Health. Stress urinary incontinence affects 49% of professional female rugby players in France.

It's still a taboo subject in elite sport: stress urinary incontinence. A recent study revealed that 49.4% of Elite 1 players who agreed to participate experienced sudden leaks during physical exertion. This discomfort is caused by the intense strain on the perineum, i.e., the group of muscles located between the pubis and the coccyx, during sports. The movements exert pressure on the bladder, which weakens the muscles and ligaments of the perineum and causes involuntary urinary leaks.

The perineum is subject to intense stress in rugby, as it is subject to intense shocks and repeated efforts. "Having them [urinary leaks, editor's note ] , even rarely, is already a problem. The athlete can suffer a loss of performance due to the weakness of the perineum," Carole Maître, co-author of the study, emphasized on FranceInfo . "This is why it is important to work the perineum as much as the abdominals. If the former is not taken into account, intra-abdominal pressure will escape by leaning on it," explains the gynecologist at the National Institute of Sport, Expertise and Performance (INSEP).

According to this study, conducted with the support of the French Rugby Federation and the Bordeaux Institute of Public Health, Epidemiology and Development, players with a high BMI, particularly forwards, are the most affected by urinary leaks . Among the 159 players surveyed, a third said that these fruits have a negative impact on their sporting practice. Off the pitch, one in four players is affected in their daily life.

Researchers have identified several risk factors during matches or training. Jumping is the main cause, due to the high intra-abdominal pressure. This is followed by landing during jumps, tackling, sprinting, weight lifting, and "concentric abdominal strengthening."

This condition, which mainly affects women, is not limited to rugby. According to Carole Maître, interviewed by FranceInfo , it impacts the practice of "more than 50% of high-level sportswomen." However, this discomfort receives little media coverage in women's sport and in society, as evidenced by an IFOP survey carried out in 2018, in which 57% of French men and women under 35 considered urinary incontinence to be a taboo subject.

The results of the study, published in Science & Sports magazine , show that 30% of players have never spoken about it, while only one of them has discussed it with a sports doctor. The issue is still sensitive in rugby and high-level sport. But people are speaking out, as confirmed by the study's findings: 60% of players want to "exchange information" on this problem.

The study's authors highlight "insufficient primary prevention" within teams and note "a delay in diagnosis" as well as "secondary prevention that is still fragile." They call for "breaking the taboo."

However, the study sample is small, as the Elite 1, the French first division championship, has more than 350 players. Currently ^5th , the FC Grenoble Amazones is in the running for a place in the final phase. Stade Bordelais has won the last two editions.