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 urination

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