Incontinence isn't something a lot of people want to talk about, but stress incontinence is a problem millions of people suffer from in this country. Here's more on a procedure being performed in Aberdeen to fix it.

OB/GYN Dr. Tage Born with Avera St. Lukes and Obstetrics and Gynecology Associates in Aberdeen deals with a lot of patients who have stress urinary incontinence. An inconvenient and embarrassing condition.

Dr. Born says, "It's a condition that results in the loss of urine with certain types of activities such as coughing, sneezing, lifting, laughing. Any activity that results in bearing down abdominally into the pelvic region."

13 million adults in this country suffer from stress incontinence. 85% of them are women. Some of the predisposing factors are child birth, pelvic surgery, age and hormones. There is help through a popular miner surgery called a mid-urethral sling procedure and Dr. Born performs them.

Dr. Born says, "If we can put support back there where it's been lost, where the muscles are no longer supporting the urethra. We can provide a hammock of support underneath the urethra with a synthetic sling."

This is considered a minimally invasive procedure compared to what used to be done. They used to sew something in place but now a thin mesh sling is held in place by tissue friction and eventually scar tissue. The down time is much less with the same result. They've had a success rate of 80 to 90%.

Dr. Born, "There is a platform of support so when the bearing down occurs the urethra can't move like it did before resulting in continence for the patients."

And that makes for a happy patient. You shouldn't have to hold laughter back because you're worried your bladder won't hold.

For more information go to Avera St. Lukes