“I have urine leaks and don’t know what to do” – 23-year-old woman, Reddit forum.
This comment captures something interesting about the women’s health space. Not embarrassment. Not denial. Simply not knowing where to start. When we are focused on building awareness of our service or solution, this moment of honest confusion reveals something worth exploring. Before women can connect with your solution, they need to understand their condition first.
Understanding stress urinary incontinence
Stress urinary incontinence is variably estimated to affect between 4% and 35% of adult women [1]. It occurs when physical activity or exertion – coughing, sneezing, exercising, or lifting – puts pressure on the bladder, causing involuntary urine leakage. That vast range in prevalence estimates shows how much we’re all still learning about this condition (or how little research has gone into it to frame it another way).
What we do know is that 95% of patients identify “lack of knowledge of available treatments” as a primary barrier to seeking help [2]. And only 37% of women have prior knowledge about pelvic floor muscle exercises – the gold standard first-line treatment [3]. This creates an interesting opportunity: by starting with condition education, you’re meeting your audience exactly where they are.
The foundation that builds everything else
That Reddit comment reveals something hopeful. This person has moved past wondering if they should seek help – they’re ready to learn what to do next. When you help women understand that stress urinary incontinence is common and treatable, you create the foundation for everything that follows.
Women typically wait 6.5-7 years from symptom onset to seeking care [4]. Yet when they receive proper education, 70% continue effective treatments like pelvic floor exercises for at five years [5]. The difference isn’t motivation – it’s having the right information at the right time.
This creates a pathway: start by normalising the conversation, help women understand what’s happening and why, then guide them toward solutions. Each step builds trust and positions your brand as genuinely helpful rather than simply promotional.
3 takeaways for women’s health brands
1. Create content that assumes zero baseline knowledge
Your audience may not know that treatments exist beyond surgery, that symptoms aren’t “normal ageing,” or that non-invasive options are available. Start with the basics: what stress urinary incontinence is, why it happens, and what help exists. Build educational content that meets people at their actual knowledge level, not where you assume they are.
2. Validate the confusion
Normalise not knowing where to start. Create content that says “It’s okay to be confused – the medical community is still learning too.” This reduces self-blame and encourages help-seeking despite uncertainty. When even prevalence estimates vary this widely, confusion becomes a rational response rather than a personal failing.
3. Use your platform to bridge care
Position your brand as the translator between medical terminology and lived experience. Create content that explains conditions in accessible language, outlines treatment pathways, and guides people toward appropriate care. This educational role builds trust while serving a genuine need
Quick win
Review your website’s health content through the lens of someone who has never heard of your condition. Can they understand what it is, how common it is, and what they can do about it within two minutes of reading? If not, start there.
References[1] The Definition, Prevalence, and Risk Factors for Stress Urinary Incontinence. PMC. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1472862/
[2] Explaining factors affecting help-seeking behaviors in women with urinary incontinence: a qualitative study. PMC. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7805109/ [
3] Racial differences in self-reported healthcare seeking and treatment for urinary incontinence in community-dwelling women from the EPI Study. PubMed. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21717504/
[4] Overcoming the Stigma of Incontinence: Building Confidence and Self-Esteem. National Association For Continence. https://nafc.org/bhealth-blog/overcoming-the-stigma-of-incontinence-building-confidence-and-self-esteem/
[5] A description of health care provision and access to treatment for women with urinary incontinence in Europe — A five-country comparison. ScienceDirect. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0378512205002549
