Urinary leaks for the first time
Testimonials
We asked experienced users to tell us about the first time they experienced urinary leaks. We hope their stories will give you confidence and make you realize that you’re not alone! Read on to find out more.
Note: All data collected from a Unicharm Japan survey conducted between January 22 and February 2, 2015 (1,456 respondents who have experienced urinary leaks)
Advice on product selection
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Gender
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Age
54-year-old female
I started really feeling my age, and started worrying about getting to a restroom when I was going out to a place I expected to be crowded. I love concerts, but I’d end up having to go to the bathroom in the middle of them, so I’d restrict my fluid intake for a whole day until the concert was over.
There are all kinds of urinary incontinence products on the market, and that really put me at ease. Not only was I not stressed about leaks anymore, I realized that there are lots of other people struggling with the same thing.
I’m trying not to get too hung up about it. If I just incorporate the right exercises and make smart use of the products, I can continue living the way I want to live.
52-year-old female
I realized that there was an issue when I kept having small accidents in the process of getting my underwear down to use the toilet. The experience was a huge shock for me. I realized that I really was getting older. I didn’t know what to do and got really down about it. I didn’t talk to anyone about it, either—but surprisingly, I did go straight to the store to look at products after watching some TV commercials that got me thinking about pantiliners and pads. I tried a bunch of different products after that.
48-year-old female
I was caring for my mother-in-law, and ended up holding it in longer and longer before I went to the bathroom. I didn’t go to the doctor even when I felt a cold coming on, and ended up leaking when I coughed.
When I went to the place where I bought pants type for my mother, I realized that they sold pads for urinary leaks as well, and I was surprised at how many different absorbency types they had. I figured it was no shame to try them out, so I hid them under the diapers for my mother and bought them together.
Now they sell them in cute packages alongside the menstrual products, so I’m not embarrassed about buying them anymore.
60-year-old female
The first time I experienced a leak was when I had a bad cough due to a cold. I didn’t acknowledge that that’s what it was, telling myself that it was just a temporary situation. But it kept happening about once a month after that, and last year urinary incontinence pads started becoming indispensable. It was a shock not knowing when the leaks would come. They gradually increased from once a week to three times a week, and I started worrying about leaving the house. I finally accepted what was happening and started using the products, and now I just can’t believe I didn’t do it sooner. Now I go out without thinking about it, but when the leaks started getting larger, I started considering pads and looked into the Unicharm products. I’m too embarrassed to tell anyone about it, but now I’ve regained my confidence.
58-year-old female
I was embarrassed and tried to use menstrual products at first, but then I went through menopause and actually started feeling more resistant to buying those than the urinary products.
It was around that time that they started selling the products for urinary leaks in the same place as the menstrual products, so it became easier to pick them up.
53-year-old female
The first time I experienced a leak was when I had a severe coughing fit during a cold. Gradually I had to stay closer and closer to the bathroom, and now I can’t do without pads.
It was a bit of a shock at first, but I was always worried about finding a bathroom when I’m out of the house and it made me depressed. Now, thanks to a variety of urinary care products, I live each day with confidence.
65-year-old male
I’m a 65-year-old man, but I use urinary incontinence pads made for women.
I’d stain my suit pants when I couldn’t make it to the bathroom in time, and gradually they ended up getting a yellow stain. You could smell it, too. It was really terrible.
58-year-old female
I’m not exactly sure when my leaks started, but I know it was when I wasn’t feeling well. I remember still using my old menstrual pads even though I had passed menopause and shouldn’t have needed them anymore.
When I ran out and went to buy more, I realized that they had products designed for urinary incontinence as well. I do remember being resistant to buying them at first, though.
50-year-old female
I realized I was leaking when I’d start sneezing and coughing from a cold or allergies and my underwear would be wet. I couldn’t bring myself to buy urinary care products in the store, so I ended up having them delivered. Later I learned about exercises that can help control leaks on TV and online, and started doing those.
53-year-old female
After I turned 50, I started leaking even when I wasn’t coughing. I was so disappointed. Oh man, here we go, I thought. I started by using sanitary napkins, but eventually I switched to pantiliners made for urinary leaks.
55-year-old female
I was out of the house and had to go to the bathroom, but not to the point that I normally wouldn’t have been able to hold it. As soon as I got to the toilet it just started coming on its own accord. It was a total shock. I then remembered my mother saying that she often couldn’t make it to the toilet in time.
It kept happening, so I started using urinary pads. Now I can leave the house without worrying about it.
67-year-old female
I started skipping rope to stay in shape, but when I started leaking it was the last thing I wanted to do.
After that I would feel the urge to urinate when I started working in the kitchen, but I often couldn’t make it in time. That started to make me worry about going out with friends. I found out about incontinence pads, though, and since then I use them whenever I go out.
53-year-old female
I was in shock and couldn’t quite accept it, but when I started researching it online I realized that I wasn’t the only one.
56-year-old female
Ever since I started paying attention to staying hydrated and drinking a lot of water, I would start to get little leaks just as I was starting to get the urge to use the bathroom. It was a shock.
I got a better idea of what was happening after a watched a health program that talked about the loss of muscle strength that comes with age. I started checking for restrooms whenever I’d leave the house. Now I’m just thankful that there are so many urinary care products out there.
49-year-old female
The first time I leaked was when a friend and I were eating together and started laughing hard. We had been drinking so I just chalked it up to a random occurrence at the time, but it happened again later when I’d have a big sneeze or something. I did some research online and asked my friend about it, and learned that the same thing happened to them. That’s when I realized I had urinary incontinence.
56-year-old male
I was out drinking and had left the restaurant for the ten-minute walk back to the station when it suddenly came on. I leaked a little before I got to the toilet, and it ended up going through my underwear and getting my slacks a little wet as well.
At the time there weren’t a lot of pads out there for men, so I made due with overnight menstrual pads that I flipped around backwards.
59-year-old female
My mom used pads for her urinary leaks, so I realized I was getting to that age when they started happening to me too.
I had some menstrual pads left from before I stopped having my period, so I started by using those—but eventually I realized that it was a good idea to switch to liners or pads made for urinary leaks.
46-year-old female
I have seasonal allergies, and noticed I was leaking when I sneezed as a result. There were a lot of products in the store, which made me feel better because it meant that I wasn’t the only one.
49-year-old female
The first time I noticed was when I was sneezing. It was just a tiny bit, but it was definitely there. Later it happened whenever I would laugh or sneeze… it was a shock. I couldn’t believe it was happening to me.
When I looked online I realized that lots of people had the same issue, so that made me feel better.
Many people started in disbelieve, but ended up having a more positive attitude after they did some research online, went to see the products in the store, and realized that there are a lot of others out there struggling with the same thing.
It’s also quite common for people to make due with sanitary napkins or pantiliners at first, but once they switch to products made for urinary leaks, they end up feeling much more confident about avoiding leaks and odors.
Even those who started avoiding going out because they were worried about leaks realized how easy it was to just use a urinary care product—so jump in and try them for yourself!