Dr. Gunter, I am a postmenopausal 63-year-old woman. I am wondering if the fate of all women my age and older is to wear pads for leakage. I understand your specialty is gynecology and not urology but thought you could weigh in on any advances in this area as the two specialties are related.

— Gail Barraco, Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

[Have a question about women’s health? Ask Dr. Gunter yourself.]

Short Take

Urinary incontinence is a common and distressing problem for many women. While the rate of incontinence increases with age, there are many therapies available to reduce leakage and improve your quality of life.

Tell Me More

Urinary incontinence, the involuntary leakage of urine, affects women of all ages. Approximately 25 percent of young women, 50 percent of middle-aged women and 75 percent of older women have some degree of urinary incontinence.

There are two main types of urinary incontinence:

Stress urinary incontinence The loss of urine with physical activity, coughing or sneezing

[Stress urinary incontinence may be a side effect of giving birth. Learn how to treat it.]