Dr Christopher Chong, a consultant uro-gynaecologist at Gleneagles Medical Centre, said the condition is caused by weakness in the muscles and ligaments of the pelvic floor, leading to loss of uterine support.
Pregnancy, childbirth, obesity, and chronic coughing and lifting of heavy objects are some of the factors that predispose a woman to developing the condition,' he said. 'It worsens if not treated.'
For Madam Chin, the problem began in early 2004.
Her regular gynaecologist told her that she was all right, that it was 'just a part of ageing, and that I have to live with it'.'But who could live with the inconvenience of constantly searching for toilets and not being able to control my urine every time I coughed or sneezed?' said Madam Chin.
Her gynaecologist was reluctant to remove her womb because Madam Chin has a history of thrombosis - the formation of clots within the blood vessel.
But Madam Chin, who also suffers from allergic rhinitis, a condition in which the nasal passages are inflamed, often sneezes violently in the morning. That aggravated the incontinence.
A second gynaecologist she consulted, who was willing to take on her case, ordered some blood tests, including cancer markers, before deciding to operate.
Unfortunately, the results came back showing yet another problem - cancer in her left kidney.
Madam Chin had to postpone the correction of her prolapsed uterus for the time being so the cancer in her kidney could be addressed.
My left kidney was removed in November 2004. The cancer was in its early stages so I did not have to go through chemotherapy or radiotherapy after the surgery,' she said.
But the prolapse and incontinence still needed attention and Madam Chin went through another year without solving those problems.
In December 2005, she attended a public forum in Kuching on the treatment of incontinence by Dr Chong.
By then, I was at my wit's end, so I decided to go for the talk. I cornered Dr Chong and told him about my problem,' she said.
He assured her that she could be treated, and Madam Chin and her husband came to his clinic in Singapore three months later.
I presented him with a two-page written medical history and asked a whole lot of questions,' said Madam Chin. 'Dr Chong got a colleague, an anaesthetist, to sit in.
He said the thrombosis was not a problem and that he would carefully monitor it during the surgery. With all my problems, I was considered a surgeon's nightmare but seeing how confident the two young doctors were, I thought it was safe enough to proceed with the surgery,' she said.
She had her operation in April 2006.
Dr Chong removed my uterus, including the ovaries, corrected the incontinence and fixed my prolapsed bowel in a two-hour long surgery,' she said.
She could walk a few hours after surgery and was warded for only three nights.
The surgery put an end to her discomfort. And the relief showed on her face.
When I got back to Kuching and my friends saw me, they said I looked like I had just returned from a holiday abroad,' she said, laughing.
