The American Urological Association, Inc.R (AUA) invites you to a press conference at 2 p.m. on Thursday, December 10, in the California Room of the Capitol Hilton Hotel in Washington, D. C., 16th and K Streets NW. (Please note time change from a previous announcement.) At this press conference, details of a major national public awareness campaign on female incontinence will be announced.

Incontinence affects half of all women during their lifetime. New treatments and cures have recently become available or are in development that have the potential to dramatically improve the quality of life of millions of women who suffer from incontinence. To help realize this potential, I encourage you to attend the AUA press conference. Your participation will help bring much- needed media attention to this traditionally under-reported issue.

Refreshments will be served after the press conference.

Following the refreshment break, the AUA will host a one-hour seminar for journalists on the latest research findings and treatments for female incontinence.

Both the press conference announcing details of the female incontinence public awareness campaign and the seminar to follow will provide a wealth of useful information for journalists who cover women's and geriatric health issues.

Press Conference Overview. At the press conference, AUA representatives will demonstrate the need for such a public awareness campaign, highlighting the detrimental effects of the misconceptions, the societal barriers, and the lack of public discourse and media coverage on incontinence. Problems that contribute to the lack of awareness and understanding of incontinence include:

• The belief of women that their incontinence is unique, making them feel alone and isolated.

• The considerable embarrassment of women about the problem, which makes them reluctant to talk about it--even to their doctor--therefore preventing them from seeking proper medical care.

• The mistaken belief of women that incontinence is an inevitable consequence of childbearing or aging, and that nothing can be done by the medical community to successfully treat and cure the condition.

Seminar Overview
At the seminar for journalists that will follow the press conference, AUA members will provide current information about the demographics of female incontinence, the diagnosis of female incontinence, available treatment options, new advances that will appear in the next twelve to eighteen months (pending approval of the FDA), and outcomes data on various treatment options.

Participants will include:

Alan J. Wein, M.D.; Chief of Urology at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.

Edward J. McGuire, M.D.; Professor and Director of the Division of Urology at the University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston.

Jerry Blaivas, M.D.; Clinical Professor of Urology at The New York Hospital of the Cornell University Medical School.

Roger Dmochowski, M.D.; Medical Director of the North Texas Center for Urinary Control.

For additional information, please contact me at 703-532-3797 or [email protected].