A small reusable device is helping women stop leaking urine during workouts, and a published 12-month study backs up the claim with real numbers.
Quick Take
- A peer-reviewed study followed 40 women using the Uresta bladder support device for one year.
- Researchers reported 97% saw improvement in stress urinary incontinence during exercise.
- 90% of the women were still using the device after twelve months.
- Uresta is a Class II medical device cleared by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for stress and mixed incontinence.
- The device is reusable, non-sterile, and works by giving the urethra physical support during movement.
What The Study Actually Found
Doctors published the findings in the International Urogynecology Journal in 2023. The study, called the CURE study, tracked 40 women for a full year. Nearly all of them, 97%, reported improvement in stress urinary incontinence while exercising. That is the kind of leak that happens during a run, a jump, or a hard laugh. Nine out of ten women kept using the device after twelve months, a strong sign of real-world satisfaction.
How The Device Works Inside The Body
Uresta is a small silicone insert placed inside the vagina. It is built to catch the urethra and keep it supported when pressure builds in the abdomen. That pressure spikes during coughing, sneezing, lifting, or exercise. Federal device records describe it as a reusable urinary-incontinence insert meant to relieve stress or mixed incontinence during exactly those moments. The idea is mechanical, not chemical. No drugs, no surgery, just physical backup.
Women in the study were already active, which matters. A device that only helps people sitting still would not impress anyone training for a 5K or chasing grandkids around a yard. Uresta’s own research page describes the group as active women, and the headline result speaks directly to that lifestyle. For someone who stopped running because of leaks, that distinction is not a minor footnote. It is the whole point.
Where The Evidence Still Has Gaps
Forty women is a real study, not a guess, but it is still a small sample. Company materials elsewhere describe a broader group of 46 active women, and the public record does not fully explain the gap between those two numbers. No comparative trial has yet pitted Uresta directly against pads, pelvic floor therapy, or other pessaries over a long stretch. That kind of head-to-head test would tell doctors which option actually performs best for which patient.
Medical guidelines already place pessaries and vaginal inserts in the first line of treatment for stress incontinence, ahead of surgery, alongside pelvic floor exercises and lifestyle changes. A separate systematic review of pessaries as a product category found roughly three out of four women felt continent after treatment, up from zero percent before, which lines up with the direction of the Uresta data. The device fits a treatment category doctors already trust, not a fringe idea.
What FDA Clearance Does And Does Not Mean
Uresta carries FDA clearance as a Class II device, which means the agency reviewed it for safety and found it similar enough to existing cleared devices on the market. That clearance confirms the device is safe and reasonably comparable to other approved options. It does not by itself prove the device beats pads or pelvic floor therapy in a head-to-head match. Readers should treat clearance as a baseline safety signal, not a guarantee of superior results. The 97% figure comes from an actual follow-up study, which is stronger evidence than clearance alone.
A Personal Review Versus A Clinical Trial
Online reviews of Uresta, including one widely read first-person account, describe personal comfort and daily use rather than measured leakage data. That is useful for readers wondering what it feels like to wear. It is not the same thing as a clinical outcome. The CURE study provides the population-level number. A single reviewer’s story shows what living with the device looks like day to day. Readers benefit from both, as long as they keep them separate in their heads.
Bladder leaks carry a stigma that keeps many women quiet about symptoms and treatment options for years longer than necessary. A device with published, peer-reviewed results and a federal safety clearance gives women a concrete, low-risk option to discuss with a doctor before considering surgery.
The bigger lesson here isn’t about one product. It’s a reminder that mechanical fixes often get overlooked in favor of drugs or surgery, even when the simpler option has real data behind it and a lower risk profile for the patient.
Sources:
mindbodygreen.com, womenofwearables.com, accessgudid.nlm.nih.gov, auajournals.org
