Stress Urinary Incontinence and Laser Therapy

Genuine stress incontinence is the most common form of urinary incontinence. Stress urinary incontinence (SUI) is defined as involuntary urine loss that is provoked by an increase in intra-abdominal pressure, usually during physical activity and upon coughing sneezing, laughing or when engaging in intercourse. Factors that increase risk of SUI are childbirth, age, obesity, chronic constipation and heavy lifting (1). Vaginal and urethral epithelia originate from the same embyologic tissue and are both estrogen dependent and subject to the negative effects of estrogen deprivation. One of the contributing factors to stress incontinence in menopausal women is loss of the para-urethral vascular plexus that surrounds the proximal urethra.