PATIENTS: ACT® For Women

ACT® is a minimally invasive implant designed to treat stress urinary incontinence in women who have not had success with other treatments. The ACT Device is being implanted in Europe, Canada, South America and Australia.

Important Safety Information About ACT

Female Stress Incontinence is Widespread and Treatable
Stress incontinence is the unintentional loss of urine that occurs when pressure is put on the bladder by coughing, sneezing, laughing, lifting something heavy or even getting out of bed. The most common causes of female stress incontinence are childbearing and hysterectomy, which may weaken the tissue that supports the bladder neck and urethra (tube that empties urine from the bladder). It is difficult to pinpoint the number of women affected by stress incontinence, because often they do not report it. However, results of one study suggest that 20.8% of women over the age of 15 have experienced stress incontinence.1

The prevalence of stress urinary incontinence in women is estimated to be:

  • 17-28% in France
  • 4.6-16.6% in Italy
  • 13.5-28.5% in Spain
  • 24.5-27.5% in the United Kingdom2

ACT Therapy may be a solution to a life-long problem. Benefits of ACT Therapy include:

  • Requires a minimally invasive procedure with quick recovery
  • Offers freedom to be active
  • Improves quality of life
  • Can be adjusted to best meet each patient’s individual needs

The ACT Device for Bladder Control
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The ACT Device is a female urinary incontinence device consisting of two small implantable balloons. During a short procedure, the balloons are surgically placed under the skin next to the bladder. The balloons help protect against accidental leaking of urine by increasing the amount of pressure required to urinate. (When you need to urinate, a normal amount of effort still should be required to push the urine out. However, the pressure from the balloons will help guard against unintentional urine loss, such as during a sneeze or cough.)
The complete ACT System is implanted within your body. Once implanted, nobody but you will know it is there. Your doctor can inflate, deflate, or remove the device as necessary at any time after the surgery. There is no need for you to manipulate any part of the device, as would be the case with an artificial urinary sphincter.

Contact Urologi Inc. to learn more about how ACT Therapy may meet your individual needs.