The funny side of bladder weakness: Whoopi Goldberg goes public with leaking bladder problems

Incontinence is no laughing matter — unless Whoopi Goldberg is making hilarious jokes about bladder weakness in her new series. The comedienne and The View panel member is starring in a new series of webisodes (Internet-based TV) for Poise, and she manages to make leaking bladder problems into a hysterical problem.

Leaking bladder, Whoopi style

To most vibrant women, a leaking bladder is a serious and embarrassing problem. Whoopi Goldberg laughs in the face of her own bladder weakness by talking about the spritz — “that little psst of water that comes out of your body.” You see, Whoopi isn’t just a Poise-paid comic, she’s a real vibrant woman. Goldberg, 55, also experiences bladder weakness problems. She’s no stranger to the spritz.

It’s okay to laugh along with Whoopi — bladder weakness is a very common problem. Incontinence products for adults are a billion-dollar business in the worldwide market, and it’s only expected to grow in the years to come. The name of Whoopi’s campaign with Poise, in fact, is named “one in three like me.” The name refers to leaking bladder problems, spritzing, which affect one out of every three vibrant women.

One out of every three is a lot, but very few women publicly speak about their bladder control issues. Whoopi Goldberg is a rare personality who can not only speak out about bladder weakness and leakage, she actually makes it funny. And it’s good to laugh at life’s little problems, even when that problem stains your underwear and makes going out in public a nerve-wracking prospect, but laughing about it isn’t going to make bladder leakage go away.

Sometimes, it’s good to take your leaking bladder seriously, too.

Control your leaking bladder

Bladder weakness is a natural fact for many women as they become older, but a leaking bladder can’t always be chalked up to the “ills of aging.” Prescription medication is among one of the many factors that may cause bladder weakness and leakage. Bladder infections may also be to blame if you find that you’re no longer able to “hold it” like you used to.

Time and trauma make the muscles around the bladder wear out and break down. Childbirth is one of many factors that may contribute to bladder weakness in women, but you don’t have to assume a leaking bladder is here to stay.  Bladder control exercises are designed to do just that: give you more control over your bladder. Use bladder control exercises to rebuild those muscles and reestablish control over when you urinate. Repeatedly tighten and release bladder muscles to slowly build them back up and make them stronger.