Glossary

Following is a glossary of some terms used throughout this website

Bladder – The balloon shaped muscle inside the body that holds urine

Cystoscopy – Investigation that uses a telescope to look directly into the bladder

Daytime Frequency – Voiding urine seven or more times per day

Dysuria – Painful micturition

Enuresis – Any involuntary loss of urine

Genuine Urinary Stress Incontinence (GUSI) – Urinary Stress Incontinence has been diagnosed through Urodynamic assessment and differs from stress incontinence, which is an undiagnosed symptom.

Gynaecologist – A doctor who treats women's problems

Incontinence – Loss of bladder control, accidental leakage of urine, involuntary loss of urine

Leak Point Pressure – Part of specialised tests to determine at what external pressure incontinence occurs

Menopause – The time when a woman stops having her periods

Nocturia – Two or more night time voids

Nocturnal Enuresis – Incontinence during sleep

Pad Test – A test used to estimate amount of involuntary loss of urine over a given time

Pelvic Floor – Group of muscles acting as support for the pelvic organs and assisting in urinary and faecal continence

Pelvic Muscle Exercises – A way to strengthen the muscles that hold the urine in the bladder

Pessary – A special device placed in the vagina to support the bladder and prevent leakage

Stress Incontinence – Involuntary loss of urine during physical exertion

Urethra – A tube that carries urine from the bladder to the outside of the body

Ureters – Tubes connecting the kidneys to the bladder

Urine Flowmetry – The measurement of the rate of urine voiding

Urge Incontinence – The involuntary loss of urine associated with a strong desire to void (urgency)

Urinary Incontinence – The involuntary loss of urine, which is a social or hygienic problem

Urinate – To pass water, also called voiding or weeing

Urine – The water, containing wastes, that passes from the body

Urodynamics - Specialised tests of bladder function

Urogynecologist – A doctor who treats women's bladder and urine problems

Urologist – A doctor who treats people with bladder or urine problems

Vagina – In a woman's body, a tube connecting the womb to the outside of the body, also called the birth canal