Bladder Control Issues Affect Women Celebrities Too

Bladder control issues affect more than 25 million Americans including celebrities of different age and gender. This is a story about how bladder control issues affect women celebrities. Famous women like Kris Jenner, Marie Osmond, Whoopi Goldberg and Debbie ReynoldsNow are a few of examples who have spoken out about their own bladder control concerns so that others will see that we needn’t be afraid to talk about occasional incontinence or bladder control concerns.

You’re not alone!!

Kris Jenner (1955-)
The TV reality show Keeping Up With the Kardashians is a spectacle you either love or hate. But regardless of which camp you fall into, one thing no one can argue with is that the show deals with all of the family’s challenges with brutal honesty. So it’s no surprise that mother to the Kardashians, Kris Jenner and former wife of Olympian Bruce Jenner, didn’t hide her issues with bladder control on the show either.

In numerous episodes, Kris would run to the bathroom in order to avoid an accident, often jumping up from the dinner table mid-sentence in order to make a mad dash. She even had several accidents on the air, including a scene where she was jumping on a trampoline with her kids and another while she was laughing and jumping rope. Kris was finally diagnosed with urinary stress incontinence and has decided to become a spokesperson for Poise products so that women will finally start talking about occasional incontinence and bladder control concerns.

As Kris says, “People think they’re the only ones dealing with this… When you realize that the woman sitting next to you is probably going through the same thing, you feel less lonely.”

Marie Osmond (1959-)
Marie Osmond made headlines when, during the final night performing with her brother Donny on a cruise, she wet her pants on stage. Marie and Donny were laughing over a video that had been made to highlight their trip and it was so bad, they started making jokes with each other about it.

The jokes escalated until they were laughing hysterically and the old adage “I laughed so hard I peed my pants” came true for Marie then and there; she had an accident right on stage. At first she was embarrassed: who wouldn’t be? But she just went with it, laughing about it, and even cleaning it up herself with a towel.

As her brother Donny told her in consolation, you are “now extremely normal.” Donny was proud that his little sister embraced it and stayed true to herself by laughing it off and Marie handled it with grace and humor.

Debbie Reynolds (1932-)
Older readers may remember Debbie from Singing in the Rain and The Unsinkable Molly Brown, but some younger readers may know her better as the mother of Carrie Fisher (who played Princess Leia in Star Wars.) Now in her 80s, it was more than 10 years ago that Debbie began to speak out about her bladder control concerns.

Debbie has shared her struggles: having to plan trips in advance to ensure she had bathroom access and needing to avoid taking any long trips and how these restrictions changed her lifestyle as an actress. She was embarrassed to talk about it so she just learned to cope and she admits that she let it limit her life. Then she finally shared her struggles with her girlfriends and was surprised to find out that she was not alone.

As Debbie says, “it turned out, many of them had experienced the same problem, but they had gotten help. They encouraged me to speak with my doctor, and now I am glad I did. Not only did I receive treatment, but I also learned that I’m one of 17 million Americans with bladder control issues. (And, the majority are women!)”

Debbie feels strongly that people should know that “Bladder control issues can affect men and women at any age.” She believes that “many people remain too embarrassed to talk about their issues. People cope in many different ways, some avoid places without easily accessible restroom facilities, some wear dark clothing and pads, and some withdraw from the activities they love, even visiting family or friends… I hope to spread the word that no one should have to plan his or her life around bladder control issues.”

Whoopi Goldberg (1955-)
Whoopi Goldberg experiences occasional bladder leakage. She’s decided to go public with her occasional incontinence and has signed on to work with Poise to increase bladder control awareness.

As part of Poise’s “1 in 3 Like Me” campaign, which is designed to reflect that 1 in 3 women face bladder control concerns, Whoopi has made a series of humorous short films. The films, which can be found on You Tube, poke fun at the issue with historical figures such as Joan of Arc and Cleopatra talking about their bladder concerns.

As Whoopi puts it, “Nobody ever wants to talk about LBL (light bladder leakage). For some reason, we’ve decided there’s something taboo about it – but so many women experience it and we should be able to talk about it openly! Leaks don’t discriminate, we all go through it – I tell women this all the time.”

As you can see, you are definitely not alone.

So take control and be defensive!

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