Comedian and actress Kym Whitley, 59, has recently revealed that she has urinary incontinence, the involuntary leakage of urine.
She said she wishes her mother told her that middle-aged women often have urinary incontinence.
Whitely told Health, “My mother should have told me, when you get in your fifties, you’re going to pee on yourself.”
However, since she has experienced urinary incontinence herself, she has she wants to make sure every woman knows it is okay to talk about their bladder issues.
The Raising Whitley star said, “This is normal. The problem is we don’t talk about it.”
She said she has always struggled with urinary incontinence, but that the condition has grown worse with age.
Whitley explained, “It seems like it’s always been a part of my life. As I’ve gotten older, coughing, laughing, holding it too long—it just happens. It’s just a part of everyday conversation.”
While the condition has become a part of her life and affected the lives of many women she knows, she realized the importance of talking about it.
Whitley realized it when she saw a friend suffering from urinary incontinence at the movie theater. She said, “I felt bad for her that she felt bad in front of me,” explaining to her friend, “I get it.”
She realized that most middle-aged women struggle with incontinence, which has helped her become more comfortable talking about it and accepting it. “I thought it was just me, but, no, all women have this,” she said.
Whitley is encouraging other women to seek help for incontinence rather than feeling embarrassed and suffering in silence. “You can’t be embarrassed: It’s a part of life,” she said. The article originally appeared on Health.
