Urinary incontinence (UI) has become a life-changing reality for too many women. Over 20 million women in the U.S. and 250 million women worldwide live with the uncertainty and unpredictability that come with UI and know all too well its effects on their mental health, quality of life, and relationships. If left untreated, UI can progress and worsen. The severity and the number of women who report incontinence increases with age—from almost 30% of women in their 30s up to over 50% of women in their 50s and beyond reporting symptoms.
Despite its prevalence and adverse impact on their health, too many women are embarrassed or reluctant to discuss their UI symptoms. Millions of women “just live with it” instead of discussing the condition with their physicians.
But there’s reason to believe the problem is emerging out of the shadows. The National Association for Continence along with several other organizations, including ACOG (American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists) and WPSI (Women’s Preventive Services Initiative), recommend screening women for pelvic floor disorders.
Data show early intervention—specifically, pelvic floor muscle strengthening—can resolve or reduce UI symptoms, improve immediate and long-term condition-specific quality of life, and limit the need for costly or more invasive treatments.
Many women know that pelvic floor muscle exercises, commonly referred to as Kegels, can help strengthen and train muscles to reduce involuntary bladder leaks. Unfortunately, most women don’t perform these exercises correctly or consistently. Unlike practicing Kegels only occasionally, such as performing a few of these exercises every few weeks when women remember to do them, pelvic floor muscle training involves a program of exercises and followed regularly for a period of several weeks or months. Women who complete pelvic floor muscle training are significantly more likely to report cure or improvement of symptoms when compared to those who do not.
Now, thanks to advancing technology, there is a discreet, user-friendly option for women to perform pelvic floor muscle training in the comfort of their own homes. Renovia’s leva® Pelvic Health System offers a non-invasive, non-drug, and non-surgical way for women to train and strengthen their pelvic floor muscles successfully in just five minutes a day.
The System, comprised of a small vaginal wand combined with a smartphone app, is FDA-cleared for the treatment of stress, mixed and mild to moderate urgency urinary incontinence, including overactive bladder. Published data from globally recognized medical centers supports leva’s efficacy for UI. And, leva is listed in the Digital Therapeutics Alliance (DTA) Product Library, indicating that it has met the DTA’s definition of an evidence-based digital therapeutic and satisfies its ten rigorous Core Principles.
The technology and features of the leva System make it a game-changer for women treating UI. leva’s motion sensor technology offers precise visualization of pelvic floor muscle movement in real-time. As a woman performs pelvic floor muscle exercises, her smartphone app produces clear graphics to help her target the muscles predominantly responsible for maintaining continence. The app offers features women can use to review and track progress over time. leva is the only UI treatment that offers this level of support.
The leva System also provides personalized coaching sessions to optimize training. Also unique, leva allows women to share usage and symptom data directly with their healthcare providers. This crucial focus on integrating physicians directly into the treatment program ensures a comprehensive, individualized experience for each woman. The leva System is available by prescription, allowing physicians the opportunity to treat UI on a broad scale and with continued involvement in patient success.
An open dialogue between women and their healthcare providers is essential to treating UI. Early intervention can resolve or reduce symptoms, improve quality of life, and limit the need for more intensive treatments. New technologies like leva are making it easier than ever for women to engage in a successful pelvic floor muscle training program, all from the privacy of their own home. Strengthening their pelvic floor could be the first step millions of women take to move beyond the daily restrictions of UI symptoms and find better quality of life.
