You’ve seen the commercials: A woman constantly interrupts her family road trip for bathroom breaks. Or she can’t enjoy a day shopping without always rushing to the restroom. Or she shares a good laugh with friends and — uh oh!

These are all familiar scenarios, but the good news is that they don’t have to be.

Dr. Janet Harris-Hicks, a board certified gynecologist at Sandhills Gynecology in Hamlet, will hold a dinner presentation on the subject, “Love, Laugh … Leak?” from 6 to 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 19, at Southern Prime Steakhouse.

The program is free and will include complimentary dinner.

Many ladies suffer with the involuntary loss of urine or “urinary incontinence,” Harris-Hicks says. It is often an embarrassing subject seldom discussed with a doctor.

“Ladies often think this is a normal part of aging and there is nothing to correct the problem,” she said. “But incontinence is ‘not’ normal.”

In her presentation, Harris-Hicks will discuss the medical and surgical options available that permanently correct urinary incontinence and eliminate bladder leakage.

Harris-Hicks is one of the leading female surgeons in pelvic disorders. She has 12 years of experience in pelvic organ prolapsed (POP) surgery. In 2012, she was among 20 of the top surgeons in the United States selected to initiate the surgical use of a new pelvic mesh from Boston Scientific.

“POP and urinary incontinence are common conditions affecting many adult women today,” said Harris-Hicks.

Pelvic organ prolapse is the abnormal descent or herniation of the pelvic organs including the bladder or rectum from their normal position inside the pelvis. Severe POP results in complete extrusion of the vagina outside of the pelvic floor.

Urinary incontinence is the involuntary loss of urine and is extremely common. The National Association for Continence predicts 25 million adult Americans suffer with incontinence. Of these Americans, 75 to 80 percent are women; and nine to 13 million of them suffer with severe symptoms. 

At previous seminars on urinary incontinence with Harris-Hicks, the reaction is always astounding, said Kimberly Harrington, marketing director for Sandhills Regional Medical Center. “It was always so moving to see the expressions on the faces of women when they realized they didn’t have to live with leaky bladders and could start leading normal lives.”

RSVP by noon, Monday, March 18, at (910) 205-8909, or email beth.shepard@hma.com.

Southern Prime Steakhouse is located at 270 SW Broad Street, Southern Pines.