Embarrassment over the issue has had a significant effect on women's ability to get help and has created a void in U.S. research data on the subject.
The website from the Women's Health Foundation (WHF) www.womenshealthfoundation.org , supported by an unrestricted educational grant from Pfizer, aims to change this. It allows women access to much-needed information from the privacy of their own home and encourages them to share information about their silent suffering.
The site offers easy-to-understand descriptions of common types of bladder dysfunction, their causes, treatments and simple lifestyle and nutritional tips to avoid problems.
The site also offers a lighthearted interactive game called, "The Road to Control," in which players guide a youthful, active woman through a bladder control "obstacle course." Participants earn a free wristband by completing the ten-minute survey.
It's hard to imagine more than 25 million Americans suffering in silence with any condition. But studies indicate women who experience urinary leakage or overactive bladder urges wait an average of six to seven years before mentioning it to their doctors.
