USING women’s own stem cells to rebuild the muscles that control the bladder can cure incontinence.
“Stress” incontinence affects an estimated 10 to 35 per cent of women globally. The loss of control is due to shrinking of the muscles in the bladder sphincter and urethra wall, and happens as women age. In 1995, US sufferers alone spent $12.4 billion on drugs, incontinence pads and corrective surgery. The condition rarely afflicts men.
Christopher Woodhouse at the Institute of Urology and Nephrology, University College London, says existing treatments are often unsatisfactory. For example, collagen or liquid plastic injections to bulk up…
