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August 26, 2025

Understanding barriers to care for urinary incontinence among a contemporary cohort of women

Key Points

Over half of women reported delaying care for urinary incontinence due to barriers like cost and misconceptions.
The study involved 1,004 women; 51% cited treatment cost as a reason for delays in seeking care.
Multivariable logistic regression identified factors like race and employment associated with care delays.
Emphasizing telehealth and community outreach may improve healthcare seeking behaviors among women.

Abstract

No AccessJournal of UrologyOriginal Clinical Article26 Aug 2025Understanding barriers to care for urinary incontinence among a contemporary cohort of women Karla Rebullar, MD, FRCSC Bryn Launer, MD Melissa R. Kaufman, MD, PhD Roger R. Dmochowski, andMD, MMHC Elisabeth M. SebestaMD Karla RebullarKarla Rebullar Corresponding author: Karla Rebullar, (email protected) https://orcid.org/0009-0001-7361-6602 , Bryn LaunerBryn Launer Vanderbilt University Medical Center, 1211 Medical Center North, NashvilleTN 37232 , Melissa R. KaufmanMelissa R. Kaufman Vanderbilt University Medical Center, 1211 Medical Center North, NashvilleTN 37232 Associate Editor, The Journal of Urology , Roger R. DmochowskiRoger R. Dmochowski Vanderbilt University Medical Center, 1211 Medical Center North, NashvilleTN 37232 , and Elisabeth M. SebestaElisabeth M. Sebesta Vanderbilt University Medical Center, 1211 Medical Center North, NashvilleTN 37232 View All Author Informationhttps://doi.org/10.1097/JU.0000000000004752AboutPDF Cite Export CitationSelect Citation formatNLMAMAIEEEACMAPAChicagoMLAHarvardTips on citation downloadDownload citationCopy citation ToolsAdd to favoritesTrack Citations ShareFacebookLinked InTwitterEmail Abstract Purpose: Urinary incontinence (UI) affects half of adult women in the United States. The aim of this study is to investigate barriers for women to seek medical care for UI and to evaluate patient factors associated with delaying care. Methods: Adult women with any type and severity of UI were recruited from our clinic and from the local area via ResearchMatch to complete questionnaires on demographics, urinary symptoms, and barriers to care for UI. Multivariable logistic regression was used to assess for association between patient characteristics, symptom severity and delaying care. Results: A total of 1,004 respondents completed the study. Median age was 47 years, and majority was white, non-Hispanic (68%). 514 (51%) women reported delaying seeking care for UI for any reason, citing cost of treatment (51%) as the most common reason, followed by thinking the condition was not treatable (48%), and fear (27%). Women who delayed care were more likely to report several comorbidities, had significantly worse UI severity, and worse bladder-specific quality of life compared to those who did not delay seeking care. White race, multiparity, working full-time, and living in a rural area were associated with delaying care, medical, or surgical treatment for UI. Conclusions: Most women in our study reported delaying seeking care, treatment, or surgery for UI. Findings from this study highlight an emphasis on patient education, telehealth and community outreach to foster healthcare seeking behaviour. © 2025 by American Urological Association Education and Research, Inc.FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Supplementary Materials Advertisement Copyright & Permissions© 2025 by American Urological Association Education and Research, Inc.Keywordsfemale incontinencebarriers to careurinary incontinencestress incontinenceurge incontinence Author Information Karla Rebullar Corresponding author: Karla Rebullar, (email protected) More articles by this author Bryn Launer Vanderbilt University Medical Center, 1211 Medical Center North, NashvilleTN 37232 More articles by this author Melissa R. Kaufman Vanderbilt University Medical Center, 1211 Medical Center North, NashvilleTN 37232 Associate Editor, The Journal of Urology More articles by this author Roger R. Dmochowski Vanderbilt University Medical Center, 1211 Medical Center North, NashvilleTN 37232 More articles by this author Elisabeth M. Sebesta Vanderbilt University Medical Center, 1211 Medical Center North, NashvilleTN 37232 More articles by this author Expand All Advertisement PDF downloadLoading ...

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