfunct. 19, 1251–1259 (2008).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Subak, L. L. et al. Weight loss: a novel and effective treatment for urinary incontinence. J. Urol. 174, 190–195 (2005).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence. Urinary incontinence: the management of urinary incontinence in women. NICE clinical guideline 40. http://www.nice.org.uk/nicemedia/pdf/word/CG40quickrefguide1006.pdf

  10. Greer, W. J., Richter, H. E., Bartolucci, A. A. & Burgio, K. L. Obesity and pelvic floor disorders: a systematic review. Obstet. Gynecol. 112, 341–349 (2008).

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Simon R. Jackson.

Ethics declarations

Competing interests

The authors declare no competing financial interests.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Aye, C., Price, N. & Jackson, S. Can weight loss treat urinary incontinence in obese women?. Nat Rev Urol 6, 247–248 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrurol.2009.74

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nrurol.2009.74

Search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing