Urinary incontinence as a marker of temporality in women: a qualitative study

Urinary incontinence (UI) is prevalent in postmenopausal women. To manage UI, it necessary to improve UI screening. We aimed to analyze and understand the experience of women with UI.

We conducted a qualitative study using semi-structured interviews with postmenopausal women (age >50 years), who were recruited from an urban general practice office. The data of the patients were analyzed using the grounded theory method to allow the conceptualization of categories to emerge.

Data saturation was reached after eight interviews and was confirmed by two additional interviews. There were four conceptualizing categories: UI is a marker of temporality in women and of societal temporality; women's information about UI is a prerequisite for screening, and the media and information providers have an impact on women's UI experience; UI has a strong societal taboo for women (women consider UI a minor but pejorative disease and fear stigmatization); and faced with the complexity of implementing personalized screening, women recommend systematic screening by their general practitioner or gynecologist to trivialize UI and optimize its management.

Women were uninformed about UI. They requested that the provision of information on the female anatomy should be started in childhood.