Stress Urinary Incontinence Overview and Definition 

Stress Urinary Incontinence (SUI) is defined as the involuntary leakage of urine during moments of increased intra-abdominal pressure. It is one of the most prevalent pelvic floor disorders globally, primarily affecting women, though it can occur in men following certain pelvic surgeries. The term “stress” in SUI does not refer to psychological or emotional stress, but rather to physical, mechanical stress exerted upon the bladder and the urinary sphincter mechanism.

When a person laughs, coughs, sneezes, lifts a heavy object, or engages in athletic exercise, the pressure inside the abdomen suddenly spikes. In a healthy individual, the pelvic floor muscles and the urethral sphincter contract simultaneously to counteract this pressure, keeping the urethra firmly closed. In a patient suffering from SUI, this protective closure mechanism fails. The structural support surrounding the bladder neck and urethra is either too weak or damaged, allowing the sudden spike in physical pressure to physically force urine past the urinary sphincter. At Liv Hospital, we treat SUI not as an inevitable or embarrassing consequence of aging or childbirth but as a dynamic structural failure that can be fully corrected using modern medical protocols.