Gender, as defined by the World Health Organization (WHO), is nothing but a social construct that outlines the characteristics of women, girls, men and boys. These are different from biological sex and are determined by physical traits like hormones and chromosomes. Now, when continence care is to be considered, caregivers will need to keep various points in mind to maintain the dignity of individuals belonging to different genders.
Guidelines Related to Gender Considerations
When it comes to continence care, it has been noted that barriers exist for both men and women. Men often avoid this type of care due to their rigidity, which emanates from their masculinity. On the other hand, women have historically received unequal continence care and even limited safe medications for various health conditions. In fact, delayed diagnoses have made their condition more complicated.
Though research treats men and women as physiologically the same, several studies typically focus on male participants. This differentiation leads to gaps in evidence-based guidelines. For instance, the International Continence Society (ICS) started publishing separate guidelines for male and female lower urinary tract symptoms only in 2010 and 2019. Moreover, 19-40% of transgender and gender-diverse patients have been denied care by healthcare professionals, according to a study. Though healthcare providers are willing to provide continence and other types of care to individuals of all genders, a lack of awareness or familiarity with the relevant guidelines hinders proper care.
New Guidelines
Apart from men and women, there are no specific guidelines related to continence care when it comes to caring for trans people. However, the differences in the needs of different genders are extremely important. According to the (ACP and Royal College of Nursing (RCN), 2023), men and women need to be treated equally regarding their anatomical shape, absorbencies, and the care products available. This is quite encouraging since this addresses the needs of all genders and promotes equal access to gender-specific products.
To sum up, dignified continence care is respecting and acknowledging an individual’s gender identity when meeting their continence needs.
