The 24 hour pad test involves women collecting their pre-weighed incontinence pads for 24 hours and returning them to the clinician for weighing. This allows for accurate quantification of urine loss. This test is often used in clinical studies before and after intervention to assess efficacy of treatment.
The cough stress test is an alternative testing modality used to evaluate stress incontinence. It is an easy test to perform in a single visit to the clinician's office and the results are immediately available. It involves the patient coughing forcefully with a full bladder and watching for leakage of urine through the urethra.
In our study, our primary aim is to compare the equivalency of the cough stress test to the 24 hour pad test as a measure of stress urinary incontinence. Our secondary aim will be to assess patient comfort and satisfaction with each of the testing modalities. If the cough stress test is equivalent, it will provide an additional, easy to use tool for patient evaluation.
