Abstract
This study investigates women's experiences of symptoms, methods of coping, and patterns of interaction with health care providers in relation to urinary tract problems. Semi-structured interviews were carried out with 20 women (aged 50–79 years) who had recently been referred by their general practitioners (GPs) to a urology unit. Transcripts were subjected to Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis. Analysis revealed that although women encouraged family members to seek medical help at an early stage, they delayed seeking help for their own urinary tract problems for long periods of time, using a variety of self-help methods to treat, control, and hide symptoms. Delays in help seeking were due to women's belief that symptoms were a natural sign of aging, the acceptability of pads to hide leakage and women's confidence in self treatment. Medical help was only sought when they could no longer cope with symptoms. The quality of the relationship women had with their GP emerged as an important factor in encouraging self referral.
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