UGSA Stress Urinary Incontinence for SUI Information Sheet

Stress urinary incontinence (SUI) is the medical term for leakage of urine when your bladder is under pressure, for example during sneezing, coughing, laughing, straining, lifting, jumping or other exercise as depicted in the diagram below. The loss of urine is usually small. It is a common problem affecting up to a third of women. The term stress is related to the mechanical stress of the abdomen pushing down on the bladder and is not related to feeling stressed.